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Controllers

Just Dance Best reads motion from phones, Joy-Con and Wii Remotes. Up to 6 people can play at once.

Use the Just Dance Controller 2016-2022 app for now

We don't have our own phone app ready yet. For now, play with the official Just Dance Controller app, the 2016-2022 version, on your phone.

How a controller joins​

  • Pick a way to play first. On the start screens, before you choose how you'll play, controllers do nothing and Wii Remotes aren't searched for yet. Once you pass that screen, press a button on a Joy-Con or Wii Remote to join.
  • The first to join is the main player. They move through the menus and dance the dancer card you're signed in with. The others are guests. If the main player leaves, the next one takes over.
  • Pairing happens outside the game, except for Wii Remotes on macOS. Joy-Con are paired in your system's Bluetooth settings. On macOS the game pairs Wii Remotes itself.

Phones​

A phone becomes a controller over Wi-Fi, with no Bluetooth involved.

  1. The controller app broadcasts a "looking for the game" message on your network.
  2. The game answers it with the address to connect to.
  3. The phone connects to the game and sends its motion about every 50 ms. The game also sends the phone its player, the pictures to show and your score.

This is how the official Just Dance Controller app (the 2016-2022 one) connects. The phone and the computer must be on the same network. When it doesn't connect, see Troubleshooting. On macOS, see macOS permissions below.

Joy-Con​

Joy-Con connect to your computer over Bluetooth like headphones do, and the game reads them as controllers.

Joy-Con 2 don't work

The Joy-Con 2 that come with the Nintendo Switch 2 can't be used. Nintendo only lets them connect to a Switch 2, not to a PC or Mac. The original Joy-Con from the first Nintendo Switch work.

Windows: Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Add device → Bluetooth. Hold the small round sync button on the Joy-Con's rail until its lights run back and forth. Pick Joy-Con (L) or (R) from the list.

macOS: System Settings → Bluetooth. Hold the same sync button, and press Connect next to the Joy-Con when it appears.

Then, in the game, press a button on it to join. Hold it upright; the game turns the buttons and stick so the menus feel the right way round.

If the Joy-Con won't appear or won't join:

  • Check it is listed as Connected in your Bluetooth settings before you open the game.
  • A Joy-Con that was used on a Switch since may need to be removed from the list and paired again.
  • Remove it from the list, pair it once more, and restart the game.

Wii Remote​

Windows​

Windows reads Wii Remotes through the same driver the launcher switches on when it starts the game, so start the game from RyuLauncher.

  1. Open Settings → Bluetooth & devices → Add device → Bluetooth.
  2. Press the red SYNC button inside the battery cover. The lights flash.
  3. Pick Nintendo RVL-CNT-01 from the list. If Windows asks for a code, choose to connect without one.
  4. Check it shows as connected, then press a button on it in the game.

Use SYNC rather than holding 1 and 2: a pairing made with 1 and 2 doesn't last. Some Bluetooth adapters are fussy with Wii Remotes. If yours never finds one, try a different Bluetooth adapter.

macOS​

macOS doesn't hand Wii Remotes to games, so Just Dance Best has its own pairing:

  1. Get past the "how will you play" screen.
  2. Press the red SYNC button inside the battery cover, or hold 1 and 2 together. The lights flash.
  3. Wait a few seconds. The game finds the remote and pairs it, and its lights show the player's colour.

Don't pair it in System Settings first. If you did and it misbehaves, open System Settings → Bluetooth, remove the Wii Remote there, and try again from the game.

Up to 4 Wii Remotes can play at once. A remote paired with 1 and 2 forgets the pairing, so repeat the steps next time. SYNC pairings last.

macOS permissions​

macOS asks before an app may use Bluetooth, find devices on your network, or take calls from other devices. If you answered Don't Allow once, it won't ask again, and you have to turn it on yourself.

Bluetooth (Wii Remotes)​

The first time the game starts looking for Wii Remotes, macOS asks to let Just Dance Best use Bluetooth. Choose Allow.

To change it later: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Bluetooth, and switch Just Dance Best on. Then quit and reopen the game. Without this permission the game skips Wii Remotes.

If the game isn't in the list at all, you can reset the Bluetooth permission for every app, then start the game again so it asks:

tccutil reset Bluetooth

Every app that uses Bluetooth will ask again, not only this one.

Local network and incoming connections (phones)​

Phones need to reach the game on your network. macOS may ask:

  • "Find and connect to devices on your local network": choose Allow. You can change it in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Local Network. It may be listed under RyuLauncher if the launcher started the game.
  • "Do you want the application to accept incoming network connections?": choose Allow. This one comes from the macOS firewall.

If you dismissed that question, open System Settings → Network → Firewall → Options. Find Just Dance Best in the list and set it to Allow incoming connections.