I have XBOX controller that I use for camera/view position/look but it comes up "uninitialized" ... I calibrate it and all clear (aka blue) ranges and hit done, but still shows as "uninitialized"?  All my other controllers work fine (Thrustmaster, etc.) and recognized, just the XBOX one is not.  I can assigned/map to the controller but would be nice to have a different name show?

Is there some file (pref or something) that I can manually edit the controller name?

Also can't seem to use any of the XBOX axis controls to position the camera/view ... the camera up/down doesn't actually position the camera up or down and acts like a view look up/down.

12.4.x beta 

Thoughts?

I just plugged in a xbox X series wired controller I purchased to use mostly with MSFS, but while it appears under the Device Manager / Xbox Peripherals it doesn't show up when I load MSFS 2024 or Xp12  😕

Edited December 26, 2025Dec 26 by jcomm

1 hour ago, jcomm said:

it doesn't show up when I load MSFS 2024 or Xp12

After some discovery work and testing and much fiddling ... I found a solution for my use case ... if I plug the XBOX controller in via USB port and not wireless (BT), it's identified correctly by the OS and by XP12.

Wireless Bluetooth LE XINPUT:

Plugged in via USB and it looks like:

This seems to be what XP12 wants to see:

and sure enough after loading XP12:

No more uninitialized ... but I did have to reassign all the mappings again.

In addition, I loaded the XBOX accessories app (from MS Store) that needs USB connection in order to update the firmware:

Not required, but I did anyway.

So it seems I'll just have to live with a wired XBOX controller for XP12.  MSFS 2024 didn't seem to care USB or Wireless just called it a "Controller":

 

6 hours ago, SayAgain said:

Thoughts?

You have lost me at "XBOX controller"... I would get my son to help out here, but he is already a teenager, so past the game-controller stage in a gamer´s life 😆.

But I am happy that you found a solution - I would think it cumbersome to grab a fourth type of controller (beside the joystick, mouse and the throttle) to "control my view", but to each his own. Using the mouse to control views (or set them up with joystick buttons) seems so intuitive to me - and using a gamepad type controller seems so far-fetched for a serious flight simulator, the whole thing appears like an afterthought to me.

However, it seems that the problem here was rather Windows recognizing it than X-Plane not allowing its use, if I understood correctly.

 

Edited December 27, 2025Dec 27 by Litjan

In my case it was due to increasing stupidity with age 😕

I saw it at the store and the box reads PowerA XBox controller, and looks exactly like a native XBox controller, but it's a non-official piece of word not allowed 😕

After being stupid in a row, and testing how stupid Copilot can get too 🤣, and even many searches in the Internet based on "Xbox wired controller", I shared the pain with a friend who owns the native MS controller, and we arrived to the conclusion mine was not one... I decided to find out if there was some piece of software to get the necessary HID, and sure there is one at their site, which also gets updates and the like.

Installed it and it now is recognized in X-Plane 12 and works, more or less acceptably, but the two "buttons" that are used by default for the rudder are rather buggy and impossible to properly callibrate 😕

I am going to try to return it and get the money back or use it ti buy a native controller...

@Janov, why????? Why going from horse to no donkey (no offense to the actually rather inteligent donkeys !!!)? Why would a simmer with a setup of rudder pedals, and T16000 + part of a broken X52 Pro opt for an Xbox controller instead???

Because my new house is so small that I will have difficulty using that HW, no table for the desktop, 2 cats loving the mess and playing around with all sort of stuff thay can ellect as a target  🤣😼, something LR can't do much about... well... hmmmm, maybe !!! What about the smartphone version ???? Wow!!!

Edited December 27, 2025Dec 27 by jcomm

12 hours ago, Litjan said:

I would think it cumbersome to grab a fourth type of controller (beside the joystick, mouse and the throttle) to "control my view", but to each his own.

I attached the XBOX controller to the center of my Thrustmaster Boeing yoke so I don’t need the mouse or keyboard .. so 1980s reaching for mouse or keyboard 😉 

XBOX controller makes for a great view/camera management device.

12 hours ago, Litjan said:

However, it seems that the problem here was rather Windows recognizing it than X-Plane not allowing its use, if I understood correctly.

No, MSFS 2024 had no problem with the controller via USB or Wireless.  The issue is XP12 didn’t have a joystick profile for BT controller and should have defaulted to a generic controller.

If you notice, XPlane have several device VIDs as profiles, so they just need to add one for (above BT connection) OR create a default fallback grab all profile like MSFS.

No judgement needed nor a XP12 defense stance.