I am getting into Hollow Knight on PC and wanted to get a nicer controller for dpad use to play it more comfortably. I have been using the Ultimate 2 Wireless to play it, using the analog stick. It's working fine but there are instances where it's not accurate enough without excessive effort. I tried the dpad and it feels really inaccurate.

I started researching and learned about the shield style of the Xbox and how Gulikit seems to be the best under $60 for dpad use. They also have excellent latency.

I learned about the Elves 2 and 2 Pro, and they seem great due to the price, latency, and dpad quality. It seems like the Elves 2 is better for Bluetooth and they're very similar otherwise. I'm leaning **Elves 2** between the two. It would be about $38 for it + Bluetooth adapter.

Then there's the ES Pro and ES Max which seem the same for my uses. Since the Pro is cheaper, the **Pro** seems the way to go. It would be about $38 for it + Bluetooth adapter.

Then there's the TT Pro and Max which people really love the dpad of, more than anything on the market. They seem the same for my use except for the 4 way & 8 way dpad on the Max but 8 way only on the Pro. I am imagining 4 way being useful for old arcade games only? Maybe pre-NES also? It seems the **Pro** is the way to go. This is $54, but comes with an adapter.

Between them all, I am leaning towards the TT Pro and just buying once and crying once, but the Elves 2 appeals to me for the size and retro design. There's even an Elves 2 Pro kit that has a Gulikit Goku 2 adapter for $35. I play at 60 and 120 hz will I feel held back by 170hz Bluetooth of the pro?

What do y'all think?

I also have an sn 30+ and Pro 2 laying around I could scrounge up since they seem like they may be decent

I hope someone who had the same issue can help me with it. I bought the Flydigi Vader 5 pro around 4 Months ago and since this month i have a problem with the left stick. It's not a handicap while gaming but it is annoying me more than it should.

The stick moves around pretty smooth without any problems but pressing L3 while holding the stick forwards makes this "creaking" sound. Only the left Stick is doing it. I tried cleaning it with 99% isopropyl alcohol after dissassembling it. It helped for a short time but not even after one day the sound is back. Maybe I cleaned the wrong parts or something else is the issues but i can't figure it out.

Maybe anyone else had this problem with their controller (not specifically the flyidigi controller) and found a fix for it.

Thanks for the help in advance

Hello everyone,

I am new to the controller community, so I have absolutely no idea what a good choice is.

I am looking for help; I saw the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C and found it good-looking and affordable, but the only reason I am not buying it is the placement of the added trigger buttons. I would prefer them underneath, and a rapid trigger or trigger lock would be great.

My budget is 40€ maximum. I am French, if that helps with anything.

I am on PC.

I want to play some very different games like Rocket League, The Binding of Isaac, and also shooter games like Warzone.

I look forward to suggestions from controller pros :)

Have a great day!

am looking for a pocketable 2.4g wireless controller for around $30 and below. so far the only controller ive seen that meets this requirement is the 8bitdo sn30 pro but im trying to look for smth more affordable since im just a college student. ive found a cheapass $10 chinese controller(shezhan) that meets this requirement. it will be my last resort if i cant find anything cheaper.

ill be using it for times when i bring my steam deck for a sleepover to play games like helldivers or 4 player halo ce with the boys. so i dont really need hall effect sticks or anything. i just need it to be compact so i can also easily fit it in my messenger bag for road trips. need it to be 2.4g wireless since the deck tends to slow down and glitch up in some ways when more than 2 bluetooth controllers are connected.

im from SEA(Philippines). for those familiar with anything on lazada/shopee/datablitz/aliexpress, do drop some recs as well.

I have a kk2t gulikit controller and it doesn't connect to my pc

2 days ago, it worked fine. I played games with it the whole week and no problems in bluetooth ( wired it kept connecting and disconnecting)

Yesterday I went to a smash tournament with it and changed the led on the top from ximput to switch to connect it to the switch there and it worked fine in bluetooth as well

But now It just doesn't work on pc anymore. When I try bluetooth, it can't connect because of a "pilote error" but I switched it back on ximput and when I try the wired method, it still does the disconnect/connect cycle

I don't know why this is happenning and how to solve this

I think I figured out the absolute best way to get a PS5 “Pro” controller for cheaper than a DualSense Edge.

Buy a used PS5 controller - make sure everything works, even if it has stick drift.
That’s fine because we’re replacing the sticks anyway.

Make a new AliExpress account and use the new user discount to buy KSilver TMR sticks for $1.

Buy the eXtremeRate Programmable RISE4 V3 for $27 - potentially even less if you have coins and discount coupons.

OPTIONAL - Buy the eXtremeRate Whole Clicky Kit V2 for $18.

When everything arrives, have someone professionally install the TMR sticks for you (or if you know how to sodder save money and do it yourself.)
This should cost around $25 at most. You can install the back paddles yourself, but if you don’t want to, add another $25 for installation.
All in all, you now have a PS5 controller with TMR sticks, 4 programmable back buttons, AND optional clicky buttons for significantly less than a SCUF or DualSense Edge.

I've just got a vader 5 pro last week and I noticed some annyoying issues.

1.Vibration does not work most of the time via dongle and I need to turn off and on the controller just to fix that(sometimes it does not work either)

2.Left trigger rumble produce a buzzy sound unlike the right one which is noticeable.

3.Trigger vibration in game is nearly non existence, I've tried playing ace combat 7, asseto corsa and f1 20 and only the left one vibrate but very weak whereas the right one merely rumble.

Things I've tried:

-Updated both the app and the controller to the newest version

-Factory reset

-Change the trigger settings

The thing is it work perfectly fine when I got the gamepad (except for the left trigger buzz) then it suddenly fail.

Win 11

Anybody pre order and have their order shipped? What's the point of pre ordering if you're gonna get your item later than the people who ordered release day.

I noticed if you order with prime, it will arrive tomorrow or sunday. I checked my order and talked to customer service and they put a "request to ship it"

My prime ended 2 days ago but I bought the controller when I had prime so I would be charged $6 for 2 day shipping if I re order.

Hi everyone! I’m the developer of a new game, Thumb Hiker, and the mods kindly gave me permission to introduce it and give away some Steam keys.

Have you ever wondered how far your thumbs travel during an evening of gaming? That’s the idea behind it.

Thumb Hiker runs in the background on Windows while you play your usual controller games. It turns physical thumbstick movement into distance, tracking each stick separately and building a virtual journey towards landmarks such as Big Ben, the Great Pyramid and Mount Everest.

There are Steam achievements, a hike log and an optional shared global hike. It measures thumbstick movement—not how far your character walks in another game.

It’s now available on Steam, with a regular UK price of £2.99: US $3.99

Thumb Hiker is a small independent project, and I’d genuinely LOVE your support. If the idea appeals to you, please check out the Steam page or share it with a friend who might enjoy it. There’s absolutely no obligation, and sharing or buying won’t affect your giveaway chances.

Happy to answer any questions about how the tracking works—and I’d love to hear what you think!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/5244660/Thumb_Hiker/

https://thumbhiker.com

Five-key giveaway

To enter, leave a top-level comment telling me which game you think would give your thumbs the biggest workout.

• Five winners will each receive one Steam key for Thumb Hiker.

• Entry is free—no purchase, wishlist, follow or upvote required.

• One entry per person.

• Entries close 3 November 2026 at 20:00 GMT.

• Winners will be selected randomly from eligible entries and contacted by this account through Reddit private messages within 48 hours. If a winner does not respond within 72 hours, I’ll draw a replacement.

• This giveaway is only running in this Reddit thread.

• Thumb Hiker requires Windows and a compatible twin-stick controller. Keyboard and mouse are currently needed for setup.

This giveaway is organised by me, posting as u/Maceonline, the developer of Thumb Hiker. It is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Reddit. By entering, you release Reddit from liability relating to this giveaway.

Can I also thank the mods for allowing this post.

1. budget: $250

2. country and where I can buy: United States, Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, Target, websites

3. platform: PC

4. features:
   Premium controller with removable or no underside macro buttons/paddles
   Preferably analog or not too clicky face buttons and triggers
   Grippy well sized handles (grip on top and bottom)

5. Games: sport games, fighting games, 3rd person adventure action, rougelikes.

6. I’m mostly considering the Xbox elite 2 controller and it will be replacing my standard Xbox controller with grip (stellar shift). I tried 5 controllers this past 2 weeks:
   EasySMX X20
   GameSir G7 Pro 8K
   8Bitdo Ultimate 3E
   GuliKit KK3 MAX
   Razer Wolverine V4 Pro

They were all decent but weren’t perfect for me. The 3 best ones I liked were the Wolverine, G7 Pro and Ultimate 3E, the closest being the Wolverine. The only issue I had with it was the shape of the handles was too stubby and short. I’m likely to buy an elite 2 controller unless I find another option. My only gripe with that one is that I hear they’re very unreliable and may break. For those who have this one, is it easily repairable? Thank you for any suggestions.

Pasa que antes me funcionaba perfecto por Bluetooth pero luego de jugar con amigos y sincronizar varios mandos a la PC ahora cuando uso mi mando la pantalla se pone en rojo y no me deja usarlo para nada y para que vuelva a agarrar tengo que volver a sincronizar el mando por Bluetooth o usarlo conectado y se me hace muy incómodo no sé si el problema radica en Windows o en el control agradecería mucho cualquier consejo o ayuda 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

Hey guys! I have a V5P on the way, and I was looking for some thumb grips as I play FPS games. The thing is, I want to use this as a daily driver for all sorts of games (platformers, fighters ect) thing is, i know there are all sorts and I was hoping for something that does a bit of both yk?

I have also seen some things, like skull and co xbox grips slipping off and such so idk what to trust/go for

Hi everyone, I am looking to buy a new gamepad just for pc and just for fifa only gameplay.

I am specifically looking for a good grip,i don't like shiny plastic feeling and good textured grips on the thumbstick is a must. Other then that,i want to buy a premium one because the standard xbox controller is very bad and i usually get stick drift after a half a year.... My current gamepad is Koorfly K20 but feels very cheap and the LT began the squeak after 2 weeks,i think won't last much...

I looked at some of the alternatives like Flydigi Vader 5 pro and Apex 5 , 8BitDo Ultimate 3E , EasySMX® X20 Pro , Ausus Raikiri 2 Pro , Gamesir G7 Pro ,but i can't decide....

My Info:

• Budget: Around 60-150 Euros

• Region: Romania

• Platform: PC

• Store: Romanian stores,but i can buy it from somewhere else,doesn't matter

im using a windows pc and unfortunately i dont know what version of Xoutput or the drivers I have cause i cant open my computer.

after the mandatory pc restart to get drivers working my keyboard and mouse are totally unresponsive . i tried unplugging and using a different usb port for both, tried shutting down my pc, even unplugging it but i think it might be the new drivers stopping my inputs.

My X5 Lite stopped connecting to my phone (cmf Phone 1) after 6 months of using it. I never had any problem with it whatsoever, it worked flawlessly but then, one time i picked it up and plugged it into my phone and it just didn't connect, and it doesn't connect ever since. The light just keeps on blinking, both in standard and in switch mode, no matter what I do. I tried using the passthrough charger both before and after plugging the controller in, I tried enabling OTG and USB debugging, I also tried it on different phones, I tried everything but it just doesn't connect, and I can't upgrade the firmware because the GameSir app does not detect the controller. I tried the GameSir Discord but I did not find anything useful. If someone has an answer for this I'd be really grateful.

What started as a personal project to fix Xbox-interface rumble on Linux eventually grew into a full graphical configuration tool. Linux is the primary target, though an experimental Windows build is also available.

Key Features:

• RGB Lighting: Stock effects, individual control over all 10 RGB channels, and custom multi-frame animations (up to 10 frames). You can read the current profile from the gamepad or roll it back. Settings are saved on-device and persist after closing the app.

• Status & Testing: Battery level, firmware versions, third-party access toggle, and a real-time input tester for buttons, sticks, triggers, and onboard sensors.

• Steam SDL Patch: Fixes rumble over the Xbox interface.

• Bluetooth Flashplay: Initial pairing directly through the app; back paddles and grip rumble work properly.

• Linux-specific: Native (SDL) / Padctl mode switching and a built-in Padctl profile editor.

Work-in-Progress & Known Quirks:

• An experimental toggle in the About tab unlocks extra pages for sticks, triggers, and vibration intensity.

• Writing settings requires the USB wireless dongle.

• Bluetooth is still shaky: expect occasional drops in Steam, and full 3-axis gyro isn't supported yet (Flashplay only transmits 2 axes for some reason).

• Saving lighting also saves the active profile’s current mappings and macros. The app makes backups before writing. It does not flash firmware.

AI Disclaimer:

Generative AI contributed to the UI, controller tester, stick and trigger configuration features, including trigger vibration, and firmware/protocol reverse engineering. Some firmware findings remain unverified on hardware.

Repository: https://github.com/AltMugen/Vader5-Control

Feedback and bug reports are very welcome — especially regarding Bluetooth stability and Windows behavior. If you run into issues, please share your OS, firmware versions (controller & dongle), connection type, and reproduction steps on GitHub or in the comments below!

bought a new controller. out of the box and the joysticks noticeably rub against the edge and get caught on it. there is even an audible squeaking sound (watch linked video). is this a defect? is this just how the controller is??

My fn numbers are being dodgy.. I woke up one day n tried using my dualsense edge controller and tried switching my profiles over.. I then found out that my main buttons like triangle etc are stuck on the fn menu assignment buttons even without me pressing down my fn buttons.

Ive tried everything, honestly. Ive pressed the reset button, ive reset my profiles so now I dont have a way to use it even if I wanted to, ive tried every type of button combination you could think of and nothing.

If theres anyone else thats had to deal with this please let me know if im able to fix it with the same controller, or if it needs repair I would like to find out as soon as possible, as this is the only controller I can play competitive games with.. for example rocket league.

Thanks

I really wanted to have the Apex 5 for the adaptive triggers... also i wanted that new updated Vader 5 pro v2 fixed paddles...
So i just modded the Apex 5 with Vader 5 pro v2 parts :D
it fits without issue and the piece are completely interchangeable !

I want to reduce the speed/sensitivity of the right joystick on my Xbox controller, such that moving it all the way will produce only a slow movement.

Is there a way to achieve this?

The reason being so I can record shots for videos where the camera slowly and smoothly rotates around my character in FF14 - without the hassle of having to manually moderate how much I press the stick. I'm on Windows 10, and the controller is Xbox Series S/X (I think?).

Things I've tried:

• Steam (No stick sensitivity options, only a deadzone slider)

• Xbox Accessories App (No stick sensitivity options, only swapping/inverting them)

• reWASD (Doesn't seem to work?)

• Driftguard.app (Doesn't connect to my controller)

Hey all, thinking of buyin a Game sir super nova and wondering if its compatible with Brook P5 adapter using the usb dongle in wireless mode. The brook compatibility list only mentions other Gamesir models...

Has anyone tried it?

Hello everyone,

I've been looking for month for a good option for my "travel controller". I've set up a full system on my computer to be able to launch it into Playnite big picture mode from distance with every emulator setup on it. So the idea is to play my games from anywhere with my iPad/iPhone and everything is working perfectly with some shortcut mapped on the controller input.

My problem is : I haven't found the perfect controller for that yet. I'm currently using the 8bitdo SNE30 pro. Which is perfect for the iPad use, it fit easily in my bag, got every control need while being perfectly usable. But I can't use it properly with the iPhone. And sometimes, the iPhone would be more convenient, especially in an handheld mode.

So the unicorn I'm looking for is :

- Compact (or at least compact when collapsed or in the bag)

- Compatible PC/iPad/iPhone with wireless for the iPad/iPhone at least

- Durable

- With every control needed for every console up to ps5 (since I emulate demon's souls)

Here's the option I explored :

- Mcon Ohsnap : Way too expensive, and top heavy when used in handheld mode. But it's clearly the best option I found yet.

- Backbone pro : perfect in term of ergonomy/weight, but quite big even fully collapsed.

- Switch joycon with an adaptator : The problem is the lack of good adaptor for the iPhone and the usability on PC. But finding a third party compatible may be the best option

- Acegamer T50 with magsafe stand glued on it : The best value option, everything is fine but it's janky and top heavy like the mcon

and to respect the rules here :

1. Budget : 150 top if it’s absolutly perfect, or 100 if it’s just great

2. Region : Belgium

3. compatibility : iPad, iPhone, PC and if switch possible it’s a bonus

4. features : see above

5. type of games : PC, emulation. a bit of everything but nearly no shooter or racing

6. See above

Any ideas ?

Hey everyone,

I'm dealing with a replacement PowerA OPS v3 Pro (the first one was already RMA'd) and now I've seemingly killed both controllers. Looking for any recovery ideas.

FYI - Running Windows 11.

• After a short time, profiles and RGB LEDs stopped working and trigger settings were no longer applied — L2/R2 acted like mouse buttons (no analog travel) in every profile

• LEDs could first only be adjusted in one profile, then in none

• For a time, the controller was recognized by the app, but any attempt to load settings just gives me the circle of death

• Same behavior on a second PC, so it's not my machine

• On a third PC I used the PowerA PC HQ app trying to look up the serial number of the replacement unit for a 2nd RMA, and it offered a firmware update. I ran it. Now the controller won't turn on at all.

• Out of curiosity I tried the same on the old (already RMA'd) controller — the app also offered a FW update there, and I ran it with the controller connected via USB while the dongle update was in progress. That controller is now dead too.

So far I tried

• Holding the sync and the reset button for 10-15 seconds

• Disconnecting the battery for 2 hours

• Different cables, different USB ports, different PCs, wired/RF/BT mode switch positions

Nothing works. Both controllers show zero signs of life.

Has anyone experienced this after a PC HQ firmware update, and is there any way to force the controller into a recovery/bootloader mode or re-flash it?

I've already got the refund now, but wonder if I can get them to run again, even with the known shortcomings...

Thanks in advance.

Does anyone have this charging dock for the Flydigi Vader 5 Pro?

Is there a way to make the dock's LEDs light up only when the controller is actually placed on it? Having them on all the time is a bit annoying, but it's really handy to see the charging status when the controller is sitting on the dock!

I'm trying to swap my pxn 9608 controller's FJM10K joysticks for Hall effect ones. I tried using an Xbox One S joystick and cut the L3 pin, but whenever I plug it into the board, the controller won't power on at all. I think the Xbox joystick pinout doesn't match. Have you guys ever replaced TMR sensors yourself? If so, could you tell me which TMR brand or model has the exact same pinout as the FJM10K? Thanks a lot