The Forest – How to Use Motion Controls

Learn how to enable motion controls in The Forest with your PS5, PS4, Switch Pro, or Steam Controller.

Introduction

Note: Credit goes to Snowy

This is a set of motion control aiming profiles for use with PS5, PS4, Switch Pro, and Steam Controllers.

The first profile works exactly like normal except when the touchpad is used, and is recommended for those new to motion controls on gamepads.

The profiles use only Steam and no additional software to run, and you can either find the profiles through the Steam library menus or by loading one of the links this guide provides.

Profiles

To use any the following motion control profiles, have Steam running and the controller connected and do either of the following of the following:

• Navigate to the community controller layouts for the game in Steam, such as by right clicking the game and selecting controller layout from the menu, and select the config of the same name.
• Copy paste the link into any browser, and confirm that you wish to open the link in Steam.

If you are using a compatible controller other than the main controller listed for the profile:

• Accept Steam’s warning about converting configurations between controller types.

Motion Controls with Touchpad activation

Keep a finger on the pad to enable motion control aiming. Extra Jump/Use buttons on touchpad up/down. Moving the right stick swaps to Xbox controls, use in menus or instead of gyro. Change the Save keybind to E and Sleep to C.

PS5 controller profile:

(Fully compatible: PS5, PS4)

• steam://controllerconfig/242760/2840920914

Consider using the PS4 or Switch Pro Controller profiles with your PS5 controller if you prefer trigger activation or flick stick schemes.

Motion Controls with Trigger activation

Pull L2 or R2 softly to enable motion control aiming, pull all the way to block or attack. Crafting menu triggers reversed. Item slots on touchpad from left to right. Change the Save keybind to E and Sleep to C. Also works well with PS5 controllers.

PS4 controller profile:

• steam://controllerconfig/242760/2841060647

(Fully compatible: PS4, PS5. Partially compatible: Switch Pro.)

Consider using the PS5 or Switch Pro Controller profiles if you prefer touch activation or flick stick schemes.

Motion Controls with Flick Stick activation

Hold right stick at an edge to use motion controls, rotate to pan the camera. Flick stick does not produce consistent flicks but is workable. Otherwise works like the default gamepad layout. Change the Save keybind to E and Sleep to C.

Switch Pro Controller profile:

• steam://controllerconfig/242760/2841103296

(Fully compatible with: Switch Pro, PS5, PS4.)

This profile does not live up to the potential of the flick stick scheme because the game’s handling of mouse input produces inconsistent camera panning and flicks, so I can not recommend it and am only posting it as a demonstration. That said I would personally use this profile instead of a default gamepad given those two choices. Your mileage may vary. The PS4 trigger activation scheme also works somewhat well with this controller, but the triggers are digital so pulling them activates both gyro aiming as well as block or attack with no distinction made for whether the trigger is only lightly pulled.

Motion Controls with Right Pad activation

Touch and hold the right side pad to enable motion control aiming. Face buttons replicated on the pad. Crouch and jump on the paddles. Use menus without right touchpad for best results. Controls left as similar to Xbox standard as possible. Change the Save keybind to E and Sleep to C.

Steam Controller profile:

• steam://controllerconfig/242760/2841112204

(Only compatible with: SC.)

Other profiles will work badly with this controller because of its unique design.

Detailed Usage Instructions

Usage instructions: If you dislike pressing unusually formatted controller profile links in a browser, these profiles can be found in Steam’s interface for community controller configurations for the game.

Each link opens in the Steam client and the configuration is then displayed there for you to accept or reject. Each profile uses a different way of activating motion controls, if you want to use a scheme that does not have a native profile for your controller check the description for compatibility and after clicking the link accept Steam’s warning about converting between controller types.

Please save any custom controller layouts made in Steam’s controller layout configurator before clicking a profile link. When the link is opened in Steam any unsaved custom controller layout is immediately lost and replaced by this layout if accepted, otherwise it loads the last saved or default layout as appropriate if the new layout is rejected.

Expected Quirky Behavior

The following items are downsides to using these profiles. Unless otherwise stated they can be remedied by moving the right joystick in any direction (PS5 profile), releasing the triggers (PS4), releasing the right joystick (Switch Pro), or by releasing the right touchpad (Steam Controller), all of which will cause all other controller functions to temporarily revert to Xbox buttons until you use the motion controls again.

• Button prompts will sometimes show keyboard buttons that do not have an obvious relationship with the controller functions.
• The left joystick functions as an 8-way directional control.
• Rumble and haptic feedback does not work.
• The main menu and the crafting menus function only by way of a motion controlled cursor, or otherwise are inconsistent with
• With the PS4 profile the crafting menu behaves poorly, use the opposite trigger to what is shown on screen.
• With the PS4 profile the left and right joysticks swap roles while any trigger is held. Avoid using triggers at the same time as other functions.
• Other profiles behave consistently with normal controller configurations in menus while the motion controls are inactive.

Troubleshooting

Problem: Using the touchpad is uncomfortable or makes controls difficult.

Solution: Try using the LTrigger or Flick Stick profiles native to the DualShock 4 or Switch Pro Controller instead of the DualSense one. While the touchpad activation scheme should work well with most adult hands on controllers with touchpads, many will not find this comfortable on PlayStation controllers, and multiple functions may become difficult to properly reach at the same time.

Problem: The camera drifts in one direction.

Solution: Some controllers will calibrate their gyroscopic sensor when placed on a flat horizontal surface for a few seconds. Others may need to have their gyro calibrated in Steam.

Problem: Motion control camera moves too quickly or too slow sometimes.

Solution: This may be due to mouse acceleration or mouse smoothing effects. Disable mouse acceleration in Windows by going to Mouse Properties – Pointer Options tab – untick “Enhance pointer precision”. Disable mouse smoothing in game under Main Menu – Options – Controls – Keyboard and Mouse – Mouse Smoothing.

Problem: Camera movements are choppy or rough.

Solution: some controllers may experience poor gyroscopic sensor performance while wireless, particularly ones for the PS4. While the controller is switched off, plug it into the computer so that it starts up in wired mode.

Problem: The flick stick gives me motion sickness.

Solution: Changing the smoothing and flick duration settings in the configurator may help, the next solution on this page may also help if irregular camera movements play a role.

Problem: The flick stick doesn’t always rotate the camera to the exact same angle as I flicked.

Solution: This is a problem inherent to this method of controlling the camera, which you may be able to remedy by manually adjusting the settings. If the flicks travel the same distance but go too far or fall short it is a relatively simple matter of adjusting the sensitivity on the right stick in the configurator until the angles match. If angles are irregular, disable mouse acceleration in Windows by going to Mouse Properties – Pointer Options tab – untick “Enhance pointer precision”, as well as disabling smoothing in game under Main Menu – Options – Controls – Mouse Smoothing slider to 0%.

Problem: The flick stick doesn’t always deactivate the gyro when it should.

Solution: This is probably because your controller’s right joystick has become inaccurate from use or a defect and has not been calibrated well enough to compensate. You may need to calibrate your controller’s joysticks in Windows. Calibrating it in Steam as well may help. In some cases there may be a need to adjust the threshold setting for deactivation in the configurator found in the Gyro On tab, Flick Stick box, Outer Ring Binding field, where you’ll find the Soft Press Threshold slider. It is possible that none of these solutions will fully work and that the gyroaim mode will still get stuck from time to time. These problems crop up more often on Switch Pro Controllers due to frequently imprecise joysticks, and I suggest using another compatible controller if one is available.