My pick after searching around is the 8BitDo Ultimate C (link) which is the cheaper version of the ultimate with no dock. So far, it’s been working well for me. I just had to restart the Deck the first time after the pairing, since then, it recognize the device all the time.
If you want a budget controller with lots of features, go on ebay and get a used Dualshock 4 (PS4 controller). It’s got a touchpad and gyro so you can do some interesting stuff with it.
Other people here are recommending a lot of different controllers, and I see a lot of people bashing Xbox series x/s controllers.
While I do hate microsoft, if you are in the US at least, you can get a used Xbox x/s controller for less than $30. I just don’t think you can beat that with any of the competitors especially with the high availability on the used market.
Get an armor-x pro for like $35 and you get a 1300mah battery, gyroscope, rear grip buttons like an Xbox elite controller, and the ability to have the controller spoof as a Nintendo switch controller, a PlayStation controller or an Xbox controller. The “strike pack” as they are called (? I have no idea) uses a USB dongle that needs decent line of sight but it bypasses using the Xbox controllers bluetooth.
For $70 you have a gyroscope capable Xbox controller with assignable rear buttons and an included rechargeable battery (that just uses usb-c to charge). I just don’t understand the reasoning behind going for any other option unless you really don’t want an Xbox controller. PlayStation controllers are obviously really nice but the newest ones are incredibly expensive.
Someone said the Xbox 360 controller is better than the Xbox x/s controller and that is just hogwash, no judgement if someone prefers the 360 controller but the x/s controller (what a dumb name ughh) is objectively a better controller and is clearly one of the best mass market controllers ever made.
Stay away from any Xbox Series X/S gamepads. They are cheaply made trash.
I bought the standard version of it for my Deck, expecting it to be somewhat comparable to my Xbox 360 gamepad (which I really like, but which does not have Bluetooth), but nope, it is so much worse…
A friend bought the Elite version, and he also agrees that those gamepads are utter garbage.
I usually stick with mouse and keyboard if I have it docked, but if I play something where a controller is preferable I have a couple steam controllers I can connect. Those are my go-to, but I also have a stadia controller and joy-cons if there are more than 2 of us playing.
A second hand XB1 controller maybe? Feels great to use IMO, but the joystick drift gets pretty bad rather quickly which is probably a dealbreaker for most
I use Dual Shock 4s for all my PC gaming. They have all the features you’d expect, work with most apps and games (and there’s DS4Windows for the rest), the bluetooth makes them great not only for something like the SteamDeck but also my phone, a friends iPad, …
And the best thing is I can pick one up used for around 20€.
I would personally steer clear of that specific controller unless I’d plan on using it with a Switch or a Switch emulator: digital triggers? Sure fire way to have trouble with most things released in the last pair of decades.
Anyway with the Deck so far I’ve happily used an 8bitdo Sn 30 Pro+, an Xbox Series S one and, not necessarily a sensible thing but still a nice test, a GameSir T4 Kaleid (that is my overall main controller). Somehow I’m still lazing and not getting around to test the DualSense
It’s my favorite controller for Steam, yeah! I have gyro aiming set up in minecraft; right trigger half pull enables gyro-to-mouse, and left touchpad pulls up a bunch of menu hotkeys.
I dumped mine because it wasn’t playing well with blues-util on my desktop install and moved to Xbox controllers. As I understand it, the issues are now resolved but I don’t see a strong reason to move back. I’m quite pleased with the build quality and durability of the Xbox controller.
All I own are ds5s and they work great. The only PC game I’ve played that would have haptic vibrations is FFXIV and I think it works? It’s been a while since I’ve tested it
Edit: it does not, but I recall it working on my Linux desktop out of the box. Might be a game mode limitation or I need to adjust a setting
What I cannot recommend is the Xbox One S controller because the bluetooth latency is absolutely terrible for anything that isn’t turn-based combat and even then navigating menus is still sluggish unless you are using the official MS wireless adapter. That requires a separate kernel module which you have to re-install every time there’s a SteamOS version update.
I have 3 of these and never an issue with BT connectivity or latency on the steam deck (non-oled model). Strange. I’ve never used the wireless adapter on the steam deck, so I can’t say anything about that.
Like a bunch of others, I’ve bought a whack of 8BitDo controllers and all of them have been great, but the price varies.
I’ve been using my controllers with the BLE xbox style adaptor, the 2.4ghz adapter, normal Bluetooth, and wired for when I dock my Deck to the TV. Best performance has been the 2.4ghz and wired for me, but not all of them will work with the 2.4.
I’ve gotten several 8bitdo controllers over the years. So far my favorite is my most recent purchase, the Ultimate Controller with the charging dock. The buttons are so perfectly tactile, the 2.4Ghz is super fast, and I love being able to take it off the dock and it auto-connect.
I also really like my Sn30 Pro+. The SNES controller is my favorite console controller, so the added hand grips make this a really nice one. And you can’t beat the looks. I have the pure black one and it’s awesome.
I think it’s pretty hard to go wrong with any of the 8BitDo stuff and there are so many variations to suit different tastes and hands. I’ve been using an SN30 (modernized SNES style) across PC, Switch, and Deck and it’s the best controller I’ve ever owned. Outlasted my now-drifty Switch Pro controller and two pairs of Nintendo’s inexcusably shitty OEM joycons. Small, light, comfortable, gets good battery life, and connects reliably. Has everything a person needs for modern games, unless you need analog triggers for something.
I wish I could see my order history to see which 8bitdo I had, but mine did not work with the steamdeck out of the box. It was a wired controller though.
I second this controller. Mechanical buttons and no drift sticks. I feel like it’ll last a while. Only downside is its software. It feels like installing malware. So I did it on a vm of windows. Updated it and configured and never used again. But works great on my deck via bt and dongle in brazzite.
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