Nightingale on a Mac with a controller
The Nightingale layout is built into InputConfig, free on the Mac App Store. You don't have to make an account, there are no subscriptions, and nothing is locked. Optimized for Apple silicon.
On a Mac: No Mac version. It streams to a Mac from a Windows PC you own. The stream normally passes a controller to the game's native scheme.
Yes, Nightingale plays on a Mac with a controller, streamed from a Windows PC you own. This layout is for a stream that misses your pad. Nightingale is a survival game with an umbrella, and the umbrella is the jump held: tap to jump, hold to glide.
The layout, control by control
How the layout thinks
- Move and look. The left stick walks on W, A, S and D. The right stick moves the mouse at speed 20 across and 14 up and down.
- Fight and use. The right trigger attacks or uses the tool (left click), the left trigger blocks, parries and aims (right click).
- Face buttons. Jump and glide on the bottom (Space), dodge on the right (Ctrl), interact and grapple on the left (E), ready the ranged weapon on the top (Q).
- Shoulders and clicks. Sneak on the left bumper (C), crafting on the right (V). Sprint on the left stick click (Shift), lock on with the right (Tab).
- Hotbar and menus. Action bar slots 1 to 4 on the D-pad. The bag on Back (I), menu on Start (Escape).
Hold the jump button and the umbrella opens.
Tune it
- A slow pointer for building. Its building is the usual pointer work. Duplicate the four right-stick rows, set While also holding to a button on the copies, and give them a low speed.
A slower pointer behind one button makes building easy.
If the game sees the pad
Test Nightingale's own pad support first, and keep the layout for when it never reacts.
Nightingale controller support: controller or keyboard
Steam's store page lists partial controller support for Nightingale: it plays on a controller, but some parts, such as a launcher, text entry or a menu, still expect a keyboard or a mouse. This layout sends keys and mouse movement from the pad, which can cover the parts the game's own support leaves out.
From Steam's listing, checked in October 2026. Every game's listing is in Mac games with controller support.
If your controller is not working in Nightingale
When Nightingale does not react to your controller on a Mac, check these in order:
- Check that the Mac sees the controller. Open the gamepad tester and press a button. If nothing lights up there, the problem is the connection, and a controller that is connected but not working covers that first.
- Pair the controller with the Mac first. A streaming app such as Steam Link, Moonlight or Parsec passes on only a controller the Mac already sees, so pair it before you start the stream, then press a button once Nightingale is running. Streaming PC games to a Mac with a controller has the checks for each app.
- Play it from keys. If Nightingale still ignores the pad, activate this layout. It sends the keyboard and mouse controls Nightingale already reads. Turn the game's own controller option off while it runs, or a press can arrive twice. The layout works whether or not Nightingale ever sees the controller.
Get it in two clicks
- Open InputConfig and click Smart Preset Maker on the welcome screen.
- Search for Nightingale and pick it. The layout is created as a preset in your sidebar, named and ready.
- Press Activate. Every row can be changed afterwards: the editor's Scan button rebinds any control the moment you touch it.
Nightingale controls: every button and the key it sends
The Sends column is Nightingale's default keyboard and mouse controls, as this layout expects them. If you changed a key in the game's settings, change the same row in InputConfig.
| Controller | Sends | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Left stick left | A | Strafe left (A) |
| Left stick right | D | Strafe right (D) |
| Left stick up | W | Move forward (W) |
| Left stick down | S | Move back (S) |
| Right stick right | Mouse motion right (speed 20) | Look right |
| Right stick left | Mouse motion left (speed 20) | Look left |
| Right stick down | Mouse motion down (speed 14) | Look down |
| Right stick up | Mouse motion up (speed 14) | Look up |
| Right trigger | Left click | Right trigger: Use Item / attack (left click) |
| Left trigger | Right click | Left trigger: Block and Parry / aim (right click) |
| A / Cross | Space | A/Cross: Jump (hold to open glider), Space |
| B / Circle | Ctrl (Left) | B/Circle: Evade dodge (Left Ctrl) |
| X / Square | E | X/Square: Contextual action / interact / grapple (E) |
| Y / Triangle | Q | Y/Triangle: Ready ranged weapon (Q) |
| LB / L1 | C | LB/L1: Sneak toggle (C) |
| RB / R1 | V | RB/R1: Crafting in inventory (V) |
| L3 (left stick click) | Shift (Left) | L3: Sprint (Left Shift) |
| R3 (right stick click) | Tab | R3: Lock on target toggle (Tab) |
| D-pad up | 1 | D-pad Up: Action bar slot 1 |
| D-pad left | 2 | D-pad Left: Action bar slot 2 |
| D-pad right | 3 | D-pad Right: Action bar slot 3 |
| D-pad down | 4 | D-pad Down: Action bar slot 4 |
| Back / Share / Select | I | Back/Share: Inventory (I) |
| Start / Options | Escape | Start/Options: System menu (Esc) |
Names follow the editor's Xbox / PlayStation pair, and a Switch pad fires by position.
Questions
Does Nightingale run on a Mac?
Nightingale does not run natively on a Mac. It streams from a Windows PC you own, and the stream usually passes a controller through.
Can I play Nightingale on an M1 Mac or a MacBook Air?
Yes, through a stream. Nightingale runs on the other end, on your own PC, so the Mac only plays the video and sends your input. An M1 MacBook Air streams it like any other Mac.
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