

It will act as a proper controller only for games launched through Steam. By default, it works in "desktop mode" where it emulates mouse input.

Support for the Steam Controller is provided through the steam-devices package. In December 2020, Sony published an official Linux driver for the "DualSense" controller that comes with the PlayStation 5 that should bring its support up to parity with previous Sony controllers, but the patchset remains under review. This also applies for the DualShock 3 and DualShock 4 controllers commonly used by the PlayStation consoles. This includes both wired and wireless variants, whether by using official wireless receivers or through Bluetooth. Xbox, Xbox 360, and Xbox One controllers, including many knock-offs, should work out-of-the-box with no issues. There are many useful games in the Debian repositories for verifying that your gamepad works as expected, but supertuxkart is especially recommended due to its fantastic gamepad support.

Given that the majority of devices have their necessary drivers built-in, the only thing most people might need to do is calibrate their controller afterwards.
