The recent news that SteamOS may soon be shipped with third-party devices could be particularly important for Linux gaming on desktops.
Even gamers nexus' Steve today said that they're about to start doing Linux games performance testing soon. It's happening, y'all, the year of the Linux desktop is upon us. ᕕ(ᐛ)ᕗ
Edit: just wanted to clarify that Steve from GN didn't precisely say they're starting to test soon, he said they will start WHEN the steam OS releases and is adopted. Sorry about that.
I just build a new gaming/creative pc, decided to make the jump to linux mint while i was setting up something new. And I honestly expected more hickups than i got, nothing which a quick search didn't fix except for one. My xbox controller won't connect over Bluetooth, it works when connected through a cable though. But I also noticed some stick drift, so I'm tossing it and order an 8bitdo which has those magentic sticks (forgot the name) and linux compatibility.
I have an 8bitdo controller, and it's given me nothing but trouble. It's a dongle-only version (non-bluetooth, but cheaper), and it has some weird bug where the controller is recognized as both an xinput device and a keyboard. I've tried updating the firmware to no avail.
I've heard other people sing praises about the Bluetooth version, so I think people should avoid being a cheapskate on this one.
Seconding the other person asking which model you've got. I don't see Linux compatibility listed on the web pages for the few models I just looked at. I also didnt see them list an included dongle, but thats something I'd be very interested in. Also do they all detect as Xbox controllers, or only the Xbox style ones?
Not the person you asked, but don't get the dongle-only version. Upgrade to the version with Bluetooth. The former is cheaper, but it gives me trouble on Linux, and I've never seen people complain about the Bluetooth version (I think it's called the 8bitdo Ultimate?).
My brief time using it, it's how you set up profiles (for sharing a controller or using specific layouts for different games), it's how you tell the controller what buttons the back paddles map to, and it's how you update the firmware.
It's not really necessary, in my experience, unless you want to use the back paddles. Steam Input just sees the controller as a standard xinput device, so the back paddles are otherwise ignored.
I'm hoping for a Christmas sale the next few days. But I cant wait too long. Besides the point stick drift is infuriating while gaming, I also have a cat. Anything that wiggles is fair play for those claws, and that cord be wiggling.
To fix your Xbox controller issue, you'll need to do a firmware update on the controller itself. And that can only be done on windows unfortunately (unless you can figure out how to do it in a VM). Then when the firmware is updated, you install Xpadneo and you should be golden. How do I know? This is exactly what I had to do thanks to a random redditor who chimed in to help when I had this same issue. My controller now works on Bluetooth with zero issues.
The Steam controller 2 will be releasing soon if you want trackpads and extra buttons. I also think Valve is licencing to third parties. IIRC 8bitdo will make a Steam Controller
I think I've just been avoiding news in general for a while. This is GREAT to hear! I still love my OG Steam Controller. Great little piece of hardware.