I’ve got a small backlog of games on my laptop (running Arch Linux with KDE) through Lutris. I usually play with a keyboard and a mouse, but since I sit pretty close to my screen (ik bad habit), it starts getting uncomfortable after a while. So I’ve been thinking about picking up a gamepad for some more relaxed, couch style gaming.
I’ve never actually owned a gamepad or a console before, so this would be my first time. From what I’ve seen on Reddit, a lot of people seem to have good experiences using Xbox controllers on Linux. I just wanted to get some more insight before buying one to make sure I’m making the right choice.
I’m also planning to grab a second controller so my girlfriend and I can play some local multiplayer games together.
Xbox controllers can be a bit unreliable on Linux in my experience. I’ve got an 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wireless that I quite like. They are way cheaper than an Xbox controller, have hall effect joysticks, and low measured latency.
The regular PS4 controller works fine. Works well in steam, lutris, retroarch and the few native games I own, never had any (unsolvable) problems with it.
I have been using my Sony DS4 gamepad (wired) with no issues, requires no setup. DS5 gamepads also work well, but I had extra DS4 controllers just sitting around. I greatly prefer them to any of the Xbox gamepad personally.
Gamesir Cyclone 2 has been such a premium experience. Clicky nice feeling buttons, hall effect joysticks with smooth rims, shoulder buttons can be set to hair triggers, Bluetooth or dongle, metal charging stand, customisable back buttons. It’s been such a luxury gaming experience at a relatively budget price (currently going for £48).
I have lots of different controllers, and have had even more through the years. My personal recommendation is the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, should be plug and play either on wired, wireless or Bluetooth on most modern distros, comes with a stand for charging so you never have the issue of picking the controller and being out of batteries, has Hall-Effect track pads so you won’t get drift with time, has 2 extra back buttons which are configurable on steam. Plus specifically against each other major controller:
Thanks. Unfortunately this one’s on the expensive side and I am not a hardcore gamer. I think I will go with the ultimate C wired as it is in my budget as well as seems to work with Linux (atleast via steam; got mixed reviews with Lutris from some folks in the comments).
Fair enough, the ultimate 2 is the same price as the Xbox and Playstation, so I guess those are also outside your range. The ultimate 2C wireless is only $5 more than the wired, I think that’s a good benefit for that price difference, but even the wired should be good since 8BitDo does good hardware.
The ultimate 2 is over 100$ more expensive than the ultimate c wired and 50$ more than the official Xbox one. (All of this in rough ₹ to $ conversion) Interestingly, I just searched Amazon and I had to scroll down quite a bit to find the 2c wireless which is actually cheaper than Ultimate C wired (at 81% discount like wtf?!), so now I might go for that one. Thanks.
Edit: Sorry that 2C was just for the Nintento Switch. The reviews mentioned it didn’t support PCs. So now the actual 2c is 20$ more expensive than the Xbox. Now I am confused to put in the extra and go for the ultimate 2 lol.
Not sure how the prices are in your location, but these are the rough prices here in Europe that I had in mind when replying to you, I assumed the relative prices would be similar in your location, apparently I was wrong:
Yeah, Xbox controllers are pretty much standard. Comfortable, not overpriced, great compatibility with everything, no fuss. Newer ones, from the past several years now, will have Nintendo-style d pads, now that the patent has expired, and connect via bluetooth for wireless play or with a USB C cable to save on batteries. Speaking of batteries, it uses AAs, which means that you can actually swap them when they get low, as opposed to PlayStation controllers where batteries don’t last long and they aren’t really exposed for you to access them. I’m not going to tell you Xbox controllers are the be-all, end-all, but there’s a high chance it’s all you need.
EDIT: Even though I use Xbox controllers all the time, I forgot that the newest Xbox pads actually have d pads that are even better than Nintendo’s design. They look funky, but for my money, it’s the best d pad out there.
I tried out Linux a few months back, and one of the things I could never get working was my Bluetooth Xbox controller. The controller would just blink and never connect to the Bluetooth. Any idea what needs to be done to get it working? I was kind of annoyed that it didn’t just work since it’s such a popular controller.
As a veteran of gaming on Linux for several years, I have to admit I keep a small collection of various usb bluetooth dongles, because honestly, built-in bluetooth support still remains questionable and unreliable in many cases, at least for me and the systems I use it on. I don’t necessarily blame Linux as much as I blame the manufacturers of the chips and devices, but unfortunately we have to live with the chaos that their reverse-engineered-firmware-reliant devices create. Any cheapass bluetooth dongle is probably fine, the cheaper and more ubiquitous it is, the more likely it uses the same shitty chinese chip that all the others use and that a bunch of someones already hammered out drivers for, but honestly even with multiple different models and brands it still seems like a crapshoot which one feels like working properly at any given time, but usually one or the other will work and get things to connect, and it’s usually perfectly reliable once all the drivers have loaded and it’s all paired up and things start working. The struggle is real, though.
Not me, sorry. On desktop Linux, I’m always wired, and the bluetooth always just worked when I needed it on Bazzite or Steam Deck, connecting via the controller setup in the Steam menu, but maybe someone else here will know.
For what it’s worth, this wired alternative is almost identical to an xbox one controller except for the rumble motor, which is markedly lower quality. If that doesn’t bother you, it’s also less than half the price, and works out of the box in all distros I’ve tried.
for 2D games (or games that are played with a d-pad rather), their Pro line is also very good! i have the Pro 2, and it works fantastic with Linux. idk about the Pro 3 but i can’t imagine it would be much different, and i heard the d-pad on that one is even better
This is also my recommendation.
Even if you don’t care about any of the extra features, the fact that you get TMR Sticks, a charging dock and 2.4g dongle included makes it a better purchase than any Xbox controller
Yeah I was looking at that as a lot of folks mentioned the brand. The wireless is super expensive, even more than the original xbox controller. But the wired one is literally half the price.
I wouldn’t use bluetooth due to input delay, but the 2.4Ghz wireless dongle 8bitdo sold separately at the time I was buying Pro 2 controllers was plug and play on Linux. Same goes for their Arcade Sticks.
If wired is okay then yeah that’ll work well. I always try to list flaws in stuff I own as well, so: Pro 2 the input method sliding switch on the rear of the controller is the weak spot in the design. If you frequently use that it’ll eventually cause spotty connection issues according to complaints I’ve read over the years. The D-Pad isn’t something you’d want to use for fighting games, but I love it for retro. Very NES-like.
Mine very rarely leave xinput so it’s been fine for me.
Its wireless is much more compatible, supporting several different connection methods for use with different proprietary systems, and is just generally a better and more capable device. They’re worth every penny, IMHO. 8bitdo’s quality changed my opinion on gaming controllers that had developed after years of being frustrated by cheap, wonky, second-rate, third-party garbage controllers like MadCatz and Logitech that used “features” to cover for the fact that they were cheaply made, overpriced, and deeply inferior. 8bitdo controllers are the only ones I trust anymore. Even Nintendo apparently can’t be trusted to make quality controllers for their own systems anymore. But 8bitdo can.
This.
It costs more but you will have a controller that will last years. Have used 8bitdo pro2 for a couple of years after rage quitting the Nintendo pro whatever it is named to switch for its worthless d-pad.
Recently picked up a 8bitdo pro3 and yes, it cost a lot but it will probably be my only controller for many years now.
Buying something that breaks after a year will cost you more in the long run. It’s expensive to be cheap.
8bitdos work great. I got several, most happy with the Pro 2. The only downside is that they stopped supporting firmware updates in Linux, so you have to use a VM with Windows and USB passthrough to update the pad.
I have an 8bitdo and like it as well, one thing to consider tho is Steam Controller 2 is “extremely close”, might be worth holding out for that to drop atm, the original is pretty legendary and 2 seems based on steamdeck layout.
Does 8bitdo work well with Lutris? I saw a video posted 5 years ago where you had to add Lutris to Steam and launch it from there for the controllers to work.
Sorry, don’t use Lutris, either Steam or straight to Bottles. But I’ll guess yes, with the dongle it comes up as a normal XBox controller unless you jump through hoops to get extra buttons going.
I love my 8Bitdo Ultimate controller. It’s comfortable to use and holds a decent charge. Having a charging stand is really useful too. If you have multiple non-PC devices, I would recommend getting the Pro version so that you can use Bluetooth. Otherwise, the USB one will work well.
Only other minor negative is that the d-pad is a little mushy so I will occasionally hit the wrong direction accidentally. So not the greatest for fighting games.
If you don’t need the charging stand, there are cheaper USB only controllers too.
Lastly, if you want to try to improve your posture, my family bought some chair restraint straps for my grandma who kept tilting in her chair. The ones I linked aren’t what we got her but they were the cheapest I could find. You may also want to get your eyes checked. Could be the reason you’re leaning forwards so much is because you can’t see as clearly as you think.
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Xbox controllers can be a bit unreliable on Linux in my experience. I’ve got an 8BitDo Ultimate 2C wireless that I quite like. They are way cheaper than an Xbox controller, have hall effect joysticks, and low measured latency.
2d/3d: I want to keep both thumbs on the sticks for 3d so I prefer a controller like this 3rd party Xbox with back buttons and extra shoulder buttons
Fighting: leverless is a lot of fun, I have a slab mini and a junk food micro lite I prefer the micro it’s way lighter
The regular PS4 controller works fine. Works well in steam, lutris, retroarch and the few native games I own, never had any (unsolvable) problems with it.
I’ve used a PS4 controller myself, so I can confirm that.
I have been using my Sony DS4 gamepad (wired) with no issues, requires no setup. DS5 gamepads also work well, but I had extra DS4 controllers just sitting around. I greatly prefer them to any of the Xbox gamepad personally.
Gamesir Cyclone 2 has been such a premium experience. Clicky nice feeling buttons, hall effect joysticks with smooth rims, shoulder buttons can be set to hair triggers, Bluetooth or dongle, metal charging stand, customisable back buttons. It’s been such a luxury gaming experience at a relatively budget price (currently going for £48).
hey here’s a post about the 11/11 sale, several controllers are listed. Gamesir nova lite for $13 looks like a good deal to me.
https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxXw1mUwS-ZNHz22lKG4b8IC2DafU3xIFV
I have lots of different controllers, and have had even more through the years. My personal recommendation is the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, should be plug and play either on wired, wireless or Bluetooth on most modern distros, comes with a stand for charging so you never have the issue of picking the controller and being out of batteries, has Hall-Effect track pads so you won’t get drift with time, has 2 extra back buttons which are configurable on steam. Plus specifically against each other major controller:
Pros over Xbox controllers:
Pros over Playstation controllers:
Thanks. Unfortunately this one’s on the expensive side and I am not a hardcore gamer. I think I will go with the ultimate C wired as it is in my budget as well as seems to work with Linux (atleast via steam; got mixed reviews with Lutris from some folks in the comments).
Fair enough, the ultimate 2 is the same price as the Xbox and Playstation, so I guess those are also outside your range. The ultimate 2C wireless is only $5 more than the wired, I think that’s a good benefit for that price difference, but even the wired should be good since 8BitDo does good hardware.
The ultimate 2 is over 100$ more expensive than the ultimate c wired and 50$ more than the official Xbox one. (All of this in rough ₹ to $ conversion) Interestingly, I just searched Amazon and I had to scroll down quite a bit to find the 2c wireless which is actually cheaper than Ultimate C wired (at 81% discount like wtf?!), so now I might go for that one. Thanks.
Edit: Sorry that 2C was just for the Nintento Switch. The reviews mentioned it didn’t support PCs. So now the actual 2c is 20$ more expensive than the Xbox. Now I am confused to put in the extra and go for the ultimate 2 lol.
Not sure how the prices are in your location, but these are the rough prices here in Europe that I had in mind when replying to you, I assumed the relative prices would be similar in your location, apparently I was wrong:
I use an XBone controller and it worked without having to tweak or change anything. Pretty comfortable for bigger hands too.
Logitech’s F310 and F710 still holds up today(and they’re pretty cheap)
Yeah, Xbox controllers are pretty much standard. Comfortable, not overpriced, great compatibility with everything, no fuss. Newer ones, from the past several years now, will have Nintendo-style d pads, now that the patent has expired, and connect via bluetooth for wireless play or with a USB C cable to save on batteries. Speaking of batteries, it uses AAs, which means that you can actually swap them when they get low, as opposed to PlayStation controllers where batteries don’t last long and they aren’t really exposed for you to access them. I’m not going to tell you Xbox controllers are the be-all, end-all, but there’s a high chance it’s all you need.
EDIT: Even though I use Xbox controllers all the time, I forgot that the newest Xbox pads actually have d pads that are even better than Nintendo’s design. They look funky, but for my money, it’s the best d pad out there.
I tried out Linux a few months back, and one of the things I could never get working was my Bluetooth Xbox controller. The controller would just blink and never connect to the Bluetooth. Any idea what needs to be done to get it working? I was kind of annoyed that it didn’t just work since it’s such a popular controller.
As a veteran of gaming on Linux for several years, I have to admit I keep a small collection of various usb bluetooth dongles, because honestly, built-in bluetooth support still remains questionable and unreliable in many cases, at least for me and the systems I use it on. I don’t necessarily blame Linux as much as I blame the manufacturers of the chips and devices, but unfortunately we have to live with the chaos that their reverse-engineered-firmware-reliant devices create. Any cheapass bluetooth dongle is probably fine, the cheaper and more ubiquitous it is, the more likely it uses the same shitty chinese chip that all the others use and that a bunch of someones already hammered out drivers for, but honestly even with multiple different models and brands it still seems like a crapshoot which one feels like working properly at any given time, but usually one or the other will work and get things to connect, and it’s usually perfectly reliable once all the drivers have loaded and it’s all paired up and things start working. The struggle is real, though.
Not me, sorry. On desktop Linux, I’m always wired, and the bluetooth always just worked when I needed it on Bazzite or Steam Deck, connecting via the controller setup in the Steam menu, but maybe someone else here will know.
Idk if it’s the solution to your problem but I install xpadneo and never have issues.
Xone is the one I’ve needed instead of xpadneo to get the xbox wired headset working with them.
Xone I use with the official xbox wireless controller adapter but xpadneo for Bluetooth Xbox connections.
For what it’s worth, this wired alternative is almost identical to an xbox one controller except for the rumble motor, which is markedly lower quality. If that doesn’t bother you, it’s also less than half the price, and works out of the box in all distros I’ve tried.
My favourite 3rd party controller, which according to this article is compatible with Linux: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/05/the-8bitdo-ultimate-2-wireless-controller-is-a-top-premium-feeling-controller/
can second 8BitDo, their stuff is awesome
for 2D games (or games that are played with a d-pad rather), their Pro line is also very good! i have the Pro 2, and it works fantastic with Linux. idk about the Pro 3 but i can’t imagine it would be much different, and i heard the d-pad on that one is even better
This is also my recommendation.
Even if you don’t care about any of the extra features, the fact that you get TMR Sticks, a charging dock and 2.4g dongle included makes it a better purchase than any Xbox controller
8bitdo USB controller was plug and play for me
Yeah I was looking at that as a lot of folks mentioned the brand. The wireless is super expensive, even more than the original xbox controller. But the wired one is literally half the price.
I wouldn’t use bluetooth due to input delay, but the 2.4Ghz wireless dongle 8bitdo sold separately at the time I was buying Pro 2 controllers was plug and play on Linux. Same goes for their Arcade Sticks.
If wired is okay then yeah that’ll work well. I always try to list flaws in stuff I own as well, so: Pro 2 the input method sliding switch on the rear of the controller is the weak spot in the design. If you frequently use that it’ll eventually cause spotty connection issues according to complaints I’ve read over the years. The D-Pad isn’t something you’d want to use for fighting games, but I love it for retro. Very NES-like.
Mine very rarely leave xinput so it’s been fine for me.
Its wireless is much more compatible, supporting several different connection methods for use with different proprietary systems, and is just generally a better and more capable device. They’re worth every penny, IMHO. 8bitdo’s quality changed my opinion on gaming controllers that had developed after years of being frustrated by cheap, wonky, second-rate, third-party garbage controllers like MadCatz and Logitech that used “features” to cover for the fact that they were cheaply made, overpriced, and deeply inferior. 8bitdo controllers are the only ones I trust anymore. Even Nintendo apparently can’t be trusted to make quality controllers for their own systems anymore. But 8bitdo can.
This. It costs more but you will have a controller that will last years. Have used 8bitdo pro2 for a couple of years after rage quitting the Nintendo pro whatever it is named to switch for its worthless d-pad. Recently picked up a 8bitdo pro3 and yes, it cost a lot but it will probably be my only controller for many years now. Buying something that breaks after a year will cost you more in the long run. It’s expensive to be cheap.
8bitdos work great. I got several, most happy with the Pro 2. The only downside is that they stopped supporting firmware updates in Linux, so you have to use a VM with Windows and USB passthrough to update the pad.
I have an 8bitdo and like it as well, one thing to consider tho is Steam Controller 2 is “extremely close”, might be worth holding out for that to drop atm, the original is pretty legendary and 2 seems based on steamdeck layout.
Does 8bitdo work well with Lutris? I saw a video posted 5 years ago where you had to add Lutris to Steam and launch it from there for the controllers to work.
Sorry, don’t use Lutris, either Steam or straight to Bottles. But I’ll guess yes, with the dongle it comes up as a normal XBox controller unless you jump through hoops to get extra buttons going.
I love my 8Bitdo Ultimate controller. It’s comfortable to use and holds a decent charge. Having a charging stand is really useful too. If you have multiple non-PC devices, I would recommend getting the Pro version so that you can use Bluetooth. Otherwise, the USB one will work well.
Only other minor negative is that the d-pad is a little mushy so I will occasionally hit the wrong direction accidentally. So not the greatest for fighting games.
If you don’t need the charging stand, there are cheaper USB only controllers too.
Lastly, if you want to try to improve your posture, my family bought some chair restraint straps for my grandma who kept tilting in her chair. The ones I linked aren’t what we got her but they were the cheapest I could find. You may also want to get your eyes checked. Could be the reason you’re leaning forwards so much is because you can’t see as clearly as you think.