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Freedom251 › Blog › controller setup

How to Set Up a Controller and Change Graphics Settings in the P.T. PC Recreation

By Freedom251 Team · · 11 min read

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The native P.T. PC port reads the levels, models, textures, sound, scripts and cutscenes from your own copy of the PS4 game. It is not an emulator, and its installer does not include the game data. To configure it, connect a gamepad through your operating system, launch the port, press F10 for PC settings, and choose the controls and graphics options you need.

Start with Original (PS4) graphics if you want the documented baseline. Then change individual options only when your hardware supports them. This guide covers the complete controller, microphone, display, upscaling and visual-effects workflow documented by the project.

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What this PC recreation is—and what you must provide

The project documented in the official LoreanXavier/pt-pc README is a native PC port. It rebuilds the game logic and loads the original content at runtime from the player’s own PS4 game data. The port includes the complete teaser through the street section, including the voice section.

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Because the game data is not distributed with the repository or installer, you need your own legally obtained copy and the files prepared according to the project’s distribution instructions. Do not confuse this port with an emulator, an unrelated fan remake or an earlier PC project; their controls and graphics menus may be different.

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Basic PC requirements

  • A GPU and driver supporting Vulkan 1.3.
  • A Windows or macOS installation supported by the current port release. Feature availability differs by operating system.
  • Your own PS4 game data, installed where the port expects it.
  • A gamepad connected or paired through the operating system or controller platform you already use. The project does not require a separate in-game pairing procedure.

The README’s requirements are release-specific. Check the current project documentation if you are installing a newer build, especially when you plan to use ray tracing, upscaling or frame generation.

Connect and configure a controller

1. Pair or plug in the gamepad before launching

Connect the controller by USB or pair it through your operating system, Bluetooth settings or the controller platform you normally use. Once the operating system recognizes it, start the port. The project’s instructions do not describe another pairing step inside the game.

The maintainer’s compatibility statement is broad: Any gamepad works as the PS4 pad. That means the port is not documented as requiring a particular model. It does not establish that every model has identical rumble, trigger or speaker behavior, so treat those advanced features separately from basic button input.

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2. Open the PC settings menu

With the game running, press F10. This opens the PC settings screen. You can use the keyboard to reach the menu even if the controller is not yet responding, then return to the gamepad after the operating system has detected it.

3. Understand the button prompts

Prompts follow the most recently used input style. If you press a keyboard key, the interface can show keyboard prompts; after controller input, it can show PlayStation, Xbox or Switch-style labels. Seeing a different symbol set does not necessarily indicate a configuration error. Move the input device you want to use and check the next prompt.

4. Test ordinary input before advanced feedback

Walk, look around and open the F10 menu with the gamepad. This confirms that the operating system and the port are receiving ordinary button and stick events. If that works, you can test vibration and optional effects without mistaking a missing advanced feature for a failed controller.

Use the microphone scene without a microphone

One part of the game listens for the player to say “Jack.” If you do not want to use a microphone, the port provides a controller trigger workaround.

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  1. Press F10 to open PC settings.
  2. Open Sound.
  3. Enable Assign J / L2 + R2 for the microphone trigger.
  4. When the game is listening, press both triggers together.

The keyboard alternative is simply J. The trigger assignment is a substitute for the microphone event; it does not turn the controller into an audio input.

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Choose a graphics preset

Original (PS4): the documented starting point

Select Original (PS4) under graphics when you want the port’s stated baseline. The project describes the PS4 look as the reference configuration, with added effects disabled or set to their original behavior by default. This is the most defensible first launch choice because the project does not publish a universally optimal preset or benchmark results.

Other presets

The menu also offers Low, Medium, High, Ultra and Custom. These are choices, not measured performance guarantees. A higher preset may add lighting, reflections, texture detail or post-processing, while a lower one can reduce visual workload. Your result depends on your GPU, driver, resolution and the features your platform supports.

Choose a preset, apply it, and then use Custom only if you want to change individual controls. If the game becomes unstable or too slow, return to Original (PS4) and add one feature at a time rather than changing every setting simultaneously.

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Fine-tune individual visual options

The graphics menu exposes the following controls. Every option can be returned to the PS4 setting, so you can experiment without permanently losing the baseline.

Shadow map size

Shadow map size controls the resolution used for conventional shadow maps. Larger maps can make shadow edges and detail cleaner but increase memory and rendering work. If you are comparing a modified setup with the reference look, record the original value before changing it.

Ray-traced shadows

Ray-traced shadows offer two documented styles: a sharp mode like the original and a soft mode. They require Vulkan ray queries. The setting is unavailable on macOS, and it will be greyed out when the GPU or driver cannot provide the required support.

Contact shadows

Contact shadows add small, local shadows where objects meet surfaces. They can improve grounding around feet, furniture and nearby geometry. Enable them only after your baseline is stable; they are an optional enhancement rather than a requirement for the original presentation.

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Ray-traced ambient occlusion

Ray-traced ambient occlusion is another Vulkan-ray-query feature. It changes subtle shading in corners and contact areas. As with ray-traced shadows, it is unavailable on macOS and on hardware or drivers that lack the required query support.

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Ray-traced floor reflections

This option adds ray-traced reflections on floors. It has the same Vulkan ray-query dependency and macOS limitation as the other ray-traced controls. If the menu disables it, there is no software switch that can make it available; use the standard reflection behavior or a different supported machine.

Anisotropic filtering

Anisotropic filtering improves the clarity of textures viewed at an angle, such as floors receding into the distance. It is independent of ray tracing, so a system without ray-query support can still use the filtering option when the port exposes it.

Enhanced textures

Enhanced textures select the port’s higher-detail texture treatment rather than the original texture behavior. This can change surface sharpness and memory use. Compare it with Original (PS4) in the same area of the game; changing resolution at the same time makes the visual difference harder to judge.

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Film grain, motion blur and depth of field

Film grain adds a grain overlay. Motion blur applies blur during movement or camera changes. Depth of field changes which parts of the image appear in focus. These are presentation choices, not compatibility requirements. Disable them if you prefer a cleaner static image; enable them if you want the intended post-processing character.

Lens flare ghosts and curved-lens colour fringing

Lens flare ghosts add the secondary flare artifacts associated with bright light sources. Curved-lens colour fringing simulates chromatic separation toward the edge of a curved lens. Both can be returned to their PS4 behavior from the settings menu.

Check why a setting is unavailable

Unsupported controls appear greyed out, and the settings page explains why. Read that explanation instead of forcing the option through an external configuration file. Common causes include a GPU or driver without Vulkan ray queries, macOS restrictions on ray-traced features, or an upscaler that requires a different class of hardware.

  • If only ray-traced controls are disabled, verify Vulkan 1.3 and ray-query support; on macOS, those options are not available.
  • If DLSS is disabled, the port requires a GeForce RTX card for that upscaler.
  • If frame generation is unavailable, check both the GPU generation and the operating system listed in the frame-generation requirements.

Set the display mode, resolution and synchronization

Windowed, borderless or exclusive fullscreen

The display menu supports windowed, borderless and exclusive fullscreen.

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  • Windowed keeps the game in a resizable desktop window.
  • Borderless fills the desktop without taking exclusive control of the display. It can render at a selected size that differs from the desktop window.
  • Exclusive fullscreen exposes the display modes supported by your monitor and graphics driver.

Choose the mode that matches how you switch between the game and other applications. If exclusive fullscreen shows fewer resolutions than expected, the listed modes are the ones the current display path reports as supported.

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Render resolution

Render resolution is selectable independently of the window or desktop size. In borderless mode, for example, the game can fill the desktop while rendering internally at another selected size. Use this control together with an upscaler when you need a lower internal workload, or select native resolution when you want the clearest unscaled image.

V-sync

V-sync can be switched on or off. Enable it when you prefer synchronized presentation and are seeing tearing; disable it when you want the display to present frames without the synchronization wait. The README does not publish a universal latency or performance result for either choice.

Choose an upscaler or native anti-aliasing

The port documents FSR 3.1, DLSS 4.5 with model selection, and XeSS upscaling. Each offers common quality steps or a custom scale. The menu also includes native-resolution anti-aliasing options: FSR native AA and DLAA.

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Option Documented requirement or scope How to decide
FSR 3.1 Available as an upscaling option; quality steps or a custom scale are provided. Use when you want an adjustable internal render scale without requiring an RTX card.
DLSS 4.5 Requires a GeForce RTX card and includes model choice. Use only when the required RTX hardware is present; compare models visually at your chosen resolution.
XeSS Works on recent GPUs on Windows. Choose it when your Windows GPU supports it and you prefer its reconstruction at your selected quality.
FSR native AA Native-resolution anti-aliasing mode. Use when you want anti-aliasing without lowering the internal resolution.
DLAA Native-resolution anti-aliasing option associated with DLSS-capable hardware. Use for native rendering when your hardware and driver expose DLAA.

These choices are not interchangeable performance promises. Select one, keep the render resolution and preset fixed, and then compare image stability and responsiveness in the same scene. The project does not publish benchmark figures that would justify a single best option for every PC.

Understand frame-generation limits

Frame generation is hardware- and platform-specific. The documented combinations are:

Technology Supported hardware or platform listed by the project
FSR 3 frame generation Radeon RX 5000 or newer.
DLSS Frame Generation GeForce RTX 40 or newer.
MetalFX Frame Interpolation Experimental; Apple silicon with macOS 26 or newer.

A compatible GPU alone does not guarantee that every release exposes the feature. Verify the current README after a port update, especially for the experimental MetalFX path. Do not treat frame generation as a substitute for meeting the Vulkan 1.3 requirement or as evidence of a particular frame rate.

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Configure vibration, triggers and controller audio

Original vibration

Original vibration is enabled by default. It is the appropriate choice if you want the documented baseline behavior.

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Enhanced feedback

Enhanced feedback adds supported trigger vibration and, on supported wired USB DualSense controllers on Windows, haptics derived from filtered Lisa cries. The documentation limits this behavior to supported hardware and the stated Windows wired-USB arrangement; it is not a guarantee for every wireless pad or operating system.

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Controller-speaker output

Optional controller-speaker output and its volume are separate from vibration. Changing that volume does not change the main game mix or your headphone mix. Physical controller output still needs validation on the specific hardware, so regard it as an optional experiment rather than a universally tested feature.

Practical setup recipes

Recipe: preserve the PS4 presentation

  1. Connect the gamepad through the operating system.
  2. Launch the port and press F10.
  3. Select Original (PS4) under graphics.
  4. Choose your preferred window mode and display resolution.
  5. Leave Original vibration enabled.
  6. Use the microphone trigger assignment or J only if you do not want to provide a microphone.

Recipe: add effects cautiously

  1. Start from Original (PS4) and note the display mode, render resolution and V-sync state.
  2. Enable one visual option, such as enhanced textures or contact shadows.
  3. Play the same area long enough to judge image quality and responsiveness.
  4. Add another option only if the result suits you.
  5. For ray-traced effects, first confirm that the menu reports Vulkan ray-query support.

Recipe: use an upscaler

  1. Keep the display mode and preset fixed.
  2. Select FSR 3.1, DLSS 4.5 or XeSS if your hardware and operating system meet its documented requirement.
  3. Choose a quality step or custom scale.
  4. Compare the result at the same scene and output resolution.
  5. If the image is not acceptable, return to native-resolution anti-aliasing or the PS4 baseline.

Troubleshoot the common setup failures

The controller is not detected

  • Confirm the operating system sees the controller before starting the port.
  • Reconnect or re-pair it, then restart the game.
  • Press a controller button after opening F10 to make the input style switch from keyboard prompts.
  • Test ordinary movement and menu navigation before diagnosing vibration or speaker features.

The prompts show the wrong button family

Prompts follow the most recently used input style. Press a button on the desired device and continue. The label family can change between keyboard, PlayStation, Xbox and Switch conventions without indicating that the controller has failed.

A ray-traced option is greyed out

Read the explanation beside the disabled control. Ray-traced shadows, ambient occlusion and floor reflections require Vulkan ray queries and are unavailable on macOS. A GPU or driver that lacks the capability cannot enable these controls through the graphics preset alone.

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The microphone scene does not react

Use the documented fallback: F10, Sound, enable Assign J / L2 + R2 for the microphone trigger, then press both triggers when the game is listening. On a keyboard, press J. Make sure you are pressing the triggers during the listening moment rather than while the menu is open.

Enhanced feedback does not work

Return to Original vibration to verify ordinary rumble first. Enhanced trigger vibration and Lisa-cry haptics require supported hardware; the documented DualSense case is a wired USB controller on Windows. Controller-speaker output is independent and may not be available on your particular device.

The image is tearing or the game does not fill the screen

Try V-sync on for tearing. If you need a desktop-filling presentation, choose borderless; if you need the display modes reported by the driver, choose exclusive fullscreen. In borderless mode, check both the selected render resolution and the desktop window size because they can differ.

Keep the configuration reproducible

When tuning the port, change one class of setting at a time: display mode, render resolution, upscaler, lighting effects, then post-processing. Write down the working combination before testing another. This makes it easy to return to Original (PS4), identify which option caused a problem, and explain a hardware-specific result without presenting it as a universal benchmark.

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The Bottom Line

Connect and pair the gamepad through your operating system, press F10, and begin with Original (PS4). Add ray-traced effects, enhanced textures, post-processing, upscaling or frame generation only when the menu confirms that your GPU and platform support them; use the documented trigger or keyboard fallback for the microphone scene.

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