Hello lemmings, I’d like to buy some sort of gamepad I can use on my PC (running opensuse tumbleweed linux).
Since my youth I’m a die hard keyboard & mouse player, but since I’d like to try co-op with my wife I’d need second device. What is currently considered a good buy? Should be good in terms of price/quality ratio. I don’t want to spend a lot on a thing with questionable future, might as well end up being ultimate dust collector. On the other hand I don’t want to buy ultra cheap POS that would have terrible build and insta drifting joypads.
Wireless is a plus, but should have its own USB receiver (box PC without bluetooth).
Last thing: I’m based in EU, so should be available there.
Thank you very much!
I have a Trust GXT 590, nothing special, but works well enough for about everything with about everything. It can do both Bluetooth, USB-Dongle and USB cable (iirc)
I’ve had a Gamesir Nova Lite since September, and I strongly prefer playing games with a controller whenever possible so I’ve used the heck out of it, and I’ve had no problems. I really like how the buttons and joysticks feel and it’s supposedly got hall effect joysticks. I only use it on Bluetooth so not sure how it is with the dongle, but it has one. It’s on Amazon and they’ve got their own site to order from that does worldwide shipping. For the $25 I spent on mine, it’s a lot nicer than you’d expect from the price, I’d assume it’s similarly cheap in the EU. Retro Game Corps did a side by side video with an 8BitDo a while ago. The company marketed the shit out of it to influencers, but it’s legitimately good. (It doesn’t have a headphone jack and gyroscope, fyi, in case you care about that.)
I have been using the Nova Lite for a month now with no issues. I only use the dongle and it works well on both linux and windows. It is availible on MaxGaming for 23.90€.
How is the build quality of these? They’re available locally for me, for decent price, but reviews are mixed bag. Some say it’s the cheapest and shittiest piece of plastic with questionable durability, others say it’s decent…
I’d happily recommend it to an adult on a tight budget, but it’s not premium. It’s a lightweight, soft plastic with a textured surface where you’d want it that I think feels nice but I can see why some might not. It will not survive an afternoon with an eight year old with anger issues, but I treat mine with some care and put it back in the (very cheap and flimsy, but included) plastic case it came with and I’m not worried about it. It’s decent enough, imo.
The problem with recommending controllers is that so much of this is subjective. I wanted something that felt more like the Switch buttons than my wired PDP Afterglow Xbox controller did (hate that thing), and what I got was exactly what I wanted and was impressed for what I spent on it. I don’t have an 8BitDo Ultimate 2C to compare it to which seems to be the direct competition in the price point (seriously, check out the Retro Game Corps vid ) - and there were some trade offs for both - 8BitDo was maybe slightly more premium feeling but similarly light and had Android only Bluetooth and wouldn’t work with my Switch, the GameSir has firmware upgrade issues (don’t upgrade the firmware!). Honestly, if you can get the 8BitDo, that might be the better choice for your use case - with the dongle it has a higher polling rate so less input latency, but I’m not playing anything where I’d even notice that. Also I suspect I prefer the ergonomics of the GameSir, but again that’s subjective. Or just buy one of the more expensive 8BitDo controllers, it sounds like you’re on less of a tight budget than I was.
The boring answer is going to be an Xbox controller – as that’s what most PC games and Steam have mappings for. I assume those play nice with Linux?
The slightly less boring answer is an Xbox series x/s controller with an armor x pro or just the armor x strikepack.
The “strikepack” slots into the battery door slot and has a usb-c rechargeable 1300mah battery, four programmable rear buttons, and the ability to function as an xbox, playstation or switch controller.
The pro version also has a gyroscope input for playstation and switch controller modes or can be set to convert onboard gyro to joystick input (with lots of manual settings you can tweak if needed) so you can use gyro to aim or steer in games that don’t support it/xbox.
My only gripe is the usb dongle needs decent line of sight with the controller.
Can’t speak to Xbox Series controllers, but Xbox One controllers on Linux are a mess in terms of the drivers situation. Running 'em over USB with xpad, the default kernel driver is fine, but you might need to install xone or xow to get them working wirelessly with the dongle, or xpadneo for Bluetooth. Maybe other people have had a better time but it’s a total fucking headache IME.
I’ve been using an Xbox one controller on pop os and never had any issues personally. I just use a regular USB Bluetooth receiver. Sometimes it takes a bit to connect when I turn it on but that’s about it.
Yep they work great and they’re ubiquitous. Xbox360 gamepad might be cheaper than one from a newer console model. I finished Elden Ring with one 100% on Linux.
I’m using a PS4 controller since my Xbox controllers are an older design that doesn’t use Bluetooth. With Steam mapping the controls across in everything from UI symbols to functionality, it works spectacularly.
8BitDo Ultimate but make sure you buy the Nintendo Switch version because it’s the only one with gyro. You could also just buy a DualSense.
I’m a big fan of the 8BitDo Pro 2. Best pad I’ve ever used.
Pretty much any USB controller will work. Don’t normally need any special software support, and USB specifies the protocol, unless you’ve got some kind of oddball features on the thing. You can’t go too far wrong.
Of the ones that I’ve used, I’ve currently settled on the 8Bitdo Ultimate Bluetooth (there’s also a non-Bluetooth Ultimate controller that they make, but it doesn’t have Hall effect thumbsticks, which I want). Only downside is that it’s only available with a Nintendo face button layout, whereas I’d prefer the Xbox face button layout. They do sell replacement buttons, and Steam lets you flip the layout for games using Steam Input. Works with both USB and Bluetooth, and it comes with a charging cradle if you use it wirelessly.
Razer wolverine is wired but the best controller I’ve ever owned. 8 years and counting.
