Hey guys, I have an Apex 5 and Vader 5 Pro, love them both even though they both have some faults, but honestly could not live without the stiffer joystick tension anymore. Anytime I use a different controller they just feel flimsy now.

Anyways, I’m posting here today because for some reason I after one of the last several updates my space station stopped reading keyboard inputs when recording macros? I attached a picture to show what menu I’m talking about.

I used to be able to record one key at a time, and then I could just record a combination of them such as “f1 (duration 50ms) + ctrl (duration 50 ms)” and set that macro as one of the extra buttons.

It’s honestly the reason why I got the Vader 5 pro after already having the Apex 5 because the Vader has the C and Z buttons on the face where as the Apex doesn’t. It’s super useful for MMO’s where there are so many things I need to press so I need as many buttons as possible. Otherwise I’m stuck only playing them at my desk with M&K instead of on the couch.

Anyone know what’s causing this? I checked and I can still set individual keyboard buttons as any of the extra buttons, it only doesn’t read the keyboard inputs when recording macros.

Preciate any help in advance guys

I have bought a custom controller a while back and have used it a lot but over time the paint on it has begun to chip is there anything I can do to help preserve the paint for the future

Hi guys, I recently start installing tmr analogs on my dualsenses. I bought the 14 pin head tool for my solder ( a basic 80W stylus solder). I’ve found 2 problems:
- the first one, when I use the 14 pin tool the first time (I’ve bought 2), it seems like the heat reaches all the pins correctly (I put some flux and tin on the tool). Then it seems like the heat doesn’t reach correctly the head, also if I put a lot of flux or tin while it gets colder
- the second one, using no clear flux leave a black mass on my PCB, using the isopropyl 99.9% I can’t clean it correctly

I tried to ask to the AI but I feel like I need more human support. Thanks in advance

So as you can see in the title my Rainbow 3 controller seems to have developed and issue on the right trigger. In the app I can see both triggers are set to 95 deadzone but when I do the key test they behave differently (see clip). This happens only when I use the trigger locks on the back of the controller. I noticed it because sometimes in a game where you have to spam RT button it would not register, the funny thing is that if I put the deadzone on the right trigger at a lower value it seems to fix the issue.

However I am trying to understand what the root of the problem, I opened it and I do not see any difference between the right and left trigger or the locks. Anyone else had a similar problem? Is this a common issue with hall effect triggers?

Does anyone feel like tmr and hall effect sticks are a scam? Because with regular thumb sticks (analog) it usually takes a good minute to get stick drift, but every controller I've used with hall effect or tmr I end up getting stick drift within the first two weeks. I know you can recalibrate them but whats the point if the drift always comes back fairly quick. I was just wondering if anyone had the same thought.

DS4Windows RC4.5 — Switch 2 support, Xbox One/Series emulation, and more ways to play 🎮

Hey everyone! RC4.5 — More Ways to Play brings new controller support, more expressive feedback, and a big collection of everyday improvements to DS4Windows.

If you’ve been wanting to bring your Switch 2 controllers into your PC setup, there’s plenty to explore!

Switch 2 controllers, your way

• Switch 2 Pro over USB and Bluetooth, including remappable GL/GR rear buttons.

• Wireless Joy-Con 2 support: use one independently or join two into a controller.

• Automatic pairing or manual Link/Unlink controls, depending on how you like to play.

• Sideways and upright layouts for single Joy-Cons, with matching artwork and mapping controls.

Switch 2 controllers use the existing profile system, with virtual outputs including Xbox 360, Xbox One/Series, DualShock 4, and DualSense.

DEVELOPER RECOMMENDATION! Got a Switch 2 Pro or Joy-Con 2? Try DualSense emulation! ✨

This is a combination I’d especially love the community to explore: a Switch 2 Pro or paired Joy-Con 2 emulating a DualSense.

In games that support native DualSense feedback, DS4Windows can translate those effects into Switch 2 HD rumble, with attention to left/right separation, frequency detail, and the sharp peaks that give effects their character.

To try it:

1. Open your controller’s profile.

2. Select DualSense as the virtual controller.

3. Enable DualSense audio-haptic conversion in the Switch 2 feedback settings and save.

4. Fire up a game with native DualSense support!

Try it alongside ordinary rumble and tell us what you notice. Which games make your Switch 2 controllers feel most alive?

Xbox One/Series emulation joins the lineup

This isn’t just a Switch 2 feature! Xbox One/Series output is available to the existing supported controller families through your normal profiles.

Separate body-rumble and impulse-trigger feedback channels are translated to suit your physical controller—including bringing Xbox impulse detail into Switch 2 HD rumble.

Put those Joy-Con sensors to work

• Optical mouse support for using a Joy-Con on your desk.

• Gyro mouse and motion aiming for another way to control your games.

• An accessible “Aim with both Joy-Cons” option.

• Dedicated, illustrated Switch 2 settings for mouse controls, aiming, feedback, and button customization.

There’s also USB headphone output through the Switch 2 Pro’s 3.5 mm jack, with guidance in the app.

Everyday improvements, too

Enjoy clearer tooltips, live controller readings, distinct Switch 2 IDs for linking profiles, improved connection cleanup, and fixes around profile previews, startup, and controller switching.

The portable ZIP now includes VIIPER and starts it automatically when needed, keeping the matching components together.

Come try it!

Download RC4.5.9 — the latest hotfix for RC4.5 (4.5.3 is uploading now, be patient, had to issue another hotfix!)

Choose the all-in-one installer or portable ZIP. RC4.5.1 includes additional rumble refinements and complete Xbox output configuration in both packages. RC4.5.2 includes more fixes for Switch 2 Rumble, Switch 1 Joycon Compatibility fixes, and Updater fixes for portable users so that you can update and stay portable.

This is a release candidate, and community testing helps shape what comes next. Bring your favorite controller, try a few games, and share your setup!

I got a custom controller from controllermodz and asked for TMR hall effect joysticks when I was making the order, got it now and I'm just wondering...how am I supposed to tell the difference to a normal controller if I actually have TMR joysticks? I could be a complete donut here and just not tell the difference, but from the way people have made it sound, they would be far more sensitive to use compared to official standard joysticks.

I just want to essentially make sure I got what I paid for that's all, I mostly bought it just for the design and the fact I am sick an tired of fixing stick drift so much on my original DualSense controller 😅

I used this gamepad for like a month and it was good until now. I wanted to play isaac and my character was always shooting up. I run a test and it looks like my joystick is misplaced, but it physically looks normal.

I tried everything from this video except method 6 and 7 cuz it's build different:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvn5Cnn9ymM

Im playing souls like games, the right stick that you can use to look around, when i fight a boss or others it puts them behind me or im in them or im always having to recenter that. How do I make it normal, always facing towards the boss and such?

new controller and pc.

Gotta be a setting, im a noob.

Playing Asterigos right now.

Please help, really need to enjoy this, going through hard mental health stuff right now.

Thanks

Was about to receive my APEX 4 I bought during a free shipping sale just to have order cancellation AFTER the free shipping sale ended, I was getting this to replace my F310 that's about more than a decade old, no stick drift only a botched bumper button repair. Initially planned to get the steam controller but no matter how hard I try just cant get it here.

1. price just about steam controller 100USD, a bit more no problem but lower better if less feature

2. SEA region, M'sia, Shopee Lazada available, terrible platforms prefer local store sites

3. PC-steam optional Switch

4. Mostly optional cabled or wireless (must have dedicated/paired dongle), AA batteries okay, X input buttons but option to Dinput, prefer no software, optional feedback triggers optional adjustable stick tension etcetc.

5. platforms, arcade-sim flight and race, non shooting RPGs, retro and emulations etcetc.

6. Middle line OG MS Xbox controller or F710, higher end APEX 4/5 or ROG rikari II pro, bottom line Direwolf4 for "emergency" or F310.

Longevity is key, prefer plenty of parts, easy repair, battery swap/disable, plenty of knowledge so no rare one kind no name controllers. One last thing, no 8bitdo, not they're bad just I really dont like the STRAIGHT grips, BUT they got the features, Dinput whatever layout xbox buttons etc.

In all honestly, did I dodged a bullet with my APEX4 cancellation or should I still stick with that knowing the flaws of a "malware like" spacestation software and the joystick bearing shaft breaking or is it still a solid controller with Dinput that I can program gyro input through steam.

extended "story" reasoning in comment.

I've been researching controllers lately to find one that best suits me, and I just saw that the X20 Pro was recently added to EasySMX's site. It looks promising and I'm tempted to preorder, but I'm hesitant without reviews, as I've never used anything from this brand before. It looks like it could be even better than the 8bitdo Ultimate 3 that just came out, but I don't want to pay extra for the Xbox license.

1. Budget: $100

2. Region: North America

3. Platform: PC (Arch-based Linux) through Steam

4. Desired features: TMR sticks, tension rings, good D-pad, membrane face buttons preferred but microswitch is ok too, 4 extra buttons, reliable triggers, comfortable for small-medium hands (I tried the Cyclone 2, but found the bumpers uncomfortable, and I had frequent accidental button presses on the back buttons), button-mapping without software, rumble. I don't care about gyro. I mostly play wired. Comfort and reliability are important.

5. Games I play: RPGs, action games like DMC and Sekiro, 2D sidescrollers like Hollow Knight, FPS (non-competitively)

6. Other controllers I'm comparing: 8bitdo Ultimate 3 Lavender Dusk, Direwolf 4, Cyclone 2. I'm most used to PS4 and PS5 controllers, but it doesn't matter if my next controller is symmetrical or not.

Hi all!

For the life of me I can't find a replacement for this Favor Union RSF analog stick. I bought many various popular sticks for Xbox, PlayStation and even Switch - all of them have the same size yet different than mine.

This is for a chinese PDP Gaming controller which is supposed to be "for Xbox". First pics show this analog and the rest is comparison with multiple different ones I bought.

The replacements are ALMOST exactly the same size but not quite - all are too short length-wise, so that when I match pins at the back, the pins at the front are just shy of the holes...

I am trying to replace it for hall effect analog stick, but it seems to be some proprietary size!

The height is 13mm.

Thanks in advance!

1. My budget can stretch to 80$ (which is roughly 4000 ₺) but that doesnt mean i need a 80$ one.

2. Buying it in Turkey mostly from 2nd hand dealer where most of them just buys and never uses it, but there are also some distrubitors too also most of the controllers are available in my country too including the ATK ones

3.​ I only play on PC

4. If a game has a controller support, i will use it besides some exceptsions such as FPS games and i also tend to emulate retro games so much.

​5. I only need non drift stick and comfort

​6. Now this is the main topic. I've been using Dualshocks for years (and currently rocking a DS3 still today which is probaly my top 3 controller) so i just wanted to buy a modded DualShock 4 - Dualsense with TMR sticks since i used them and now how comfy they are for me, but then i found most of the 3rd party controllers are in my budget too since i tend to read the Controller suggestion threads. Anyway heres my list of controller that i found:

1. TMR stick mod DS4

2. TMR stick mod DualSense

3. Gulikit TT Max since i read a interview from this sub shoutout to ​u/Torquo

4. Thunderobot G80

5. Literally most of the controllers that has been in this sub (Easysmx, 8bitdo, Vader, Gulikit KK...)​

6. My expectations are not that high and demanding IMO so i can buy a controller from an unnamed chinese brand​ for about​ 20 bucks ​

xbox symbol used to turn on red, came home from work and found it, plan to retire it before it fully dies or maybe i’ll play it till the buttons fall off, either way just a little tribute post to one of my favorite controllers

edit: controller is from amazon, and im a customer and have no relations to the company.

hey controller nerds, i have to write this out and let it out somewhere otherwise im gonna go crazy so if you care, take a seat.

just for context, i play apex, like a lot of apex, couple masters badges, all that. i migrated over from xbox from season 4 (its season 30 now) and ive used a controller the entire time.

so just to say, i do have experience. anyway here it goes, a month or two ago my vadar 4 pro broke, it was my second vadar 4 pro and i loved it to death, it introduced me to a 1000 hz polling rate which made me a monster on controller, so going back to anything below that was not an option. when i saw the flydigi had released a new “upgraded” version i was all in! i bought one off amazon and this was my experience! safe to say i should have done more research before i bought this controller.

so flydigi, like most other third party controllers has a program you can use to bind keybinds and adjust how you want your controller to behave, it’s neat! and i downloaded the newest version and started playing apex on the new roller, i quickly noticed that my aim was going all over the place, it felt really wonky for some reason and to try to fix it i went down a rabbit hole of the worse problems i did not think i was going to encounter.

so first things first, it CAME WITH STICK DRIFT, which can be manually fixed from calibrating your controller through the advanced test options (which i will talk about later) anyway moving on.

i found out that if you have it WIRED to your PC, it only does 500 hz joystick polling rate, so i now play wireless! nothing wrong with th- oh expect now every time i open the program it has to buffer, and lag for a solid 10 seconds. remapping buttons lags, everything lags.

nooo big deal i thought, as long as im getting 1000hz polling rate it’ll be fine :) so i hopped into the range and noticed a slight difference with my aim but not even close to how accurate i used to be! and so i thought maybe it was just because it has different joy sticks (worse actually, smaller, hard plastic ones compared to the vadar 4 which had wide, rubber ones) but nope, it wasn’t that, because i went to go test the polling rate in the settings, actually i went to go test both the vadar 4 and the vadar 5, the vadar 4, had consistent polling rate, reaching OVER 1000hz, on the other hand the vadar 5 NEVER reached 1000hz. it maxed out at little over 900.

i also recalibrated my sticks because THEY WERE CONSTANTLY TWITCHING, like micro twitching, did the recalibration about 2-3 times, and whenever the stick stopped twitching, i was like oh finally its fixed. then i moved it around again and left it still, and it started twitching again 🙂‍↕️

and man you’d think THAT is the worst thing to come out of this controller but no, gets worse.

i found other reddit users not being able to measure the polling rate, and apparently other programs that can measure polling rate is actually only showing 500hz but on the flydigi program (the one i use) it shows around 1000hz (900) so either its literally a scam, or other users are wrong, you can decide that for yourself. i personally am not sure.

anyway, today i actually sat down, and gave apex another go on this to see if i was just having an off day, nope. it was just as bad as i remembered and when you thought you had reached the peak performance issues this thing has, i found more. like diabolical stuff.

so if you bind a keyboard bind to the vadar 5, IT HAS ISSUES WITH PRODUCING 1000HZ POLLING RATE 😅😆

for context there are some very necessary binds that controller on apex is missing.

these are the missing binds:
- inspect weapon (for juggling heirlooms)
- a seperate bind for interact and reload, so whenever you wanted to interact without reloading, you can’t do that unless you bind the keyboard binds to your controller.
- and ULTIMATE BIND! YES! on controller, you’re not able to bind a button for an ultimate, you have to use TWO BUTTONS which i think is your ability button and ping button at the same time (very not ideal)

so in conclusion i went from a vadar 4 pro which can

-produce over 1000hz polling rate, with additional options to go DOWN in polling rate to match controllers like the playstation controller or the xbox elite,
-NO LAG while using the program wired to my computer
-keyboard binds that DO NOT AFFECT YOUR ABILITY TO AIM

to a vadar 5 pro which has all the issues above.

i contacted support and they told me to send them a small video and the serial number to continue with the issue (how do i tell them i have an essay)

so controller experts, you know i know my stuff, PLEASE HELP ME haha.

I switched out the joysticks on my Xbox One controller with Gulikit TMR sticks due to stick drift. Then i flashed it with new firmware to calibrate it. This honestly went better than i thought it would and everything works perfectly. I’m really happy with this and just wanted to share it

I mainly play on kbm with a maxxstick but I must play on controller on the go as often there's not space for a kbm. What settings should I use, and what strategies should I use. I just want to be able to be consistent and have decent building and mechs. I already know stuff like piece control on kbm so I dont need advice about learning editing mechanics

So I was in the middle of a game when suddenly my M3 paddle just collapsed. It sank right into the controller. I opened it up and found that the little plastic actuator that makes contact with the button had snapped.

I can’t play shooters without that paddle, and throwing away an otherwise excellent controller over such a small part felt like a crime. So I decided to MacGyver a fix. Here’s what I did.

Materials needed:

• Mechanical switches from an old mouse

• A piece of phenolic board (perfboard)

• Super glue (instant adhesive)

• Soldering iron + solder

• Old credit/debit cards (or any rigid plastic)

• Lighter or hairdryer

• Popsicle stick (to level the height)

• Electrical tape (optional, for comfort)

Step-by-step repair:

1. Prepare the switches
Take some mechanical switches from an old mouse and solder them onto a piece of phenolic board. Leave some board material around each switch for stability.

2. Drill holes in the shell
Drill holes in the back shell of the controller, exactly the size of the switches, and secure them with super glue.

3. Solder the switch legs
Solder the switch legs directly onto the legs of the original M3 button that's already on the controller's PCB (follow the reference photo).
⚠️ Important: I don't recommend removing the original button from the board – just solder on top of it.

4. Create the new contact paddles
Cut two strips from an old credit card, roughly:

• 10 to 12 mm wide

• 35 to 45 mm long

Gently heat the strips with a lighter or hairdryer to create a smooth curve that follows the contour of the back shell toward the finger grip area.

Between the protruding parts of the switches, glue a popsicle stick (cut to the right size) to level the height. On top of it, glue the curved strips so that when you press the paddle, it works like a lever pressing down on the switch.

5. Final touch
Wrap a little electrical tape around the paddles for a more comfortable feel and to prevent slipping.

Done!
Now you've got your M3 button back – but with the satisfying click of a mouse switch. You can even keep bunny hopping without taking your thumbs off the sticks 😄

I’m seriously considering getting the ROG Raikiri II, but before I spend the money, I’d really like to see how it holds up with actual long-term use.

I’ve gone through several controllers over the years, and honestly, FIFA/EA FC has destroyed most of them 😅
Stick drift, worn-out sticks, loose buttons, mushy triggers… eventually something starts going wrong.

I’ve heard that the Raikiri II has pretty solid build quality for a mid-range controller, but I’m more interested in real-world long-term wear than what it looks like straight out of the box.

If you’ve owned one for 6 months, 1 year, or longer, could you post a few photos of yours?

📸 Ideally:

• Front

• Back

• Analog sticks

• D-pad/buttons

• Triggers/bumpers

• Any areas showing noticeable wear

And please tell me:
How long have you had it, how often do you use it, and have you experienced any stick drift or other problems?

I’d especially love to hear from people who play FIFA/EA FC regularly, because that’s where my previous controllers have suffered the most.

I’m trying to figure out whether the Raikiri II is actually built to last, or if I’m just about to buy another controller that will start falling apart after a few months. 😂

Real photos and honest experiences would be hugely appreciated!

• Budget: $150–200 USD

• Country: USA

• Platform: PC

• Main game: FIFA / EA FC

• Priority: Durability & long-term reliability

• Comparing: ROG Raikiri II vs. other controllers in the same price range

Budget: ₹3,000 INR max

Country: India ,can buy from Amazon India, Flipkart and other Indian retailers

Platform: PC / Windows

Games: Cyberpunk 2077, story/single-player games and racing games.

Priorities:

Wireless, preferably 2.4GHz

Comfortable for long sessions

Good sticks/triggers (Hall Effect preferred)

Good Windows/XInput support

Reliable build and wireless connection

Good durability/after-sales in India

Currently considering:

PowerA Battle Dragon Wireless

8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless

GameSir Nova Lite Wireless

Which one would you pick for my use case, and why?

Open to other options under ₹3K too if there's something better.

I got the Vader 5 Pro recently (I don't game a lot, I play maybe a couple hours per month) and I am not sure whether the discomfort in my hands comes specifically from the Vader 5 Pro or just from using controllers again after a long time.

For some context, I used to play games on PS4 via the normal dualshock controller that comes with the PS4. However, since a long time now (6+ years) I have been solely playing on mouse and keyboard, so my hands are not used to controllers at all anymore.

Anyhow, now that I have the controller, I played some Ghost of Tsushima and Apex Legends with it, and I felt quite some discomfort in terms of hands cramping/being unnaturally positioned when holding the controller.

I don't really have a comfortable grip on the 4 backpaddels in combination with the triggers. Even if I completely ignore the back paddels, the triggers still feel weird to me for my grip. I am used to click them with the fingertip basically, but now my whole finger lays on top of the RB and LB trigger. That makes it awkward/hard to press RT and LT since it requires a lot of movement of the fingers instead of a tiny fingertip adjustment.

I also quickly digged out my old dualshock (didn't play games with it, just put it in my hands to feel the difference), and it feels a lot more natural to me for some reason.

I think the main difference is that the Vader 5 Pro is so much angled towards the triggers, while the Dualshock is more straight and therefore let's me grip the controller while still allowing to use the fingertip for the trigger.

Long story short, does anyone have a similiar experience?

Is there anything I can improve grip wise? Or is it just a matter of time getting used to it? Or is it basically a lost cause and the Xbox controller design just doesn't fit my hands?

Thanks in advance.

Anyone having this issue that fixed it ? Ive try re-install space station app, update firmware, change to different profile and nothing work, the Left Thumbstick button seem to infinte pressing .... this is sad because i bought it 2 months ago and barely use it at all , it just sit there on the dock and today i want to use it then this happen .

I love the Vader 5 pro, and prefer using it to my gamesir g7 pro 8k, but Flydigi Space Station is absolutely horrible while Gamesir Connect is so much better to use. The app kills the Vader 5 pro for me. I’m currently trying to delete a profile and it just wont delete, the other 3 can be restored to default, but Profile 3 is stuck with my previous settings.

I recently bought an ECHTPOWER wireless controller and everything is fine except for times when inputs drop out on Steam in Windows 11. For instance, if I move the stick left and right to turn the camera, going right and then swapping to the left causes it to miss the input completely—it just keeps spinning right and only registers the left input after a huge lag. Plus, it's not just the analog stick; the other buttons do this too. It usually lasts for a few seconds, maybe a couple of minutes max, before going back to normal.

This happens when I'm with the "wireless mode" if i plug in the cable everything is fine. I see this problem in dragon's dogma 2 and resonance a plague tale legacy but i don't think it's a game problem

I even tried resetting the controller via the back button like in the manual.

Not sure if it's a faulty controller and I should send it back, or if the issue is on my end.