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.

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 use my leftover Stadia controllers. RIP.

But for my son I got an 8bitdo Lite 2 because it’s smaller and easier for him to hold. Works great.

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 have a chinese controller called the Vader 3 Pro and it’s insanely nice. It costed me $60CAD shipped and delivered.

Leagues ahead of my previous favourite, the Sony Dualshock 4

I really like the 8bitdo ultimate (non-c). Good quality, good price, backbuttons and hall-effect thingies.

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.

Another 8bitdo user here. They really are fantastic. I have a bunch of DualShock 4’s I use as well.

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.

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 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€.

Has anyone ITT used a DS5 on the deck? I’m curious if they’re worth the investment.

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

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.

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.