Controller PS4/PS5 × Arduino × Arduino IDE

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This page covers Arduino IDE (C++) only: how to set it up for the Controller PS4/PS5 on Arduino / ESP32 / UNO R4 (I2C), how to read every value, the commands it supports and examples. Use the switcher above to change product, host or software.

Which edition and how to connect

Get the Universal I2C edition (4 pins: 5V, GND, SDA, SCL), factory I2C address 0x42. UNO / Nano: A4 (SDA), A5 (SCL); UNO R4 and ESP32: the pins marked SDA / SCL.

Controller PS4/PS5 × Arduino / ESP32 / UNO R4 (I2C)

Setup

What you need

Sensor: Controller PS4/PS5 (Universal I2C edition) with its 4-wire cable. SPIKE and EV3 editions run different firmware and cannot connect to an Arduino directly.
Board: Arduino UNO (or Nano) is the most common; Mega, UNO R4 and ESP32 also work.
USB cable: the UNO uses a square (USB-B) cable; a Nano uses Mini USB or Type-C depending on the board. It must be a data cable; some cheap cables can only charge.
Computer: Windows or Mac.
Software: Arduino IDE (free).

Install the software

Tip
First time with Arduino? Start with First time with Arduino: from zero: in 15 minutes you install the software, upload a program and see the result.

Download it from the official site: arduino.cc/en/software. Choose your computer system (on Windows, choose Windows Win 10 and newer).
The download page asks if you want to donate. Click JUST DOWNLOAD to download right away.
During setup, click Next each time. If it asks to install drivers, click Install every time.
To change the language: File → Preferences → Language, then click OK and restart.
For an ESP32, install the ESP32 board package first.

Make the software see the sensor

No library to install. Every example is a single .ino file; the small helper functions that read and write the sensor (such as mbcReadMany) are already inside it. Copy, paste, done.

Connect the Arduino to the computer with the USB cable and choose your board (for example Arduino Uno) in the drop-down menu at the top of the IDE. The port is shown next to it, such as COM3 (on a Mac: /dev/cu.usb…).
On the examples page, click Copy at the top right of the code box, or download the .ino file.
File → New Sketch, delete everything in the new window and paste the code.
Click → (Upload) at the top left. When "Done uploading" appears at the bottom, it worked.

The sensor talks I2C; its factory address is 0x42. Protocol details: MBC Universal I2C protocol.

Wiring

MBC Universal I2C sensors use only 4 wires: two for power (VCC, GND) and two for signals (SDA, SCL).

Sensor	UNO / Nano	Mega	UNO R4	ESP32
VCC	5V	5V	5V	5V (VIN)
GND	GND	GND	GND	GND
SDA	A4	20	A4	GPIO 21
SCL	A5	21	A5	GPIO 22

Important

Unplug the USB cable before wiring. Connect the wires, check them once, then plug the USB cable back in.

If the sensor cable is labelled TX / RX: TX goes to SCL, RX to SDA.

The connector order differs a little between products. Always follow the labels printed on the sensor board.

On the UNO, the top two unnumbered pins near the USB connector are also labelled SDA, SCL; they are the same as A4 and A5.

Pair the gamepad (first use or new gamepad)

Connect the receiver and turn the controller on. Do not hold the receiver's button while plugging it in (that enters flashing mode and the receiver does nothing; release the button, unplug and replug).
First use: a receiver that remembers no gamepad opens a 30-second pairing window at power-on (green LED blinking fast). To change gamepads, or if the 30 seconds are over: press the receiver's button (Reset) once; it forgets the old gamepad and opens 30 seconds again.
Within those 30 seconds put the gamepad in pairing mode until its light bar flashes fast: PS4 hold SHARE + PS; PS5 hold Create + PS.
Once connected, the receiver remembers this gamepad and will not connect to anyone else's. From then on, just press the gamepad's PS button after power-on.

Receiver green LED	Meaning
Blinking fast	Waiting for a gamepad to pair
Steady on	No gamepad connected (press the PS button to reconnect)
Off	Gamepad connected

Tip
At a competition, pair at your own table so no other team's gamepad is in pairing mode during the 30 seconds. Paired the wrong one? Press Reset and pair again.

Warning
With only ■ pressed, 16 buttons (id 01) = 0x8000 = -32768, exactly the same as MBC_NONE for no answer. To detect "no answer", use the true / false returned by mbcReadMany, not a test for -32768: int16_t b; if (mbcReadMany(0x42, 0x01, 1, &b)) { … }; true means it was read, then use (uint16_t)b as the 16 buttons.

First test

Upload example 1 on this page.
Click the magnifying glass (Serial Monitor) at the top right of the IDE and choose 115200 baud (every MBC example uses this speed).
If the example's text and numbers keep updating, everything is connected.

FAQ

Keeps saying the sensor is not found? Check that SDA and SCL are not swapped and that VCC and GND are firmly in; make sure it is the Universal I2C edition.
Reading -32768? The sensor could not be read (loose wire, wrong address), or that value id does not exist. Most values never take this number; the exception is a value that uses all 16 bits (Controller 16 buttons with only ■ pressed, Pathfinder 16-ch line bitmap with only channel 16 on the line, IMU raw values), which really can be -32768. For those, check the true / false returned by mbcReadMany instead.
Strange symbols in the Serial Monitor? The speed is not 115200.
Board not in the drop-down menu? The USB cable can only charge → try another; the board is a CH340 compatible → install the CH340 driver first, then unplug and replug the USB.
ESP32 reads nothing or odd values? Some MBC products are themselves built on an ESP32 and cannot clock-stretch: after writing the value id, wait 2 ms before reading. Do not delete the delay(2) in the example helper.

Reading values

Every snippet uses the mbcRead() helper: expand "Helper code", put part ① (2 lines) at the top of your sketch and paste part ② at the bottom; address 0x42.

Helper code (① at the top, ② at the bottom)

① At the top of your sketch (before setup())

#include <Wire.h>

const int16_t MBC_NONE = -32768;   // no answer / undefined id

② At the bottom of your sketch (after loop())

// read k consecutive values (k ≤ 16) starting at id, int16 little-endian
bool mbcReadMany(uint8_t addr, uint8_t id, uint8_t k, int16_t *out) {
  Wire.beginTransmission(addr);
  Wire.write(id);
  if (Wire.endTransmission() != 0) return false;
  delay(2);                                        // always wait 2 ms (ESP32 products cannot clock-stretch)
  if (Wire.requestFrom(addr, (uint8_t)(k * 2)) != (uint8_t)(k * 2)) return false;
  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < k; i++) {
    uint8_t lo = Wire.read(), hi = Wire.read();
    out[i] = (int16_t)(lo | (hi << 8));
  }
  return true;
}

// read one value; MBC_NONE when nothing answers
int16_t mbcRead(uint8_t addr, uint8_t id) {
  int16_t v;
  return mbcReadMany(addr, id, 1, &v) ? v : MBC_NONE;
}

// write a command (0~3 parameters)
// with 2 parameters whose first is 0, write (uint8_t)0, e.g. mbcWrite(ADDR, 0xF8, (uint8_t)0x00, 0xFF); otherwise it clashes with the array form below and will not compile
void mbcWrite(uint8_t addr, uint8_t id, const uint8_t *args, uint8_t n) {
  Wire.beginTransmission(addr);
  Wire.write(id);
  for (uint8_t i = 0; i < n; i++) Wire.write(args[i]);
  Wire.endTransmission();
}
void mbcWrite(uint8_t addr, uint8_t id) { mbcWrite(addr, id, nullptr, 0); }
void mbcWrite(uint8_t addr, uint8_t id, uint8_t a) { mbcWrite(addr, id, &a, 1); }
void mbcWrite(uint8_t addr, uint8_t id, uint8_t a, uint8_t b) { uint8_t p[2] = {a, b}; mbcWrite(addr, id, p, 2); }
void mbcWrite(uint8_t addr, uint8_t id, uint8_t a, uint8_t b, uint8_t c) { uint8_t p[3] = {a, b, c}; mbcWrite(addr, id, p, 3); }

// wait until ready (F3 bit0 = 1), at most ms milliseconds
bool mbcWaitReady(uint8_t addr, unsigned long ms) {
  unsigned long t0 = millis();
  while (millis() - t0 < ms) {
    int16_t st = mbcRead(addr, 0xF3);
    if (st != MBC_NONE && (st & 1)) return true;
    delay(20);
  }
  return false;
}

16 buttons buttons16

Range	Meaning
`0~65535` bit	all buttons in one 16-bit word (PSX layout): bit0 SELECT(SHARE), 1 L3, 2 R3, 3 START(OPTIONS), 4 up, 5 right, 6 down, 7 left, 8 L2, 9 R2, 10 L1, 11 R1, 12 triangle, 13 circle, 14 cross, 15 square; 1 = pressed; 0 when not connected

int16_t buttons16 = mbcRead(0x42, 0x01);   // 16 buttons：0~65535 bit

This value can itself be −32768 (top bit set, e.g. 0x8000), the same as MBC_NONE for no answer, so do not test for −32768: use mbcReadMany(0x42, 0x01, 1, &buttons16) instead; only a false return means no answer.