I want to replace my old GameSir G3s with a controller preferably under €70-75. Initially I wanted an european gamepad but the only 2 options (ready2gaming and snakebyte) was so non existent or questionable that I had to swallow my EU nationalism.
Gaming style:
- Only use controllers where it’s highly recommended
- Preferred genre for controllers would be arcade racing and JRPGs mostly
- Will only play on wireless (2.4ghz)
Preferences:
- Either TMR or high quality HE sticks
- Doesn’t look boring (preferably it has some amounts of LED / RGB)
- Xbox stick position layout (I want to try it out)
- Linux compatibility (don’t care about consöles)
- Doesn’t have a shit QC (8bitdo’s are apparently like that)
- I have larger hands, so maybe not a small controller
Currently these are some controllers that seems to be in my range. I’m interested if you know about even better controllers.
- GameSir Cyclone 2
- GameSir Supernova
- FlyDigi Direwolf 4?
I have the GameSir Cyclone 2 and love it.
8BitDo controllers?
Ultimate 2 seems interesting ngl, however I hear that more people have QC issues about 8bitdo, but I might have misinformed myself.
I bought four Ultimate 2C’s for our couch gaming setup. Though we’re going to be unpacking everything for that setup in the weekend of the 25th. So if you can wait I’m happy to share my experience with those.
I have the original ultimate for about a year. I don’t know how relevant it’s going to be, but I never had any issues with it. The triggers and the stiffer sticks definitely feel cheaper compared to the Xbox One controller. The lighter weight might also be the reason. I’m overall really happy with it considering the price. I paid the same for the controller and dock combined as the Xbox controller.
I also bought their Gamecube controller for my Switch a while back, I think three years. The B button stopped working a couple of months later but they sent a new one shortly after I reported it. They didn’t even bother to let me ship the broken one back.I will most likely buy the controller tomorrow or today, but I’m interested about your findings! There might be someone who reada this post after X months and decides based on your input.
Yeah fair, I’ll do that then. I hope you’re happy with whatever you end(ed) up picking
I have a controller and a keyboard, havent personally had issues! but thats my own anecdotal evidence
I have three different 8bitdo controllers and they’ve all been fantastic. And they sell things like replacement covers for the joysticks (I wore through one of them after a lot of hours). Obviously this is just anecdotal, but I’ve had nothing but great experiences with them.
I really like the ps5 dualsense controller and had no issues whatsoever in Linux. Works really well. I’d even say better than in windows.
Do you feel better response times on Linux compared to WIndows?
I don’t feel any particular lag, neither in windows nor linux, when using Bluetooth (compared to usb): to me they feel almost the same. But it should be noted that I almost never play games where you would notice more.
In my experience, though, Bluetooth generally works better in linux than windows, esp. pairing and connecting.
Anyways, steam does an excellent job in making the controller work in games, also those that don’t officially support.
In the past, I have owned: an xbox controller (and I hated it) , other cheap controllers (and they broke). The ps5 for me works very well, it appears to be good quality, the battery lasts long and is rechargeable via usb c.
It’s pricey but it’s good.
But I don’t know how it compares with the steam controller.
The PS5 controller battery is my primary complaint about it.
It lasts like 6-8 hours where my ancient xbox elite controller still goes for 40ish hours of gaming between recharges.
Obviously both last more than usually necessary but forgetting to charge the PS5 controller is way more annoying.
It lasts like 6-8 hours
mine does definitely more than 8 hours…maybe yours is defective?
forgetting to charge the PS5 controller is way more annoying.
In that regard the experience on Linux is better than on Windows: on Linux I can see the level of charge directly in the Bluetooth menu, and then I can plug it in after I finish using it
I have four of them, purchased at different times and they’re all the same.
You can look it up. 6-12 hours is the most commonly stated battery life depending on feature use.
And I’m on Linux when I use it with my pc.
my new ps4 controller also does only about 6-8 hours, but that’s with vibration turned on
Strong recommendation for Cyclone 2. I’ve been so happy with my first one that I’m about to order a second one.
Excellent ergonomics. The RGB you asked for. Works perfectly with my CachyOS and Bazzite setups out of the box. Premium metal charging stand included. Excellent clicky switches including changing triggers to micro switches. 2 back buttons.
This is available brand new on eBay for £30 in UK. You won’t be disappointed.
Okay that excellent ergonomics sounded reassuring because I’ve heard that it had weirder ergonomics, so maybe that’s just such a small nitpick from those ytbers. What games do you use it for?
I’ve got big hands too and I find it very comfortable. Depends on whether you like offset sticks.
I’m playing a lot of Dead Cells these days. But the controller has been good for any game ive played (Expedition 33, Thronefall, Hotshots Golf, Mario Odyssey, Super Meat Boy, etc). The D-pad is also great for precision platformers like Super Meat Boy.
It must also be really durable if you played Super Meat Boy with it and couldn’t break it in half out of frustration!
Frustrating difficult games are my jam. They don’t bother me at all. I’m into roguelites. It’s a great life lesson in being Zen and accepting what is…when you play an hour long run of Dead Cells with excellent legendary items, only to die a dumb death to curse just before the final boss ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
It’s so great hearing you love the D-Pad because most of the reviewers and redditors said that the D-Pad feels meh. I mean I don’t care about the D-Pad mostly, but yk.
Every aspect of the controller might not be “best in the world”. I don’t play fighting games or anything with the D-pad. Overall the value you get here is unbeatable. £30 on eBay is just mind blowing to me. You can even get a connector on Ali Express to hold your phone if you use it for phone games.
I’d say ymmv. I struggle reaching L1 while using the analog stick. Depending on a game, I’d often switch L1 and L2 around. It works, but it’s mildly annoying.
I also seem to have an issue with the face buttons double clicking sometimes. This doesn’t matter 99% of a time, but some games (Persona) don’t like it. It’s a shame, because otherwise it’s a fantastic controller.
Before this I had a 360 and 2 gulikit controllers and none of those had this issue. I actually really love the feel of the newer gulikit, unfortunately the wireless performance is atrocious.
Hmm do you have bigger hands or smaller? Maybe the Cyclone 2 is actually preferable for taller hands.
WHich Gulikit do you use? The Gulikit TT Pro / Max honestly seems amazing seeing by just some reviews and specs. Even the latency is excellent on both wireless modes. https://gamepadla.com/gulikit-tt-pro.html
I’d say on the larger side of medium. The way I hold it I use my index finger for both L1/2 and the curve on the back (of the controller) makes it that I need to shift my grip when I wanna switch between them. I can hit the corner of L1 with the last knuckle, but it feels kinda off to do that.
I have the old NS09 (KK Pro) and NS39 (KK3 Max). The dongle latency is on par with bluetooth, which is not great. https://gamepadla.com/gulikit-kk3-max-kingkong-3-ns39.html
I have a Gamesir G8 for emulator use on my phone. It has obviosly nothing to do with your use case but:
It feels over all rather cheaply made. Those slidey rings around the analog sticks are some of the worst i dealt with on a controller especially for its initial high price. They became unsmooth after like a month. They have a history of rather shady practices with their android apps and emulators. So keep that in mind maybe it applies to other offerings from them too.
Otherwise i have a Xbone S/X controller (with blutooth but not the series ones. ms naming schemes suck so hard) and its alright. Feels great in the hand. But build quality is below the x360 pads i had. Works with linux most of the time but its the only bluetooth device which just refuses to work every now and then. Sticks are pretty imprecise.
Dualsense: Its better in almost every aspect than the Xbone controller and i really want to love it. But its just not comfortable in my hand. I get cramps after like an hour.
But they both have some years left in them. So i have no experience with all the new fancy hall effect offerings. Good luck!
Ohh honestly bringing up shady practices is a good idea, tbf I assume that their software don’t support Linux anyways. There were some comments on the Cyclone 2 that the plastics feel cheap, so it might be that.
My wireless xbox^TM controller works flawlessessy on bazzite/steam for Hollow Knight and Lego LOTR for whatever that’s worth to you.
Yeah 8bitdo is good in my experience, you can return it anyway if it’s sussy on arrival. Works with everything, steam input or not
Thanks for the return idea! Do you perhaps use the Ultimate 2? If yes then how does it fit for your hands if yours are big?
I use 2c, my hands are not really big but fingers are long though. Pretty comfortable, but xbox 360 controller as a comparison point is bulkier and bigger
I use a Dualsense controller and it’s great. It feels as responsive on my desktop as it does on a real PS5.
Though I mostly use it to play old Pokémon games through emulators and occasionally Bloodstained
8bitdo
I have been using stadia controllers for a while now. They’re not special and don’t look special. They do come with a very good battery life and you can find them for 10 bucks a pop
8BitDo work well with my Steam Deck
And on Bazzite too.
I have the 8bitdo 2c with PC dongle. The only game I had issues with is No Mans Sky, but those problems do occur on Windows as well. I like them better than my Xbox controllers.
The battery last a lot too.
I used ps5 controllers. Both developed stick drift within a year of light use. They’re beautiful and so nice to hold and use, but don’t waste your money.
I recommend Gulikit TT Pro.
Good ergonomics. Repairable (made by the company who got famous selling replacement Hall effect sticks for Nintendo switch controllers). Built like tanks with proper microswitches and Hall effect sticks. Inexpensive too, especially compared to the controllers that have similar features.
Best of all, work out of the box on Linux.
Honestly that is an absolute bullseye of a suggestion! I did check out the TT Pro and TT Max as well (TT Max is unnecessarily overkill, I’ve forgot the reasons) so if somebody wants a controller with a PS layout then it’s perfect! Also the latency is good as well: https://gamepadla.com/gulikit-tt-pro.html
What games do you use your Gulikit for?
Oh man, all sorts. F1, Ghost of Tsushima, Hades 1 & 2, Planet Crafters, Powerwash Simulator, Stray, etc.
Have you encountered anything weird with the wired input on those? I have the KK Pro Max and I get all sorts of random rogue inputs when using it wired on Linux. I have 3 of them and they all do it, and on every distro I’ve tried. It is the strangest thing, like even when its sitting there it presses random buttons.
You’ll see a lot of people suggesting 8bitDo.
I have their Ultimate 2 gamepad and I’ll give them this - it’s probably one of the most comfortable gamepads I’ve ever used. It’s great.
That being said:
- I actually bought two of them (Xbox and Switch layouts) and thank goodness I did, because one charger just broke, the USB-C cable wobbles inside like the socket itself got damaged. I know for a fact that the device didn’t fall down or anything like that.
- Every now and again the joysticks freeze and I start spinning uncontrollably, and then just stop working. Sometimes switching from Bluetooth to radio for a while and then back again help. Sometimes I have to turn the device fully off.
- More often than (2) the sticks will suddenly develop a lag. I turn the stick to one side, nothing happens. I release the stick. Then the character in the game starts moving for a while. It’s, like, 500-1000ms lag easily.
If you’re playing anything remotely competitive or punishing, I would not recommend 8bitDo products. If you’re only playing casual games with quick and easy save options, and you’re OK having to restart your gamepad every now and again, go for it.
I can’t say I share your 8bitdo experience, mine has been pretty flawless.
My PS5 controller works perfectly on mint DE.
does it report the battery status via bluetooth for you?
I asking because I use it on Kubuntu and it doesn’t so have no way of knowing how much akku is left
I have the GameSir Cyclone 2. The first thing I would say about it is that it’s rather clicky. The buttons, the d-pad, and the hair triggers are all quite clicky. The sticks feel pretty great to me. I’ve had no issues with connecting it to a linux PC, and the 2.4 ghz dongle is a nice touch. Finally the only issue that you might run into is that the d-pad is a bit on the smaller side imo, although that might only come up for you if you play older style top-down JRPGs. Also as a side note I haven’t had significant QC issues with 8 bit do and I have 4 controllers from them.
Do you have big hands? There is a commenter with Cyclone 2 in here who wasn’t able to reach the L1 comfortably.
Yeah that QC issue might actually not be as big as it seems to be. Something, something negativity bias.
I’d actually say I have small hands if anything. Maybe the d-pad issue is just a result of my tendency to play retro games. I can reach the L1 comfortably enough.
