Kinda surprised by all the trouble folks have had with Xbox controllers, my experience has been smooth as on any console

I love ps4 controllers and they are cheap. They work great wired, and they work ok over bluetooth but not great in linux.

Yeah, Xbox controllers are pretty much standard. Comfortable, not overpriced, great compatibility with everything, no fuss. Newer ones, from the past several years now, will have Nintendo-style d pads, now that the patent has expired, and connect via bluetooth for wireless play or with a USB C cable to save on batteries. Speaking of batteries, it uses AAs, which means that you can actually swap them when they get low, as opposed to PlayStation controllers where batteries don't last long and they aren't really exposed for you to access them. I'm not going to tell you Xbox controllers are the be-all, end-all, but there's a high chance it's all you need.

EDIT: Even though I use Xbox controllers all the time, I forgot that the newest Xbox pads actually have d pads that are even better than Nintendo's design. They look funky, but for my money, it's the best d pad out there.

The regular PS4 controller works fine. Works well in steam, lutris, retroarch and the few native games I own, never had any (unsolvable) problems with it.

My favourite 3rd party controller, which according to this article is compatible with Linux: https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2025/05/the-8bitdo-ultimate-2-wireless-controller-is-a-top-premium-feeling-controller/

I have been using my Sony DS4 gamepad (wired) with no issues, requires no setup. DS5 gamepads also work well, but I had extra DS4 controllers just sitting around. I greatly prefer them to any of the Xbox gamepad personally.

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 have lots of different controllers, and have had even more through the years. My personal recommendation is the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, should be plug and play either on wired, wireless or Bluetooth on most modern distros, comes with a stand for charging so you never have the issue of picking the controller and being out of batteries, has Hall-Effect track pads so you won't get drift with time, has 2 extra back buttons which are configurable on steam. Plus specifically against each other major controller:

Pros over Xbox controllers:

• No need to install any driver
• Batteries included

Pros over Playstation controllers:

• Most games show ABXY glyphs

8bitdo USB controller was plug and play for me

Sony's DualShock 4 and DualSense controllers are plug & play on Linux. (IIRC, Sony contributed native drivers.) They work nicely over USB or Bluetooth. Their motion controls are great if you ever play certain console emulators or want to map them to mouse-like movement in Steam Input. (I use this for free look in flight sims.) The built-in touchpad is nice for navigating menus on PC games without having to reach for the mouse. I think they also support headphones, which might be handy when playing while others in the house are sleeping, but I haven't tried that feature.

Edit:

Also, the analog stick dead zones are nice and small, which can be helpful in some games. They are traditional potentiometer-based Alps sticks, but mine have not developed stick drift in half a decade of use. (Perhaps because I keep my controllers clean and never throw them across the room.) If they ever do start to drift, I can calibrate them in Linux.

Some people prefer sticks with Hall effect sensors for their resistance to stick drift. I like the idea, but those also consume more power, affecting battery life. Some day, perhaps tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) sensors will be used in more game controllers and retrofit sticks. Those seem to offer the best of both worlds: low power consumption and drift resistance. Since stick drift hasn't been a problem for me anyway, I'm happy to stay with Sony controllers and all their nice features for now.

Edit 2:

Well, look at that: Valve is using TMR sensors in their upcoming Steam Controller.

hey here's a post about the 11/11 sale, several controllers are listed. Gamesir nova lite for $13 looks like a good deal to me.

https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxXw1mUwS-ZNHz22lKG4b8IC2DafU3xIFV

Logitech's F310 and F710 still holds up today(and they're pretty cheap)

2d/3d: I want to keep both thumbs on the sticks for 3d so I prefer a controller like this 3rd party Xbox with back buttons and extra shoulder buttons

Fighting: leverless is a lot of fun, I have a slab mini and a junk food micro lite I prefer the micro it's way lighter

I would recommend grabbing a third party controller since for some reason ($$$), none of the big three consoles make first party controllers with hall effect sticks. Search on Amazon for "Xbox hall effect controller" and 99% of the results will work fine. Off the top of my head, I know 8BitDo and GameSir are reputable brands

I use an XBone controller and it worked without having to tweak or change anything. Pretty comfortable for bigger hands too.

I will forever swear by the 8BitDo Pro 2

I love my 8Bitdo Ultimate controller. It's comfortable to use and holds a decent charge. Having a charging stand is really useful too. If you have multiple non-PC devices, I would recommend getting the Pro version so that you can use Bluetooth. Otherwise, the USB one will work well.

Only other minor negative is that the d-pad is a little mushy so I will occasionally hit the wrong direction accidentally. So not the greatest for fighting games.

If you don't need the charging stand, there are cheaper USB only controllers too.

Lastly, if you want to try to improve your posture, my family bought some chair restraint straps for my grandma who kept tilting in her chair. The ones I linked aren't what we got her but they were the cheapest I could find. You may also want to get your eyes checked. Could be the reason you're leaning forwards so much is because you can't see as clearly as you think.

I have an 8bitdo and like it as well, one thing to consider tho is Steam Controller 2 is "extremely close", might be worth holding out for that to drop atm, the original is pretty legendary and 2 seems based on steamdeck layout.

Gamesir Cyclone 2 has been such a premium experience. Clicky nice feeling buttons, hall effect joysticks with smooth rims, shoulder buttons can be set to hair triggers, Bluetooth or dongle, metal charging stand, customisable back buttons. It's been such a luxury gaming experience at a relatively budget price (currently going for £48).

Most people here are recommending controllers with the Xbox layout. They are correct in most cases.

However, if you're a weirdo like me that mostly plays 2D games, I highly recommend getting a Sony DS5 instead as the Dpad is in a far more ergonomic position for that.

I've used xbox 360 controllers forever, works great and doesn't rely on batteries. And the cable is very long, will definitely solve your monitor issue.

I don't think there's much difference. Any standard USB gamepad should work equally fine. I find the Xbox layout more comfortable than the PlayStation one, but this may be different for different people.

8bitdos work great. I got several, most happy with the Pro 2. The only downside is that they stopped supporting firmware updates in Linux, so you have to use a VM with Windows and USB passthrough to update the pad.