This part only concerns Steam-players, but can also be useful for Epic Games-players that have Steam running in the background while playing Rocket League.

The Steam-client uses a build-in "General Controller Settings" tool out of the box which adds controller support for many games that don't support it by default and it also gives you the option to customize a lot. (like remapping a button or running a macro)
That sounds great right, yes, only not for Rocket League.

Why?
Using the above mentioned features while playing Rocket League will add a significant amount of input-lag and sometimes introduces double inputs when playing the game. These are easily spotted by navigating the menu. Luckily, the game supports controllers by default, so I recommend to disable Steam's general controller settings.

How?
In the Steam client we disable the "General Controller Settings" for Rocket League using the game properties and we will disable the "Desktop Controller Configuration" as well. As disabling the general controller settings will cause Steam to default to the desktop controller configuration which we also want to disable. Both the Steam general controller settings and the desktop controller configuration add latency which will increase input-lag while playing Rocket League.

Here's how to do it:

Go to your Steam game library and navigate to Rocket League and click ➞ On the cogwheel (On the right-top side below the Rocket League banner) ➞ Properties ➞ Controller ➞ Steam Input ➞
and select "Disable Steam Input", then confirm by clicking Ok. Restart Steam for the changes take effect.



✔ Verify step 1 ✔
Navigate to Rocket League ➞ Click on the cogwheel ➞ Manage ➞ If you don't see any controller settings option in this menu, you are already done with this step.

Click on steam at the top-left of your screen and click ➞ Settings ➞ Controller ➞ General controller settings ➞ Disable all check-marks and confirm by clicking Ok. Restart Steam for the changes to take effect.



✔ Verify step 2 ✔
Click on steam at the top-left of your screen and click ➞ Settings ➞ Controller ➞ Desktop Configuration. A message should appear like the one illustrated below.

Use a wired connection over wireless (if possible)
According to Rocket Science, some controllers have a lower input-latency if used wireless opposed to using it with a cable (wired). However, using a controller with a wireless connection will always introduce spikes in latency, which makes your input-lag a little bit more inconsistent. The spikes are very small and almost none-existent using a wired connection. The picture below illustrates a (lower) input-latency vs a consistent (yet higher) input-latency.

Dualsense latency wired vs bluetooth vs wired OC 1000Hz polling rate

Source: Rocket Science, linked at the end of this guide

So the general rule is to use a wired connection when possible.

In practice, using a controller wirelessly is not bad, but the amount of added latency on your inputs will be more inconsistent. Using a wired connection may still introduce some input-lag, but it would be more consistent, so you can get used to it as opposed to Wireless.

Polling rates and input lag
The polling rate in Hz determines how often your computer requests an update from your controller (or mouse) using the USB connection. When a new controller is plugged in, the polling rate is automatically set to 250 by Windows. (so the PC requests an update 250 times a second when the controller is connected)

However, this doesn’t mean the controller is forced to deliver the requested updates at the same rate, but every controller has its own rate of releasing an update for the pc to grab. In general PlayStation controllers have an update rate of 250Hz (250 times a second) and Xbox controllers have an update rate of 124Hz. (124 times a second)

For the PC to register the update from the controller a.s.a.p., increasing the polling rate to 1000Hz (1000 times a second) will instantly reduce input lag and increase the input consistency. Result: In the time the controller spits out one update, the PC has already tried to retrieve it 4 times.

Average input lag gained by using a 1000Hz polling rate using different controllers

Source: Rocket Science, linked at the end of this guide

How to increase the polling rate for reduced latency
I used a polling rate overclocking tool called Hidusbf from LordOfMice. This tool is mainly used for mice, but can also be used for controllers.

Polling Rate Overclocking tool Hidusbf

Source: Hidusbf by LordOfMice

A. First off, download the latest version of Hidusbf using this link [github.com] from GitHub. Then extract the package to a place where you don't accidentally delete it. (It functions as the tool's program directory)

B. In the DRIVER folder found in the extracted folder, you’ll find the setup.exe, which starts the tool. I would recommend to make a shortcut of the setup.exe to your desktop or start menu, so you can easily check if you’re still using your custom polling rate. (Right click setup.exe -> "Add shortcut to desktop" and/or "Pin to start") I then renamed the shortcut to "polling rate overclocker" for my own convenience.

C. Run the tool by double clicking the setup.exe. After the tool has started and opened up a new window (see picture above), look at the top left and choose the select all option and select your controller.
Determine which entry resembles your controller by disconnecting and connecting your controller. It should appear in the list when connected.

D. When you selected your controller, check the “filter on device” box -> click on Default to the right of it and select 1000Hz and finally click on install service. Wait a moment. Click restart and check the "Rate" & "Filter?" columns corresponding to row your controller is on. The "Rate" value should be "1000" and the "Filter?" value should be "Yes".

And you're done, your PC now requests an update from your controller a thousand times a second.

Your custom or overclocked polling rate should survive computer restarts, but I noticed that it got reset after a Windows update. So check your polling rate every once in a while.

NOTE: The PS5 Dualsense controller uses a different USB-standard than most controllers. A selected custom polling rate of 1000Hz using the hidusbf-tool results in a polling rate of 8000Hz.

Most games are optimized for a max polling rate of 1000Hz. I personally use the Dualsense controller with 8000Hz and Rocket League runs fine. But if your pc barely runs Rocket League, it's not recommended to use an effective 8000Hz polling rate, as it could introduce performance issues.

Would you like to contribute to this guide? Please let me know in the comments and I will gladly improve my guide or answer your questions.

Reaching more players
Don't forget to like this guide if it was helpful and feel free to share it with your friends.

Anyway, I never made a guide and wanted to share something with the community. Have fun playing and I'll see you on the field!

Polling Rate overclocking tool by LordOfMice on github.
https://github.com/LordOfMice/hidusbf

RocketScience on Youtube. Watch this video of him for more information, statistics and comparisons:

My game doesn't run as good as it did before after these fixes
First, using hidusbf, select your controller ➞ Apply the default Polling Rate ➞ Disable the checkmark next to filter device and press install service ➞ Close program ➞ Delete the whole map which you extracted during first setup ➞ Restart your computer ➞ Check if the issue is resolved.

The Issue is still there
Try to re-enable your general controller settings found in Steam ➞ Settings ➞ Controller ➞ General controller settings ➞ Check the "guide button focuses Steam" and select the check-mark matching your type/brand of controller ➞ Go to Rocket League game properties ➞ Controller ➞ Re-enable Steam controller input ➞ Restart Steam. Select Rocket League in your game list ➞ Click the cogwheel ➞ Manage ➞ Controller Configuration ➞ Configure as desired ➞ Restart PC. Check if the issue is resolved.

That's it, everything in this guide will be uninstalled or reset.

!!! Be careful !! Use only as a last resort
If the issue still persists, it probably doesn't have anything to do with this guide, but if you think it's due to the changes made in the Steam settings, you could delete all files except the Steam.exe and 'Steamapps' folder in your Steam directory. Run Steam.exe to install Steam from scratch again while retaining your downloaded games.