A lot of recent discussion focuses on whether or not the Microsoft Surface tablets are worth discussing at all. We at iTech Post have been very interested in looking at what makes the Surface tablets dandy devices or just "duds."
But one thing about the Microsoft Surface Pro and RT that some people seem to be missing is how the things work as gaming consoles. It's for this reason we're delighted to discover that you can actually control your Microsoft Surface RT with your Xbox 360 controller.
My World of IT has recently posted a handy-dandy video that shows you exactly how to make your Microsoft RT Xbox 360 controller-compatible.
First thing you need to do, of course, is make sure you have a Microsoft Surface RT and an Xbox 360 wireless game controller. No surprise there. (Make sure the controller's batteries are charged, of course, and ensure you also have a PC wireless gaming receiver.)
The video's narrator reminds us that whereas one might think it would be a simple matter of connecting your receiver to the Surface RT USB port, "unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't make it that easy."
Upon connecting the receiver to the USB port, what you'll see in your settings is an error message on your Microsoft Surface RT that tells you the device is unknown and not compatible with your version of Windows.
Not true!
Here's how you can make it work.
1. Go to Desktop View mode. Load up Device Manager.
2. Under Other Devices, double tap Unknown Device.
3. Tap on: Update Driver, "Browse my computer for driver software" and finally "Let me pick a list of device drivers on my computer."
4. Scroll all the way to the bottom to Xbox 360 Peripherals. Tap on that and press Next.
5. You'll see three options for which Xbox 360 controller you might want to use (we're going here for wireless). Tap on that and hit Next.
6. You'll see yet another false alarm error message. Completely ignore it, as our British narrator suggests.
7. Wait.
8. You'll see a message saying you've successfully updated your driver.
9. From there, it's just a matter of the conventional connection between your controller and the receiver.
10. Have fun!
For those wondering where you can get a wireless receiver, My World of IT suggests hitting up Amazon. There's also some comments on the site that suggest Microsoft has more recently updated the Surface tablets and now you can automatically use your controller without having to go through this rigmarole in the first place.
Windows RT Review posted a similar video shortly after the one previously mentioned that shows indeed this is possible with your wireless receiver and wireless Xbox 360 controller.
However, should you discover the Xbox 360 controller is not recognized by your Surface RT (as some have unfortunately found), now you'll know what to do to help turn your tablet into a (nearly) true mobile gaming console.
Game on!
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