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.

  • donio@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

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

  • originaltnavn@lemm.eeEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

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

  • SatanClaus@lemmy.dbzer0.comEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

    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

  • chakli@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

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

  • chingadera@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

    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

  • Riskable@programming.devEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

    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”.

  • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

    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?

    • OutlierBlue@lemmy.caEnglish
      0·
      10 days ago

      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.

      • tal@lemmy.todayEnglish
        0·
        10 days ago

        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

      • kusivittula@sopuli.xyzEnglish
        0·
        10 days ago

        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.

  • owenfromcanada@lemmy.worldEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

    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.

    • Patariki@feddit.nlEnglish
      0·
      9 days ago

      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.

  • mox@lemmy.sdf.orgEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

    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.

  • countrypunk@slrpnk.netEnglish
    0·
    10 days ago

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