JoyToKey is a program that allows using a Joystick or Gamepad in those programs that do not support such devices.

Sometimes it is useful to manage a PC with a Gamepad or Joystick; for example, if we want to mount a Home Theater PC (computer to watch movies and TV series), we can use an Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 wireless Gamepad to control navigate through menus. It is also possible to control old games with modern Gamepads; for example, we can use PlayStation 3 joystick to play The Lost Vikings.

JoyToKey's main function is to associate Gamepad buttons with keyboard keys or mouse buttons so that every time we press a joystick button, it is as if we were pressing a key on the keyboard or a mouse button.

We can map mouse movements; when we press the “Up” button on the Gamepad Digital Pad (D-Pad), the mouse will move, so we can use the D-pad to move the mouse cursor.

We can use the wizard to configure the Joystick/Gamepad or configure the buttons one by one.

The program supports “Profiles,” so we can create a profile for the browser, others for an old game, and so on. When creating a profile, we must associate Gamepad's buttons with the keyboard or mouse buttons. After that, we need to set the path to the software that will use that profile so that each time we launch that software, the profile is activated, and we can use the Gamepad to control it.

This program supports the configuration of 16 Joysticks simultaneously and up to 32 buttons. We can also set an auto-fire button. All of these characteristics make this software the perfect choice to be used with video console emulators.

Another interesting feature is Virtual Joystick (SHIFT-KEY). This is useful if we want to map more keys than available buttons in the Gamepad. For example, we have a 6 buttons Gamepad, and we want to map 10 keys. With this function, we reserve one of the Gamepad's buttons to change the mapping so that 5 Gamepad buttons correspond to 5 keys that were set up initially. When pressing the sixth button (change of mapping), those 5 buttons will be mapped to 5 different keys.

The program does not require installation, so we only need to unzip the file in a directory. The user interface is simple, but we must look at the manual to know the functions of each one of the options.

The software is paid, although we can use it without any limitations, and in case we find it useful, we can buy the license.