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8BitDo announces its controllers now have Steam (SteamOS) compatibility (www.notebookcheck.net)
submitted 1 month ago by cm0002@lemmy.world to c/linux_gaming@lemmy.world
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[-] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 4 points 1 month ago

I have 3 of their controllers. All excellent hardware-wise but a bit shit when it comes to their software. Don't think you'll even be able to do this firmware update on Linux. Curious to see how well the Steam Input support works in any case, especially whether it includes gyro.

[-] cm0002@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

Well at least it's "just" software issues, software can always be fixed, but hardware issues are usually only fixable by needing to buy a new version lol

[-] PleaseLetMeOut@lemmy.dbzer0.com 3 points 1 month ago

A good example: their SN30 Pro has a bad bluetooth chip in it that makes Xinput support really laggy (I don't know the specifics). It's been years now, and had a few firmware updates, but there's still been no fix. It works great for everything else though, so I still keep it around.

Just a warning for anyone thinking of buying one after reading this...

[-] mintiefresh@piefed.ca 3 points 1 month ago

Agreed, I hope they add some more linux support with their software in the future.

[-] paultimate14@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

Interestingly - I have 4 (two Pro 2's, an SN30 Pro, and one of the Ultimate C variants) and have used them all on my Steam Deck before. The past couple of years at family gatherings I've hooked up my Deck to a big screen and allowed the kids to play Mario Party and such.

So I'm kind of confused about what is being added now. Their post says more details to come so I guess I'll see?

[-] Nibodhika@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

There was a post from Valve a while back, you can now remap the back pedals via Steam, so they're now recognized as a different input button instead of having to use their software to mapping it to one of the existing buttons. At least that's my understanding, I don't own any 8bitdo, and this was the reason I never bought one, so that might change in the near future.

[-] Chocrates@lemmy.world 0 points 1 month ago

Do they have an Xbox pro like controller with gyro? I've been waiting for Xbox to get off their ass

[-] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 0 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The 8bitdo Ultimate 2 is pretty close to an XBox controller and it has a gyro. The problem is that while the gyro works great on Switch, it's severely limited on PC, as it can only emulate the right stick with very few settings. The Steam Input update could potentially fix that, but I haven't tested it yet.

[-] MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

The gyro works perfectly fine with this update

[-] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 1 points 1 month ago

Good to hear. Tried running the update when the news about it came out, but it seemingly wasn't available yet. Will try later today then.

[-] sic_semper_tyrannis@lemmy.today 3 points 1 month ago

Like others have noted, the firmware updating doesn't work on Linux. This is why I like Gulikit King Kong Pro controllers. Their settings are adjusted on a firmware bases by pressing different buttons together on the controller. OS agnostic. Also their firmware updates only require dragging and dropping a file into the controller when connected over USB. It works totally fine on Linux.

[-] JustARaccoon@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

I wish they had a more dual sense-y ps-style controller, the closest they have is a retro looking one..

[-] Nibodhika@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

Can anyone who owns an 8bitdo Ultimate 2 Wireless confirm if the back paddles and L4/R4 buttons are now remapable on Steam?

[-] MrScottyTay@sh.itjust.works 2 points 1 month ago

Does this include being able to remap the back buttons individually via steam input now?

[-] Imacat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I’ve been very happy with an 8bitdo ultimate using the 2.4 ghz dongle. Only complaint is I can’t modify any mappings on Linux and have to bust out an old windows laptop for it. Otherwise, it’s worked perfectly every time across a few Linux systems including a steam deck.

[-] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 0 points 1 month ago

You can map anything to anything using SteamInput...

[-] Imacat@lemmy.dbzer0.com 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

The back paddles aren’t mapped to anything by default and there’s nothing Steam can do to help there. There are also some vibration levels you can’t set elsewhere and having a hardware switch for different profiles is nice.

The back paddles also can only be mapped to other buttons that are on the controller so I need different profiles for different games. I usually map them to l3 and r3 but sometimes its nice to have them as b and y instead without having to mess with steam input.

[-] Maestro@fedia.io 0 points 1 month ago

Their controllers look great, but I wish they had a super simple 8-bit Nintendo controller for PC. No turbo buttons or other extra buttons. Something that my young kid could use.

[-] prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

I haven't tried them, but Nintendo put out a set of joy-cons a while back that are literally just two NES controllers. And since you can use joy-cons with Steam, I'm thinking maybe you can use those.

I'm not sure if they still make them though so you might need to get them used or something.

Edit: These guys: https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/nintendo-entertainment-system-controllers/

[-] Maestro@fedia.io 1 points 1 month ago

Ohh, thank you! I didn't find these in my search. Only cheap chinesium.

[-] Grass@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 month ago

No mention on if this means you can independently map the undeeside paddles or not... I'm going to guess not. I'll probably still wait to see how steam controller 2 reviews before getting any new controllers. I have some left but they have taken the used by all the guests beating and are held together with glue, shitty soldering, and 3d prints.

[-] vividspecter@aussie.zone 2 points 1 month ago

I don't have this controller but the Vader 4 pro was updated in the same update, and supports every single extra button + gyro at the same time, provided dinput mode is set.

[-] BurgerBaron@piefed.social 1 points 1 month ago

Gyro in Switch mode and the paddles at the same time pls.

[-] yukichigai@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 1 month ago

I had no idea there were existing compatibility issues to be honest. If anything I've had better luck using my 8BitDo controllers with the Steam Deck versus my Windows machines. My SNES30 (yes, SNES30, not SN30) always had issues co-existing with other controllers on Windows, but it's never been a problem on the Steam Deck.

[-] vividspecter@aussie.zone 1 points 1 month ago

Full compatibility means native steam input support, which means that gyro + back buttons work together. No need to emulate a specific console controller and lose out on either gyro or back button support.

[-] Lemmchen@feddit.org 0 points 1 month ago

How to update the Firmware update? I assume on Windows via Wire and with proprietary software?

[-] PonyOfWar@pawb.social 1 points 1 month ago

Yes, proprietary software on Windows or Android. It gets even more "fun" though, as you need to use different software for different controllers. The "8bitdo Firmware updater" works for controller like the Pro 2, but if for example you have the Ultimate 2 you need the "8Bitdo Ultimate Software 2" instead. That thing will also crash if you have any other 8bitdo device plugged in. So yeah.

[-] Lemmchen@feddit.org 1 points 1 month ago

Oof.

this post was submitted on 02 Jul 2025
58 points (98.3% liked)

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