Jak 3 controls

The controls for Jak 3. Originally released on the PlayStation 2 in November 2004, the game was later ported to the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in February 2012 and June 2013, respectively, as part of the Jak and Daxter Collection. As such, both the controls for the standard DualShock controller and those for the Vita will be included. Furthermore, the game received official emulation support on the PlayStation 4 in December 2017, though the controls to that of the PlayStation 2 and 3 releases are identical, save for the Select and Start buttons being mapped to the left and right sides of the touch pad, respectively.

Jak

Jak is the main character, who you control for nearly the entirety of the game, be it on foot or on board a vehicle, animal mount, or device.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Move character			Move the player character around.
Move camera			Move the camera around.
Jump			Jump once.
Double jump	+		Jump twice in the air for extra height.
Crouch			Crouch down.
Crawl	+	+	Crawl around while in the crouching position.
High jump	+	+	Jump higher from a crouching position.
Roll	+	+	Roll once in your current line of direction.
Roll jump	+ +	+ +	From a roll on the ground, perform a launching somersault in the air to reach long distances. Press when landing to do a high jump immediately after.
Use			Hi-jack, enter, or mount a drivable vehicle or machine.
Punch / Gun whack			Sliding/lunging punch (whack with Morph Gun if equipped).
Spin kick			A 360-degree spin kick attack.
Aerial spin kick	+		A 360-degree spin kick in the air
Uppercut	+ , or +	+ , or +	Uppercut from a crouching position, or a sliding punch followed by an uppercut.
Dive attack	+		Dive fists-first from a jump to execute a top-down attack.
Continuous dive attack	(hold), (while in mid-air)		After a dive attack Jak will bounce back into the air, at which point another attack can be executed if timed properly.
Submerge	or ; (hold)		Hold to submerge underwater, release to emerge. Use to swim around.
Shoot			Fire one shot from your equipped or last-equipped weapon. Hold to fire continuously if using a blue mod, or prepare a charge if using a chargeable weapon. Press a second time after discharging the Gyro Burster to make the disk stationary.
Equip red modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Scatter Gun, Wave Concussor, or Plasmite RPG.
Equip yellow modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Blaster, Beam Reflexor, or Gyro Burster.
Equip blue modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Vulcan Fury, Arc Wielder, or Needle Lazer.
Equip dark modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Peace Maker, Mass Inverter, or Super Nova.
Put weapon away	or or or ; (hold)		Put equipped weapon away.
Wastelander move	+ , or +	+ , or +	(Blaster only) A melee attack followed by a three-shot bullet stream from the Blaster.
Aerial Wastelander move	+ +	+ +	(Blaster or Vulcan Fury only) Jump and kick in the air while shooting to unleash a 360-degree flurry of five semi-auto-aimed bullets around Jak.
Toggle Dark Jak			Toggle Dark Jak mode. Once a light power is acquired it can also be used in conjunction with the face buttons to summon Light Jak mode.
Activate/deactivate JET-Board			Equip the JET-Board, if available; or put it away if currently using it.
Display HUD			Displays the HUD on-screen if it is hidden, contains info such as the total and remaining number of hit points, and total collected Precursor orbs and skull gems.
First person view			Toggle first person view.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

Dark Jak

Dark Jak is Jak's dark alter-ego, able to be activated at any time if dark eco has been collected (as indicated by the purple portion of the meter in the bottom left corner). During this form, Jak is unable to use zoomers, the JET-Board, or his guns. He is also incapable of rolling or crawling, but can still crouch. Additionally, dark powers acquired later on replace his usual moveset, though after performing either the Dark Bomb or Blast power he loses all collected dark eco, reverting to his normal form.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Toggle Dark Jak			Toggle Dark Jak mode. Hold briefly and release to activate, do the same to deactivate at any time (taking out the JET-Board will also deactivate Dark Jak mode).
Dark Bomb	+		Send a dark eco shockwave along the ground after jumping in the air and slamming your fist into the ground, dealing damage within a large radius to enemies and objects on the ground and some in the air.
Dark Blast	+ or +	+ or +	After jumping into the air, Dark Jak will begin to stay aloft and spin around rapidly, dealing massive damage to anything in the vicinity, with most damage being dealt to anything aerial.
Invisibility			Dark Jak mode not required, and can only be activated at a dark idol, turning Jak invisible for a short time. (Note that you can purchase a secret to toggle invisibility with while in Dark Jak mode without the need for a dark idol.)
Dark Strike			A chargeable attack that sends forth two connected orbs of dark energy, which deal heavy damage on impact, capable of destroying cracked walls and doors.

Light Jak

The counterpart to Dark Jak, Light Jak offers defensive skills as opposed to offensive. Unlike directly summoning Dark Jak and then using any skills as you wish, Light Jak must be summoned by activating a specific ability of his that you have acquired. Only three of these then allow continued use of the mode and any other skills he possesses. Light Jak is unable to use vehicles, various devices, or ride animals, nor can he crawl or crouch. Unlike Dark Jak, however, he is capable of using his Morph Gun weapons.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Light Regeneration	+	+	Regenerate hit points until either the light eco meter runs out or the health meter is full. Otherwise does not enable Light Jak for continued use.
Flash Freeze	+	+	Slow down time for 18 seconds (does not affect Jak himself). Does enable Light Jak for continued use.
Light Shield	+	+	As long as the button is held, Light Jak is surrounded by an impenetrable barrier, but is not able to attack enemies in turn. Replaces his spin kick move when acquired. Does enable Light Jak for continued use.
Light Flight	+	+	Reach higher elevation by way of flight, tap at the right time for extra height. Replaces his double jump move when acquired. Does enable Light Jak for continued use.

Daxter

Daxter, Jak's sidekick, has a few short segments in which he has a set of basic controls while having to reach an objective, typically using gameplay based on hanging from a net or grating.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Move character			Move the player character around.
Jump			Jump once.
Double jump	+		Jump twice in the air for extra height.
Tail slap			A short lunging move where Daxter slaps in a forward direction with his tail.
Tail spin			A 360 degree tail spin attack, akin to Jak's spin kick.
Cling to net			While hanging onto a net, clings to it to potentially avoid threats from below or evade security measures.
Display HUD			Displays the HUD on-screen if it is hidden.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

Leaper lizard

Notably reminiscent of the flut flut from The Precursor Legacy, the leaper lizard is an animal mount domesticated by Spargus citizens and is a common mode of travel in Spargus.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Mount / Dismount			Mount or dismount a leaper lizard.
Move			Move forward and/or control the direction of the leaper lizard.
Move camera			Move the camera around.
Jump			Jump upwards.
Flutter jump	+		Jump, then jump again in mid-air to make the leaper lizard start flapping its wings. This delays the fall and sends the leaper lizard into a short glide. Usable with to cross larger distances.
Charge attack			A short-range head bash attack in a forwards direction.
Smash attack	+		After jumping the leaper lizard will smash downwards at a small angle with its talons, dealing damage to anything it hits or in close proximity to it.
Display HUD			Displays the HUD on-screen if it is hidden.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

Buggy

Buggies are four-wheeled automobiles used by Wastelanders from Spargus to travel throughout the Wasteland.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Enter / Exit			Enter or exit a buggy.
Steer			Control the direction of the buggy.
Accelerate	(hold)		Increase speed
Brake / Reverse			Engage brakes, hold to drive in reverse.
Jump			Perform a small hop, height is dependent on buggy. The Dune Hopper can jump very high by holding it.
Shoot			Fire with mounted machine guns, grenade launchers or automated turrets if available.
Boost			Activates turbo if acquired. Duration and intensity differs on buggy.
Display HUD			Displays the HUD on-screen if it is hidden.
First person view			Toggle first person view.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

JET-Board

The JET-Board is a hoverboard that allows Jak to cruise at higher speeds, or cross otherwise difficult or impossible sections like water (cannot ride over lava).

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Activate/deactivate JET-Board			Equip the JET-Board, if available; or put it away if currently using it.
Steer			Control the direction of the JET-Board.
Move camera			Move the camera around.
Jump			Hop in the air.
Boost jump	+ (after landing)		Jump immediately after landing from a previous jump to get a boost jump.
Duck jump	(hold) +	(hold) +	Duck and then jump for a higher reach.
Grind	(near rail or edge; hold)		Grind on rails and edges of certain objects and platforms.
Jet repulsor			A short range wave attack that is emitted from the JET-Board.
180 degrees turn-around			An immediate 180 degrees turn-around, will increase speed slightly.
Flips and spins	+ +	+ +	Perform a flip (±vertical axis) or spin (±horizontal axis). The former will allow you to achieve extra height and hang time, while the latter will give Jak a speed boost upon landing if he performed a perfect 360.
Tricks	+ +	+ +	Perform a variety of tricks depending on angle of .
Flip/spin + trick combo	+ + +	+ + +	Perform a flip or spin plus trick combo.
Display HUD			Displays the HUD on-screen if it is hidden.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

Zoomers

Zoomers are the primary mode of transportation in modern-day Haven City. They come in a variety of shapes and sizes, from hoverbikes to hovercars.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Enter / Exit			Enter an empty zoomer; or grab on to an occupied zoomer, press again to hijack it; press again while driving it to exit.
Steer			Control the direction of the zoomer.
Move camera			Move the camera around.
Accelerate	(hold)		Increase speed.
Brake / Reverse			Engage brakes, hold to drive in reverse.
Jump			Perform a small hop, only works while driving a single-seated zoomer.
Shoot			Fire one shot from your equipped weapon, can be held to charge or fire repeatedly with some weapons.
Equip red modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Scatter Gun, Wave Concussor or Plasmite RPG.
Equip yellow modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Blaster, Beam Reflexor or Gyro Burster.
Equip blue modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Vulcan Fury, Arc Wielder or Needle Lazer.
Equip dark modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Peace Maker, Mass Inverter or Super Nova.
Put weapon away	or or or ; (hold)		Put equipped weapon away.
Change hover zone			Switch between the high and low hover zones.
Display HUD			Displays the HUD on-screen if it is hidden.
First person view			Toggle first person view.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

Monk glider

The monk glider is a simple flight-based vehicle used by the Precursor Monks to cross the Wasteland safely.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Steer			Change direction of the glider, moving too high causes it to drop.
Move camera			Move the camera around, only works for left and right.
Shoot			Fire one shot from your equipped weapon, can be held to charge or fire repeatedly with some weapons.
Equip red modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Scatter Gun, Wave Concussor or Plasmite RPG.
Equip yellow modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Blaster, Beam Reflexor or Gyro Burster.
Equip blue modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Vulcan Fury, Arc Wielder or Needle Lazer.
Equip dark modification	(twice for second mod, thrice for third mod)		Equip the Peace Maker, Mass Inverter or Super Nova.
Put weapon away	or or or ; (hold)		Put equipped weapon away.
Display HUD			Displays the HUD on-screen if it is hidden.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

Spargus gun turret

The Spargus gun turret is a large stationary defense emplacement used for Spargus citizens to prove themselves and defend Spargus from attacks.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Enter / Exit			Enter or exit the turret.
Aim			Move the turret's reticle.
Shoot			Fires a bullet, press quickly for repeated firing.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

Blast bot

Normally an enemy, Jinx managed to hook up a blast bot with a remote control system, allowing Jak to use it to take down a barrier.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Move			Move around.
Move camera			Move the camera around.
Shoot			Shoot the laser cannon, press repeatedly for quicker firing.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

HellCat cruiser

A modified HellCat cruiser with a Freedom League design, Jak used it to destroy the war factory's defenses.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Move			Move around.
Move camera			Move the camera around, only works on the horizontal axis.
Accelerate			Accelerate forward.
Shoot blast			Shoot green energy blasts, slight auto-aiming effect.
Shoot bomb			Powerful bombs that either explode on contact or after a fixed distance.
Display HUD			Displays the HUD on-screen if it is hidden.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

Dark Maker turret

The Dark Maker turret is a large stationary defense emplacement operated by troopers at South Haven Forest to establish a foothold and block access to the Astro-Viewer. Jak managed to defeat their operators and use them against the invaders.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Enter / Exit			Enter or exit the turret.
Aim			Move the turret's reticle.
Shoot			Fires a bullet, hold for repeated fire, causes the turret to overheat if held for too long.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.

Dark Maker bot

Notably reminiscent of the Titan Suit from Jak II, the Dark Maker bot is a bipedal mech, similarly capable of impressive strength befitting its robotic stature, but beset with bulky movement.

Name	PS2/3 controls	Vita controls	Effect
Enter / Exit			Enter or exit the Dark Maker bot.
Move			Move around.
Move camera			Move the camera around.
Jump			Jump up.
Punch			Attack an enemy with one punch, press three times for a combo.
Shield	(hold)		Causes the bot to crouch and create a powerful shield around itself. The bot remains immobile until the button is released or the shield is destroyed.
Pick up / Drop object			Pick up or drop an object.
Throw object	(while holding object)		Throw an object that you are holding.
Display HUD			Displays the HUD on-screen if it is hidden.
Start			Open the in-game menu.
Select			Pause the game.