Using BatteryOnPC alongside DS4Windows

DS4Windows, like other remapping tools such as reWASD, hides your real PlayStation controller so games only see the virtual Xbox controller it creates. BatteryOnPC is affected like every other program: it then sees an Xbox controller that reports no battery. It notices this on its own, and tells you what to do.

Why this happens, and the two ways a controller gets hidden, are explained in the article on DS4Windows. This guide is the practical side.

How you will know

A notification appears once, titled "Controller hidden" or "Controller locked by DS4Windows" depending on the cause, and a matching entry appears near the top of the controller icon's menu. That entry only exists while the problem does; the rest of the time, the menu looks as usual.

"Controller hidden": HidHide

1. 1

   Open the icon menu

   Right-click the controller icon, then Allow with DS4Windows/HidHide…

2. 2

   Accept the Windows prompt

   HidHide's allow list can only be changed with administrator rights, so Windows asks for permission once.

3. 3

   Let the app restart

   HidHide only reveals the controller to programs started after the change. BatteryOnPC restarts itself, and the level comes back within a few seconds.

• "HidHide is busy": DS4Windows is holding HidHide at that moment. Close DS4Windows, try again, then start it back.
• "HidHide is not installed": HidHide is not what hides the controller, so there is nothing to allow. Look at the exclusive mode case below.
• If registration fails, do it by hand: in HidHide Configuration Client, Applications tab, add BatteryOnPC.App.exe, which lives in your user folder under AppData\Local\BatteryOnPC\current. Then restart BatteryOnPC.

"Controller locked by DS4Windows": exclusive mode

Here DS4Windows opens the controller without sharing it, and no program can read it, whatever list it is on. The menu entry is then Fix DS4Windows exclusive mode…, which shows these steps:

1. 1

   Open DS4Windows' settings

   In DS4Windows, go to the Settings tab.

2. 2

   Turn exclusive mode off

   Untick Use Exclusive Mode to go back to shared mode, or turn on Hide DS4 Controller (HidHide) instead. The exact wording can vary between DS4Windows versions.

3. 3

   Reconnect the controller

   Unplug it, or turn it off and on again. The level then shows in BatteryOnPC; if HidHide hides it from now on, follow the case above.

The mute button too

The DualSense mute button is read the same way as the battery. While the controller is locked or hidden, BatteryOnPC cannot read the button either; once the fix is applied, both come back together.

Do you still need DS4Windows?

BatteryOnPC reads PlayStation controllers without DS4Windows, both for the battery and for the mute button. DS4Windows remains useful for games that only accept Xbox controllers, and for remapping; Steam Input covers the same need for games launched through Steam. If DS4Windows was only there for the battery, you can do without it.