Posted on February 2nd 2026

The Google Stadia Controller in 2026

Intro

Hello and welcome to the first post on my blog of 2026. In this post I will talk about using the Google Stadia Controller in 2026. I ordered a Google Stadia Controller used online, and it arrived the 4th of November. It came with the original Premiere Edition box. Unboxing it was nice, The seller also included all accesiores (so the USB-C cable and charger brick) which is really nice. After unboxing it I decided to charge it up and update it so it has Bluetooth support.

Bluetooth and device support

As mentioned right above here I updated it for bluetooth support. Bluetooth support did not come out of the box with the Google Stadia Controller but could be enabled by using the update tool on Google their website. As of writing (20-01-2026) the update tool has been shutdown and controllers that have not been updated are only usable with USB now. With Bluetooth you can connect to Android, Windows, Linux, IOS and iMac devices. Both with USB-C and Bluetooth I get a stable connection to all my devices. On PC there are not many games that support the Google Stadia controller, but this is easily fixed with Steam Input. Steam Input allows you to map your controller buttons, even when a game does not have support for your controller or controllers at all. Using this works well for a lot of games but I've also ran into issues. For example I tried EA Sports FC 24 and that, no matter how I set it up, had issues with the mappings of the controller trough Steam Input. One advantage of using Steam Input is the large amount of keymaps you can get and also being able to use Steam Input with games that are added as "Non-Steam Games". On Android phones I had no issues playing Minecraft with the controller and if you play a game and you have issues with the controller there always are apps to remap your controller to your touch controls. My last test was with Moonlight on my Raspberry Pi 5 8GB which worked well. Connecting it trough Bluetooth I could play games with the controller smoothly without configuring anything. So overall in my experience the Google Stadia Controller seems to have a pretty good compatibaility with many OS's and devices overall.

My Opinion on the controller itself

Overall I like the look and feel of the controller itself. It feels good in my hands, controllers feel nice and the joysticks feel good as well. I expected to need to get used to the button-layout but I got used to it pretty quickly. The only downsides I have found are that it feels a bit small holding it, but that might be due to my big hands. This does not form an issue though, Even with longer gaming sessions. Another small downside I found is that the controller it's haptic feedback is weak. Compared to the XBOX controllers I am used to the vibrations of the controller seem kinda weak. This makes for a little less immersive gaming experience with certain games. But for the price of just 12.50 (EUR) I paid, the controller is still really worth the money. Overall I would rate this controller around a 7.5/10 when comparing it to my XBOX controller. Also having a battery built into the controller is a really big advantage in my opinion. The battery lasts pretty long as well which is great.

Conclusion

So in short, for the price I paid along with the feel of the controller and build quality I feel like this is a solid controller, but with the side note that I would only pick it up if it is updated. Without Bluetooth support and only being able to use the controller with the USB-C port would be just too big of a downside to me as I like to use this to kick back on the couch and hook my Raspberry Pi up to the big TV and play some games. Along with the good battery life I can use it whenever I want without having to charge it. All in all I think I found a great deal with this controller, and I expect to be using it quite a lot.

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