CarvWare has released a major new revision to GamePad Companion, its software that enables game controllers to work with games using Mac OS X. The new version is ready for download from the CarvWare Web site.
Some OS X games are now starting to implement support for Apple’s HID Manager, the built-in API that enables OS X and games to support game controllers. Still, such software is few and far between. In the interim, GamePad Companion offers a solution by enabling your game controller — game pad, joystick, and so on — to emulate keyboard keystrokes and mouse movements. Using GamePad Companion’s interface you can program what you want each function of the game controller to do.
The biggest change to GamePad Companion 2.0 is that it’s now a System Preferences pane, rather than a separate application. As a result, you no longer have to have GamePad Companion launched each time you want to use your game controller — simply set it up once in the GamePad Companion preference pane, turn it on, and then play.
Help tips are now included which improve the software’s ease of use, and a Test feature allows you to give your settings a try before turning them on. A number of bug fixes have also been introduced that should improve stability.
CarvWare distributes GamePad Companion 2.0 as shareware and requires a US$15 registration fee for a single user. More details and download links are available from the CarvWare Web site.