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.
i recently purchased a 8bitdo controller and just want to mention that although it’s an amazing controller, I did have trouble getting the software to work in order to rebind buttons. just a heads up!
Other than that, great controller, feels nice, most of them are cheaper than official xbox or ps controller, happy with my purchase