Controller Manager

What Controller Manager is

Controller Manager is a free, MIT-licensed Linux daemon for changing how physical game controllers appear to applications. It can, for example, make a Sony DualSense present as an Xbox 360 pad. You can choose native or remapped mode separately for each connected controller through the system tray. Identical controllers are tracked independently, so two matching pads can use different modes.

The remapping takes place at the device layer and applies across launchers and applications, including Steam and Proton. The project lists Sony DualSense and Microsoft Xbox One and Series controllers over USB and Bluetooth among its tested families. Its tray menu updates as controllers connect or disconnect. For DualSense pads, the lightbar shows blue in native mode and green during Xbox emulation, then returns to its resting colour after a game exits. A raw HID gate hides the source controller’s raw HID node from applications while remapping, addressing double input.

The daemon requires a modern Linux desktop with a user systemd session, a StatusNotifierItem tray host, and write access to /dev/uinput. An optional Bluetooth Xbox pad descriptor fixup needs additional tools and a kernel with CONFIG_HID_BPF and BTF; the rest can install without them. The project also documents an inert extra PlayStation controller entry in Steam when two DualSense pads are both emulated.

Who it suits

Controller Manager suits Linux desktop players who want different controllers, including identical pads, to use native or remapped modes across their launchers. It is relevant to players using the tested Sony DualSense or Microsoft Xbox One and Series families over USB or Bluetooth.

Getting started

1. Open the Controller Manager project website on GitHub.
2. Use a modern Linux desktop with a user systemd session and a StatusNotifierItem tray host.
3. Ensure the daemon can write to /dev/uinput.
4. Install the project; the optional Bluetooth Xbox descriptor fixup needs additional tools and a kernel with CONFIG_HID_BPF and BTF.
5. Connect a supported controller and select native or remapped mode from the system tray.

Verdict

Choose Controller Manager if you use a supported controller on Linux and want device-level remapping with per-controller mode selection. Its system tray controls and compatibility across launchers are useful when individual pads need different modes. Look elsewhere if you need a non-Linux platform or cannot meet its desktop and device access requirements.