A hacked Nintendo 3DS is a fantastic addition to your gaming arsenal, and the homebrew community behind it is nothing short of phenomenal. There are programs to do practically anything and everything, and that includes turning your 3DS into an Xbox controller. While it's pretty cool and easy to set up, we don't recommend actually relying on it as a replacement for a true Xbox Controller.
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How I turned my 3DS into an Xbox Controller
You'll need a hacked 3DS
This guide assumes you have a hacked Nintendo 3DS, and you'll need one to do this yourself. You'll also need to make sure that your 3DS is on the same network as your computer, and finally, you'll also need to install vJoy. vJoy is an application that hasn't been updated officially in a number of years, and Windows updates over time have broken it and subsequent forks.
I used the BrunnerInnovation fork of vJoy for this project, as they have published a signed version of vJoy on GitHub that complies with Windows 11's requirements. We cannot verify the authenticity of this software.
To get 3DSController working on the Nintendo 3DS and on your PC, you'll need to install the 3DSController application on your 3DS, which you can do via Universal Updater, by installing the CIA file manually, or by using a 3dsx file in the Homebrew Channel. We installed 3DSController using Universal Updater. Next, you'll need to download the 3DSController configuration file and update it with your PC's local IP address before placing it on the root of your 3DS SD card.
Next, launch vJoy and change the number of buttons from 8 to 16, and then launch the 3DS Controller application on your PC. You can then launch it on your 3DS as well, and if everything worked, you should see "3DS Connected!" in the command prompt window. Your 3DS will have a black screen until you restart it, as it disables the backlight in order to conserve power.
Finally, to get it working as an Xbox controller, you'll need to use a tool like x360ce to do that. It's a controller emulator that can take inputs from another application and represent them as an Xbox controller. In other words, you connect your 3DS to vJoy, which turns your 3DS into controller inputs, and then x360ce reads from vJoy to convert those controller inputs into Xbox controller inputs.
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It's needlessly finicky
While the process to get set up only took a few minutes, it's not really a practical way to play games on your PC. The controller inputs work, but I was unable to get the Circle Pad working as a joystick input, even after I managed to get vJoy working. On top of that, especially with the original 3DS, it can be uncomfortable to hold for a long period of time, and that's without mentioning the middle-of-the-road battery life that the 3DS offers.
While it's fun to get set up and can work in a pinch, I really don't recommend it. Brotato and The Binding of Isaac worked fine, but that's because they're very basic games with limited input options. For a game like Cyberpunk: 2077 or Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, there's not a chance that using the 3DS as a controller is actually viable. not only does it not have a second joystick (and the C-Stick is annoying to set up on the New 3DS if you have one), but it's simply not made for those kinds of games.
As a result, it's a project you can set up to have some fun, but it's ultimately a very limited experience. It's a very overcomplicated setup as well for what you get, but sometimes, that's the fun in tech. Try it at your own peril, but you might enjoy it! You can turn lots of things into controllers, like a phone or a Steam Deck, so maybe try those first.