The ViGEmBus driver is a powerful virtual gamepad emulation framework designed for Windows systems. It creates a virtual gamepad device within the OS, allowing software to interact with it as if it were a physical game controller. This driver is essential for ensuring compatibility between various gaming peripherals and games or applications that might not natively support certain controllers.
Created by Benjamin Höglinger-Stelzer (nefarius), ViGEmBus streamlines the integration of custom or non-standard controllers into games. It translates input from the virtual controller to the game or application, enabling seamless functionality. This makes it especially valuable for emulator software, custom controller setups, and adapting unsupported controllers for specific games.
As an open-source project, ViGEmBus benefits from community-driven development, providing a versatile and adaptable solution for gamers and developers. It enhances controller compatibility on Windows platforms, offering a user-friendly approach to optimizing gaming experiences across a wide range of setups.
The project has now been retired November 2023 as per github archive: https://github.com/nefarius/ViGEmBus
