Virtual Controller Manager 🎮

A modern Windows application to emulate virtual Xbox 360 controllers using Python. This tool provides a clean GUI to add, connect, and disconnect multiple virtual gamepads that are recognized by Windows as legitimate hardware.

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🚀 Features

• Modern GUI: Built with CustomTkinter for a sleek "Dark Mode" aesthetic.
• Dynamic Management: Add or remove as many controllers as you need.
• Independent Control: Connect/Disconnect controllers individually.
• Legitimate Emulation: Uses the ViGEmBus driver to ensure controllers show up in Device Manager and work with games/apps.

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🛠️ Prerequisites

Before running the application, you MUST install the following:

1. ViGEmBus Driver (Critical)

The application relies on the ViGEmBus driver to communicate with Windows.

• Download: ViGEmBus Latest Release
• Installation: Download the .exe or .msi and follow the installer prompts.

2. Python 3.7+

Ensure you have Python installed and added to your system PATH.

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📦 Installation

1. Clone or Download this project to your local machine.
2. Open a terminal in the project directory.
3. Install dependencies using the requirements file:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

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🎮 How to Use

1. Launch the app:

   python virtual_controller.py

2. Add Controllers: Click the + ADD NEW CONTROLLER button to create a new slot.
3. Connect: Click the blue Connect button. It will turn green when active.
   • Check your Device Manager under "Xbox 360 Peripherals" to see it appear.
4. Disconnect: Click the green Disconnect button to remove the virtual device from Windows.
5. Remove: Once disconnected, you can use the red Remove button to delete the controller from the list.

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🛠️ Building the Executable (.exe)

If you want to package this application into a standalone Windows executable, use PyInstaller.

1. Install PyInstaller

pip install pyinstaller

2. Run the Build Command

Use the following command to bundle the script, GUI assets (CustomTkinter), and the gamepad drivers (vgamepad DLLs) into a single file:

pyinstaller --noconsole --onefile --collect-all customtkinter --collect-all vgamepad virtual_controller.py

3. Locate your EXE

• Once finished, a new folder named dist/ will be created.
• Your standalone virtual_controller.exe will be inside it.
• Note: The first time you launch the .exe, it may take 5–10 seconds to open while it extracts itself to a temporary folder. Subsequent launches are much faster.

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⚠️ Troubleshooting

• Error: "Failed to connect controller": This usually means the ViGEmBus driver is missing or not installed correctly. Re-run the ViGEmBus installer and restart your computer.
• Controller not showing in game: Ensure the controller is "Connected" (Green button) before launching your game.
• GUI looks weird: Ensure you have installed the customtkinter library via the requirements file.

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📄 License

This project is provided "as-is" for simulation and development purposes. It uses the vgamepad library which is a wrapper for the ViGEm Framework.