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This week's edition of the Freeware Files may seem a little unusual, but hear me out. A number of you faithful Freeware Files readers are going to be receiving (or have received) awesome gifts from Santa/your parents/Best Buy this holiday season. Trust me--I checked the list myself. Caught up in the frenzy of new toys, phones, and gaming devices to play with, you've probably neglected your poor ol' PC for the time being.
For shame.
A number of the goodies you're playing with actually have unique little third-party tricks for interfacing directly with your desktop or laptop. Yes, that's right. You can actually use the non-computer components and devices from your living room or pocket to enhance your normal PC use. And these aren't just little remote desktop hacks that let you see your PC's screen on your phone or something. I'm talking about hacks that blur the line between your PC and your game controllers or phones, unlocking new usefulness for your desktop system with devices that are anything but.
Your Xbox 360 controller automatically works with Windows when you plug it in to an availiable USB port. But what if you do if your game isn't one of the titles that natively supports the controller? If you're crazy enough to want to try, say, World of Warcraft using a console controller, than the freeware program Xpadder is going to be your ticket to a handheld Azeroth. In short, Xpadder is one giant utility for mapping keyboard-based commands to Xbox controller buttons. Not only can you use the program to play games, but you can also control the various media programs on your computer as well--perfect for creating up your own wired (or wireless) remote control!
While new versions of Xpadder (5.6) cost money, older versions of the software (5.3) are completely free. Download it here!
Oh, the Wiimote. For the ultimate wireless pointing device for your PC, which you can use to run your mouse cursor or play games from afar, you'll need two things: a Bluetooth adapter (or embedded Bluetooth functionality) and a copy of the freeware program GlovePIE. Be sure to check out this link for the pre-GlovePIE setup process--you know, connecting your Wiimote to your system and all that. After that, you'll be happy to know that GlovePIE supports not only your Wiimote, but your accompanying Nunchuk and Sensor Bar accessories as well. Happy pointing!
Download it here!
While you can also use GlovePIE to manage your PlayStation 3 controller, it's just not as simple a task to get the controller itself recognized by your Windows operating system of choice. There just aren't any native drivers for said device. That said, your best bet for hooking your PS3 controller up to your PC is to check out these DualShock 3 drivers--they're third-party and unsigned, which will make for all sorts of havoc if you're running a 64-bit operating system. Otherwise, they're the best way to connect your controller to your system. An included DS3 tool utility handles key-mapping.
Download it here!
If you want to transform your PlayStation Portable into a second mini-monitor for your PC, look no further than the ever-awesome PSPdisp utility. You'll need to have a PSP that runs custom firmware or a homebrew enabler before starting--this isn't your everyday application. PSPdisp supports both wireless and USB connectivity, and this isn't just a one-way deal. You can open up context menus, type, and even stream audio from your system to your portable gaming device. Be sure to check out the included Slideshow feature as well--it turns your PSP into a miniature information screen for all sorts of data.
Download it here!
Next: Level up your day-to-day desktop activity using your iPhone or Android phone!
Comments are closed on this article
nsvander
December 21, 2009 at 2:31pm
Another good App is RingDroid, it allows you to cut up MP3 files from your SD card so you can set them to the proper length for ringtones and notifications. Pair it with Mabilo which lets you download thousands of song to use for ringtones and notifacation. Both are free in the market place and work on 1.5, 1.6, and 2.0 versions of Android, t-mobile and verizon based phones.
Pentium 0
December 21, 2009 at 2:02pm
Xpadder needed to be run in compatibility mode in Windows 7 for me. It says its not supported.
TheMurph
December 21, 2009 at 2:10pm
Yeah, that's the problem with the freeware version -- the paid-for version does support W7 fully, if I'm correct!
marshallladd
December 21, 2009 at 1:29pm
For Android, check out Gmote. Gives you the ability to stream music from your PC to your phone over 3G, and you can also use the keyboard and touchscreen of the phone as a keyboard or mouse for your computer. That one requires WiFi but it still works.
Same concept but different application is Nebudroid. Turns your phone into a functioning NES controller that works over WiFi for the JNes NES emulator. Also works on some online racing game, using the tilt sensor as a steering wheel, tip front and back for gas and brake and so on. demo vid from the developer.
Also, try using transdroid, then any ftp client you can download off of the android market and you have instant access to any song or video you want. Download to PC via transdroid. Download to phone via FTP(over a mobile network I might add).
And no, you don't need the brand new droid or a rooted phone for any of these. I do it on my G1, which is rooted but none of these require root access.
nekollx
December 21, 2009 at 11:54am
Has to be asked since it works as a mini monitor
"can it Play Crisis?"
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Coming soon to Lulu.com --Tokusatsu Heroes--
Five teenagers, one alien ghost, a robot, and the fate of the world.
