What Is DigitalXIM? Keyboard and Mouse on Console via IRONICS
By IRONHIDE Software · Updated · 7 min read
DigitalXIM is a plugin in IRONICS, IRONHIDE Software's Windows launcher, that sends native keyboard and mouse input from your PC to a console and replaces a hardware XIM adapter. It reaches the console through a Titan Two, a Makcu or Remote Play, and it runs on its own or alongside IRONHIDE's computer-vision modules.
What DigitalXIM does
Consoles are built around gamepads. A keyboard and mouse only work in games whose developers added support, so players who prefer them have traditionally bought a hardware adapter such as a XIM. DigitalXIM moves that job into software on your Windows PC.
- It sends native keyboard and mouse input from your PC to the console. Your keyboard and mouse stay connected to the Windows PC.
- It replaces a hardware XIM adapter. There is no separate keyboard-and-mouse box between your devices and the console.
- It works with all three IRONICS output routes: Titan Two, Makcu and Remote Play.
- It runs standalone or with other modules. Use it completely on its own without computer vision, or together with IRONHIDE's other modules in the same launcher.
- It accepts your own configuration. If you already have a keyboard-and-mouse configuration you like, you can paste it in instead of rebuilding it.
DigitalXIM is part of a broader job IRONICS does: it acts as a controller input translator, so controller, keyboard and mouse input is translated for the target platform. For the general picture of keyboard and mouse on consoles, including native support and hardware adapters, see keyboard and mouse on PS5 and Xbox.
How DigitalXIM differs from a hardware adapter
A hardware adapter such as the XIM MATRIX from XIM Technologies is a standalone device. It connects to the console, your mouse and keyboard connect to it, and you configure it through a companion app, which for the XIM MATRIX runs on iOS 13, Android 6, or Windows 10 x64 with Bluetooth LE. The console sees a controller, and the adapter translates mouse movement into analog-stick movement.
DigitalXIM keeps the keyboard and mouse on your PC and sends their input through the route IRONICS already uses to reach the console. That changes what you buy, where things plug in, and what has to be running while you play:
| Hardware adapter (e.g. XIM MATRIX) | DigitalXIM in IRONICS | |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Standalone USB device | Software plugin in a Windows launcher |
| Keyboard and mouse connect to | The adapter | Your Windows PC |
| PC needed while playing | No | Yes, IRONICS runs on the PC |
| Path to the console | Adapter on the console's USB port | Titan Two, Makcu or Remote Play |
| Configuration | The maker's companion app | Inside IRONICS; you can paste your own configuration |
| Extra requirements | Genuine first-party controller on Xbox and PS4; local network connection on PS5 (XIM MATRIX) | The hardware for your route; none on the Remote Play route |
| Cost | One-time hardware purchase | Included with IRONICS access (subscription via our Discord) |
Neither approach is universally better. A hardware adapter is self-contained and needs no PC once it is configured. DigitalXIM makes sense when a Windows PC already sits next to the console, and especially when you use IRONICS anyway.
Requirements for each route
Whatever the route, you need a Windows PC running IRONICS, with your keyboard and mouse plugged into that PC. The rest depends on how IRONICS reaches the console.
Titan Two
- A Titan Two from ConsoleTuner, which connects to the console over USB.
- On PS5, a PS5 adapter such as the P5 General in addition to the Titan Two.
- Our Titan Two explainer covers the device itself.
Makcu
- A Makcu, a small USB passthrough device.
- Nothing extra on the software side: IRONICS is ready for a Makcu out of the box through its built-in Virtual Titan.
Remote Play
- PS Remote Play or Xbox Remote Play working on the PC. The built-in Virtual Titan, a software controller, drives the Remote Play session.
- No adapter hardware at all.
- A network that meets Sony's or Microsoft's figures: at least 5 Mbps up and down for PS Remote Play (15 Mbps recommended), and 5 GHz Wi-Fi or 10 Mbps download for Xbox Remote Play.
- The guide using IRONICS without a Titan Two prepares both Remote Play apps step by step.
| Titan Two | Makcu | Remote Play | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Windows PC with IRONICS | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Keyboard and mouse on the PC | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Extra hardware | Titan Two; PS5 adapter on PS5 | Makcu | None |
| Uses a Remote Play session | No | No | Yes |
IRONHIDE's computer-vision modules need a capture card in every setup, because they work on the console's HDMI video. DigitalXIM itself is an input plugin and also runs completely standalone, without computer vision.
Getting started
DigitalXIM ships as one of the input plugins in IRONICS, the Windows desktop launcher by IRONHIDE Software. The launcher works with PS5, Xbox and PC, hosts IRONHIDE's computer-vision modules, including IRONAIM, ships with built-in computer-vision models (integrated weights), and offers several modes you switch between inside it. The IRONICS page gives the overview.
Before you set up DigitalXIM, have these ready:
- Your output route. Choose Titan Two, Makcu or Remote Play and have its hardware, or its Remote Play app, working.
- Keyboard and mouse on the PC. Plug them into the Windows PC, not into the console.
- A working Remote Play session if you use that route. Test the PS Remote Play app or the Xbox app with a regular controller first.
- Your existing configuration, if you have one you want to reuse. Keep a copy somewhere safe before you paste it in.
- IRONICS access. Access is by subscription through our Discord at discord.gg/ironaim.
The setup itself is documented in the setup guides on our Discord at discord.gg/ironaim, with a guide for each route: PS5 Remote Play, Xbox Remote Play, Titan Two and Makcu, plus a list of recommended capture cards if you also use the computer-vision modules.
Standalone or together with other modules
DigitalXIM does not depend on computer vision. You can run it in two ways:
- Standalone. Keyboard and mouse to the console, nothing else. This suits players who only want a keyboard and mouse on a console without buying a dedicated adapter. You need the Windows PC, your keyboard and mouse, and one output route.
- Together with other modules. DigitalXIM runs alongside IRONHIDE's computer-vision modules in the same launcher. Those modules add a capture card to the hardware list; the three console-to-PC setups explain how video and input reach the PC in each case.
A sensible order is to start standalone: get the keyboard and mouse working on your console first, and add the computer-vision modules and the capture card later if you need them. That way, if something doesn't work, you know which part to look at: the output route, the keyboard-and-mouse configuration, or the video chain.
Setting up mouse sensitivity, DPI and polling rate
When a mouse controls a console game through any adapter or plugin, several settings stack on top of each other: the mouse's own DPI and polling rate, the keyboard-and-mouse configuration, and the game's controller sensitivity. These general guidelines apply to any keyboard-and-mouse setup on a console, hardware or software.
- DPI (dots per inch) sets how far the pointer moves for a given hand movement. Pick one DPI step your mouse offers and leave it fixed while you tune everything else.
- Polling rate is how often the mouse reports to the PC, measured in hertz. Logitech lists the common values: 125 Hz is one report every 8 ms, 1000 Hz one every millisecond. Higher rates feel smoother, but Logitech notes they add CPU load and drain wireless batteries faster, which is worth remembering when the same PC also runs IRONICS.
- Change one layer at a time. Adjust DPI, the configuration and the in-game sensitivity separately, and write down what you changed. Changing two at once makes it impossible to tell which one helped.
- Switch off pointer acceleration in the mouse's own software if you want the same hand movement to always produce the same camera movement.
- Use a repeatable test. Pick one action, such as turning the in-game camera a full circle, and compare the hand movement it takes before and after each change.
- Plan the keyboard layout around your resting hand. Put the controller buttons you press most often on keys your fingers already rest on, and move rarely used functions further away. It reduces stretching during long sessions.
- Keep a known-good copy. Save a working configuration before experimenting, so you can always return to it.
Frequently asked questions
Is DigitalXIM a hardware XIM?
No. DigitalXIM is a software plugin in IRONICS. It replaces a hardware XIM adapter by sending keyboard and mouse input from your Windows PC to the console through a Titan Two, a Makcu or Remote Play. XIM is a trademark of its owner, and IRONHIDE Software is not affiliated with it.
Do I need a XIM adapter to use DigitalXIM?
No. DigitalXIM replaces the hardware adapter. On the Remote Play route you don't need any adapter hardware at all; the Titan Two and Makcu routes use those devices instead.
Does DigitalXIM work on PS5 and Xbox?
Yes. IRONICS targets PS5, Xbox and PC, and DigitalXIM works with all three IRONICS output routes. Remote Play covers PS Remote Play and Xbox Remote Play; a Titan Two on PS5 also needs a PS5 adapter such as the P5 General.
Can I use my own configuration with DigitalXIM?
Yes. You can paste in a keyboard-and-mouse configuration you already use, so you don't have to rebuild it from scratch.
Does DigitalXIM need IRONAIM or computer vision?
No. DigitalXIM works completely standalone without computer vision. It can also run together with IRONHIDE's other modules in IRONICS, including IRONAIM.
Where do I find DigitalXIM setup instructions?
In the setup guides on the IRONHIDE Discord at discord.gg/ironaim. There is a guide for each output route: PS5 Remote Play, Xbox Remote Play, Titan Two and Makcu.
Sources
Product names such as PlayStation, Xbox, Titan Two, XIM and Elgato are trademarks of their respective owners. IRONHIDE Software is not affiliated with or endorsed by them.