2w ago

Can anyone recommend generic controllers that work with Linux?

I don't need anything special or pricey, just a basic controller that does basic controller things.

I've tried a few generic controllers, but they have issues with bluetooth, battery life, and automatically shutting off too early from idling.

Does anyone know of any generic controllers that don't have these issues? I don't mind if the battery life isn't the same or better than official controllers, but they shouldn't straight up lie about the capacity. It should be illegal.

Update: I ended up going with a generic PS4 controller from Walmart. The brand is Yuoy, which I am unfamiliar with but I'm willing to see for myself how good their controller is.

This is the one I got https://www.walmart.com/ip/seort/5486552170 and so far I am satisfied. It's a bit heavier than the other generic controllers I have, which I hope is a sign of a bigger battery. The d-pad isn't quite as good as the legendary Sony d-pads, but I'm getting used to it. It's not nearly as bad as the 360 or logitech d-pads, for example. I think it's pretty good.

I'm also not having the issue with it turning off after 5 minutes of idle time. So far, it hasn't turned off at all from idling. I'm not sure if there's no auto-shutoff at all, or it may just be respecting my Steam setting to have it shut off after an hour of idle time. I don't feel like testing it right now.

So far, for $17 this controller seems to be acceptable. I'd still like to shut off the touchpad, but that's not really the controller's fault.

I will continue testing and update this if I have any issues. As it stands right now, I'm looking forward to getting another one and hope it's the same.

Update: I am having issues reconnecting the controller after I disconnect it with bluetooth. I need to go through the re-pairing process by holding the share button (select) and the PS button. The controller shows up as connected for a few seconds, then goes back with the other disconnected devices saying the connection failed. This is a big issue. I will try to see if I can find an easy fix, if not then this is enough to make me return the controller.

Here's a video documenting the issue: https://freediverse.com/w/2DVMHpkjaA4rcX8WqhuKts

2nd Update: I decided to try another one from the same brand, but with a different D-pad. This is the controller I got https://www.walmart.com/ip/Wireless-Controller-for-PS4-Remote-Game-Joystick-Compatible-with-Playstation-4-PS4-Slim-PS4-Pro-PC-Blue-Crystal/5355337991

It's still $17, but the D-pad is better and most importantly, I'm not having the re-connection issues I was having previously. I guess the issue really is with the specific controller.

Since this one is slightly different than the previous, I'm going to end up returning the previous one and getting another one of these. I want to see if there is any consistency among the ones with this kind of D-pad.

It sucks how difficult it is to find compatible hardware for a good price, but I'm willing to go through the effort so that more people can know that we can be getting products for cheaper.

I am going to continue testing to see if any issues crop up. Otherwise, if I don't update this then you can assume this controller is The One. For $17, it's the best deal I can find for Linux gaming controllers.

48 comments

All of these are complaints specific to wireless controllers (auto-shutoff to conserve battery, battery life, some sort or Bluetooth connectivity issue). Have you considered getting a wired, USB controller? Or using your existing one in USB mode, which most wireless controllers support?
- I only use wired controllers, however my system (Mint) doesn't acknowledge controller input as standard input, so the screen saver comes on in 20 minutes or my machine goes to sleep after an hour while I play. I haven't figured out how to stop it yet.
  
  You can run caffeine in Terminal while playing the game.
  Also: gaming on linux
  
  just an idea I have. to keep my pc from sleeping while streaming content to my other devices, I have a script that uses xdotool to move the cursor 1 pixel to the right and immediately back every 30 seconds if my network adapter has transferred some data. make (or ask chatgpt to make) a script that recognizes some of your controller inputs and then moves the mouse, or it could press XF86_wakeup key (this will cause problems in web excel). also it could trigger by just having the controller plugged in.
  
  so the screen saver comes on in 20 minutes or my machine goes to sleep after an hour while I play. I haven’t figured out how to stop it yet.
  The way I have my system set up is to not power-off the monitor unless the screensaver is up, but if it is, to flip the power off in pretty short order. I manually trigger the screensaver. So I don't know what people who do auto-locking and all do today.
  kagis
  https://github.com/foresto/joystickwake
  This appears to do this on Xorg and Wayland for various screensavers and environments. I have not used it myself. I don't know if it's been packaged by anyone in Mint, though -- I don't see a package in Debian trixie, and if this site is the package repo for Mint -- I know that there are variations of Mint -- then I don't see it there. You can build, install, and set it up to run manually, I suppose.
  I do see a reference to an Ubuntu package in a PPA at the bottom of their main page. One variant of Mint is based on Ubuntu; I don't know whether that means that one can get away with using Ubuntu packages or not.
  https://launchpad.net/~foresto/+archive/ubuntu/toys

I have the 8BitDo Ultimate controller and just store it in the dock when not in use. I've not had any connectivity issues (does Bluetooth & 2.4Ghz), battery life (22hrs), or ever have it just shut off. Also has rumble , motion, and hall effect sticks. The configuration of profiles can be done through a mobile app or Windows/VM.
8BitDo Ultimate Bluetooth Controller with Charging Dock
- I also have this controller (and the one that is SNES style) and both work well with my steam deck.
- I got this controller recently, it worked perfect out of the box. I had to get used to the shape, the handles are a bit more parallel compared to the xbox sticking more out, but after a week or 2 that feeling's gone.
- The mobile app thing never worked for me and desynced the controller... I'll try the VM.

I recommend the 8bitDo Pro 2 controller. The controller works well on my Linux gaming machine and the things I like about it are:
Bluetooth or wired connection
Replaceable battery with up to 20 hours of playtime.
- Beat me to it. Outstanding controller, with replaceable parts staight from 8bitDo.
  
  Oh. I didn't realize that last part. The trigger pads have fallen off one of mine.

8BitDo ultimate with hall effect joysticks. Great value and works perfectly.

I've had pretty good success with a number of 8bitdo controllers. The wireless ones have a few different wireless "profiles" for compatibility with multiple devices, but after figuring that out, it's pretty smooth sailing. They take several minutes to turn off from idling, and it won't "idle" if you're holding it (i.e., if there's any activity on the gyroscope).
I have the SN30 Pro and the Zero 2, both have great battery life and work well on Linux (I'm using Mint). And they work wired as well.

It might seem laughable that so many people are shilling for 8bitdo but as an owner of three of their controllers and two of their keyboards: yes they are that good.
- I disagree.
  It is laughable.
  
  I wanted to get some tonal context so I could better understand your reply here so I read some of your other comments.
  I regret wasting my time.

I don't know of any generic controllers, and wouldn't trust them to have consistent hardware between production runs. All the worthwhile controllers I've used have brand names. Having said that...
Logitech makes decent, affordable, basic controllers. My only complaint about the F310 / F710 is that the analog stick dead zones are a little bigger than I like. (Maybe I'm just spoiled by Sony models, though.)
Sony's DualShock 4 v2 and DualSense are great in my experience, and not terribly expensive when they go on sale.

Batocera has a good list
https://wiki.batocera.org/supported_controllers
Otherwise, I would consider that Linux is not the limit/cause of incompatibility and most will work out of the box just fine.
https://www.eurogamer.net/digitalfoundry-best-pc-gaming-controller-gamepad

I like my 8bitdo controller but I have an older model so can't speak for the more recent ones.

Not generic, but I've been using Xbox Series controllers with LMDE. They were plug n play and work flawlessly out of the box. I've used them with both bluetooth and wired and have had no problems with emulation and steam. You'd probably save more buying a used xbox controller for about $30-$50 than trial and error with cheaper off-brand gamepads
- I bought an Xbox series controller, it’s too small, the triggers are too stiff, not very impressed, the separately sold rechargeable battery pack is lame. Bought a DualSense on sale and it is better in every way. Haven’t touched the Xbox controller since. It really feels like they cut corners on quality to encourage sales of the ridiculously overpriced Elite controllers.
  
  I also enjoy dualsense and there is definitely quality there, but I could not get it to work with a handfull of emulators on linux for some reason. I'm sure there could be some tinkering to do to get it working but I've just been using xbox series for plug n play
- He asked for generic. 🙄

I have good experience with a play station 4 controller, especially with the steam overlay for configuration.

8BitDo Pro 2 is easily the best pad I've ever used.

I just use a Dualshock 4
It like.
Works. Linux games and Emulators recognise it as a generic SDL-compatible controller 99.9% of the time (and for that .1% there's ds4drv in emulate-xpad mode). And Windows games on Proton use Steam Input which is not just functional, it even works with things like the motion sensors and shit.
Not much else I can say to it. It never gave me Bluetooth problems (and I use a generic bluetooth USB adaptor from China), its battery lasts long enough to not bother me, and it never shut off during a cutscene.
- Thanks. I've been using generic DS4s but they all have some of the issues I've been describing.
  Do you know how to turn off the touchpad? It just gets in the way for me.
  
  Yes and no
  I know how to turn it off on KDE Plasma Wayland which is the DE I use. Different WMs and DEs will do it differently. X11 will do it differently. I'm sure it can be done, I just have no idea how.
  With the controller connected, Plasma-Wayland reports the touchpad as like. A laptop touchpad. So you can shut it off by just going into its settings programme and turning it off like you would a laptop touchpad.
  .... Unless of course you ARE using a laptop, at which point that would possibly turn off both your laptop's actual touchpad as well as the one in the DS4.

I have used Logitech f310 wired and f710 wireless, not bt, without any issues on steam. Not sure about your specific issues though.

8BitDo makes some good controllers, and at least I've never had any issues with my SN30 Pro+ first gen. Some of the older controllers needed special Windows/Mac software to update their firmware and stuff, but I think newer controllers let you put them in flashing mode, mount them as a USB device, and then just drag and drop firmware into them.
I also have a Gulikit KK2 that's been fine. Not a cheap controller, but I'd assume that anything they offer would work too. The Gulikit i've used in bluetooth mode on my laptop and it was fine, tho the 8bitdo i pretty much only use in wired mode. The 8BitDo is cool because it has a removable battery, but you also have the option of using AA batteries too, if you wish.

8bitdo Pro2 is very good also for retro-gaming

I've been using a wired Nintendo pro switch controller on LMDE and have had no issues with it.

I love the 8bitdo Pro 2. No connection issues in either Xinput or DirectInput mode. Battery life is great and it can run on the included battery pack which will charge via USB-C or AAs that will actually extend the battery life.

Using Logitech F310 without problems for years. I think F710 was the wireless version of it but I didn't use it so no idea.

I have a Xbox controller and the Xbox dongle. Needs some driv rs but works really well once connected. Cheaper option is for sure 8bitdo

If you want to go as cheap as possible while retaining usable status, I'd recommend generic Xbox 360 controllers. You can get deals on two of them in a set for sub-$20 and they're usually fine functionally. They will have cheap sticks and poor build quality, but they take AA or the Play N Charge packs and their 2.4ghz dongles they come with work on Linux perfectly for every "brand" I've tried.
If you want a nice non-Xbox/PlayStation controller, as others have said: get an 8BitDo.
Don't bother with anything else. I've bought plenty of generic Switch controllers, off brand Xbox or PlayStation controllers, etc. They all lead to pain, connection issues, and frustration. ESPECIALLY if they're Bluetooth. You might be OK if they come with a dongle for 2.4ghz, but even those are spotty sometimes and often have range issues.

I have a cheap Bluetooth controller that works perfectly for me, although to be fair I almost never use a controller so it gets used a couple hours in a month lol. The brand is gamesir and I got it for $20 or so with no issues on Linux using either the Bluetooth mode or the 2.4GHz adapter over the past couple years

If you're cool with a 2.4ghz adapter via USB, the gulikit kk3 max has been awesome. It's an Xbox controller clone with 4 paddles, can be used on switch, and has hot swappable buttons for switch as well, all for about 80 bucks.
It's got hall effect sticks/triggers.
It has Bluetooth as well, I just haven't tried it. Better response times and range with the adapter so that's what I use.
Warning: QA isn't the best, I have had one come in with vibration issues, but returning it and ordering another was a price well paid.
https://www.gulikit.com/productinfo/1130420.html

Go with a Nintendo Switch controller that works with PC like:
https://a.co/d/6cxE7qn (~$20)
There's dozens and dozens of them and I've never had a problem with any of them. They all seem to just "magically work".
- Speaking from experience, generic Switch controllers on Linux often suck. Many off-brand controllers use crap Bluetooth modules that will only connect half the time. I've tried two or three. Get a wired controller, 8BitDo, Xbox, or PlayStation controller.

I'm using a MSI Force GC30 V2, currently per usb, but it comes with a 2.4GHz adapter that works on the OG Steam Link, so it will probably work under any linux distro. XBox Layout, great battery life, shutoff is ca. 5 Minutes. Only drawback is the integrated battery, but i have not yet experienced much of a reduced battery life over the last 2 years. bonus: can be switched to an Android-compatibility mode for gaming on smartphones. costs 35€ currently, but the build quality is the same as the official xbox series controller (which i used exclusively before)

I bought an 8bitdo ultimate Bluetooth controller (also supports 2.4ghz transceiver). It pairs with my switch and my Linux system effortlessly and works great.
I believe the button mapping is backwards from what I see in games (push b to confirm choices, but it's really a). But I rely more on muscle memory anyway.

48 comments