Playing WoW with the Steam Controller on Windows: ConsolePort setup and the Battle.net catch
ℹ Works as designedSymptom: In WoW the Steam Controller keeps acting as a mouse and keyboard (Steam's desktop layout) instead of a gamepad.
I wanted to play from the couch with the Steam Controller. The addon went in fine; getting Steam to hand it to the game as a gamepad took one extra trick.
What you need
- ConsolePort — version 3.2.5 or later supports patch 12.1.0. Unzip it into
World of Warcraft\_retail_\Interface\AddOns; you should end up with nineConsolePort…folders. Then fully restart the game: a/reloaddoesn’t pick up new addons. - Steam, because the Steam Controller reaches Windows games through Steam Input.
Which preset to choose
ConsolePort has presets for Xbox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Switch Pro and Steam Deck — none for the Steam Controller. The Steam Controller has the same layout as the Steam Deck, so pick Steam Deck.
In that preset the four back buttons are read as the keys F1–F4:
| Back button | Key in Steam Input | Shown in game as |
|---|---|---|
| L4 (upper left) | F1 | P1 |
| L5 (lower left) | F2 | P2 |
| R4 (upper right) | F3 | P3 |
| R5 (lower right) | F4 | P4 |
In game, ConsolePort labels them P1–P4 (paddles 1 to 4).
Steam Input setup
WoW isn’t a Steam game, so by default Steam applies its desktop layout (mouse and keyboard) to the controller while WoW is in focus. That’s why ConsolePort doesn’t see a gamepad. The fix is to launch the game through Steam:
- In Steam, choose Add a Non-Steam Game and pick
C:\Program Files (x86)\Battle.net\Battle.net Launcher.exe. - In that shortcut’s properties, set the launch options to
--exec="launch WoW"so it opens WoW directly. - In its controller configuration, choose the Gamepad With Mouse Trackpad template (the base ConsolePort itself recommends) and map the back buttons to F1–F4 as in the table.
The catch: close Battle.net first
Quit Battle.net completely — tray icon included — before launching from Steam. If Battle.net is already running, the launcher Steam starts hands the order to the open instance and exits within a few seconds. Steam then thinks the game has closed and goes back to the desktop layout. In my case Steam’s process log showed exactly that: the tracked processes exited about four seconds after launch. With Battle.net closed, the one Steam starts stays open and Steam keeps the gamepad layout for as long as you play.
From the couch, with the orc charging on a trigger. Worth the ten minutes. — Gerlari