Xbox One controller. I guess if you love the PS5 controller you could do that but i think Xbox One has better triggers by a long shot.

Edit: xbox one, xbox series, whatever the fuck it is lol. I think i bought mine when it was just xbox one

Right, so valve is rumoured to be extremely close to announcing the steam controller 2, obviously steam support will be a given and valves controllers are usually decent quality. If you’re looking to buy a new one and can wait to see what valve brings out, I think that’d be a good idea.

I just bought a third party Xbox One controller, been really happy with it

my favourite is the newer Xbox wireless controller. i used to buy 3rd party but have found it’s worth it to spend 50 or 60 quid on these as they last much longer. connects natively to whatever via bluetooth, use it with my steam deck and linux PC nice and easily. I picked up some rechargeable AAs and a charger too because it doesn’t charge batteries, that’s the one drawback of the modern controllers. they are my favourite controller to use though, always found dual shocks kinda small

I’ve been using wired 360 controllers forever. They still make them

Unless you prefer the shape or feel of PlayStation controllers, I would recommend going with an Xbox One controller since it works natively with almost every PC game that has controller support. It’s the least hassle, as it’s usually just plug-and-play. This goes for every Xbox controller afaik if you want a cheaper alternative to the xbox one controller.

When my 360 controller stopped working I just went with Xbox one and that last me for a good few years. I recently replaced it with Xbox one but with a USB C connection and I can’t see that I’ll be needing to buy another for quite a while.

They are pretty cheap and proven resilience / decent build quality. Also very familiar after using a 360 controller.

PS5 controller hands down. Feels great in the hands, connects with no issue to my Linux machine, and the dpad is very good. With Microsoft, I never had any good experiences with their offerings, so I cannot recommend those. Some part of the controller would wear down or stop functioning and I went through too many of them. However, the first Steam Controller was pretty good, so maybe the v2 will be worth waiting a little longer for.

I’ve been using a DualShock 4 (Playstation 4) controller for the past three or four years. It works wirelessly by bluetooth or plugged in via USB. Works with modern Windows (tested on 10) as well as Linux. On Linux, even the motion controls worked when I was doing Switch emulation. I use it mostly for playing Celeste. I find that it is a fraction more responsive / reliable when plugged in vs. wireless, but wireless is fine for anything not ultra-sweaty.

On Linux I have had intermittent bluetooth connectivity problems in the past. These were ultimately resolved by building a kernel with the new hid_playstation driver (replacing the old hid_sony driver). This was a couple years ago though. This transition should be complete in any modern distro. The driver should be compatible with DS5 controllers too, but I have never tried one.

It may not be the best option out there, but it covers a lot of bases and has good compatibility all around, as well as programs to proxy it as an Xbox controller on Windows if necessary for older games with less robust plumbing for input. I guess these things are out of production now too though.

tbh when this happened to my old 360 wireless i just bought a bunch of replacement parts and silicone wraps and decked my controller out in the gawdiest rainbow colors imaginable. The total cost was probably 1/3 of a new name brand controller too

unlike switch joycons, 360 controllers can easily be taken apart and put back together like its nothing too

XBox Elite Series 2

Rather expensive but mine has lasted me like 3 years now with practically no issues. The thing is built like those old unbreakable mobile phones.

I don’t like the dualshock shape and am a fan of the Xbox controller style. So I use an Xbox Wireless Controller with cheap third party rechargeable battery packs that I just plug into my phone charger nearby. It’s essentially the Xbox 360 controller. You can plug it in with a USB-C cable if you want, otherwise you’ll need to buy the dongle they sell if your computer doesn’t have bluetooth. Even if it does, you probably still want the dongle, as without it, the bluetooth connection can kind of suck. So that’s one big flaw. But it’s really comfy and I have 2 that have lasted a few years.

if you use windows it’s hard to recommend any controller other than the xbox series x controller

it regularly goes on sale for 30-40 bucks, has native support for every game that uses gamepad, and works as both wireless and plugs in as a wired controller via USB

only caveat is that if you’re planning on using it bluetooth, there’s a known frame drop problem when using it with bluetooth on windows 10 for some peeps, so i had to get the official microsoft controller dongle. wish game pass for pc worked on linux

I like my Logitech F310 enough that I bought a second one when the first one broke (from being ancient and getting improperly packed in a move). The second one has lasted nine years so far. And they’re very cheap.