How to pair the PlayStation DualShock 3/4 with the Nvidia Shield TV

Nvidia’s new Shield TV is one of our favorite new devices in recent memory, mainly due to its extensive capabilities as a set-top box. The main focus of the Shield, though, is gaming. Using GeForce Now and game streaming, the Shield TV is a force to be reckoned with for gaming, and it seems to only get better and better. Now, some Shield users have discovered how to pair Sony’s PlayStation controller with the Shield…

The Shield TV now includes a gaming controller out of the box, and as we mentioned in our review, it’s a fantastic controller. However, some users may prefer those from the consoles they’ve come to know and love. Personally, I’ve always had a sweet spot for Sony’s DualShock 3 controller from the PlayStation 3, and now it’s easy to pair it to the Shield.

As first discovered by a handful of users on Reddit, both the DualShock 3 and the DualShock 4 work with the Shield, as does Microsoft’s new Xbox One S controller. Right now, it seems these controllers will only pair to any Nvidia Shield variant, but not to any Android TV device. It’s possible this is something that was enabled by Android Nougat, but it’s more likely that Nvidia has built this into the system in recent updates.

The pairing process for each DualShock controller varies, so here are instructions for each:

DualShock 3

1. Connect your controller via USB to the Shield
2. Navigate to the settings menu and scroll to the ‘Accessories’ section
3. Ensure your controller is listed
4. Disconnect the USB cable, your controller should now be paired over Bluetooth

DualShock 4

1. Place your controller into pairing mode by holding the PS button and share button until the light starts blinking
2. Navigate to the settings menu and scroll to ‘Add accessory’
3. The Shield will search for the controller over Bluetooth
4. Pair the controller