DS4 Bridge for Linux

Make knockoff DualShock 4 controllers work in every Linux game, as an Xbox 360 controller.

_{Ubuntu 22.04+ · Debian 12+ · Linux Mint 21+ · Fedora 35+ · Arch  |  plain executable · build from source}

After downloading: chmod +x DS4_Bridge-1.0-x86_64.AppImage and run it.
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Features · What's new · Supported distros · Usage · Permissions

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This project is a high-performance tool specifically designed to bridge "knockoff" (fake) Sony DualShock 4 (DS4) controllers that don't work with Bluetooth or aren't recognized properly in Linux into virtual Microsoft Xbox 360 controllers.

Games and launchers (Steam, SDL, Proton/Wine, emulators) that only support XInput-style pads will see a standard Xbox 360 controller.

[DS4 /dev/input/eventN] --(buttons / axes)--> bridge --> [/dev/uinput: Xbox 360 pad]
[DS4 /dev/input/eventN] <----(rumble FF)----- bridge <-- [game]

⬇️ Download (One-Click)

AppImage (recommended, nothing else to install; needs glibc 2.34+, see supported distros):

wget https://github.com/engineer948/ds4-bridge-linux/releases/download/1.0/DS4_Bridge-1.0-x86_64.AppImage && chmod +x DS4_Bridge-1.0-x86_64.AppImage && ./DS4_Bridge-1.0-x86_64.AppImage

Plain executable (needs GTK 3, see Dependencies):

wget https://github.com/engineer948/ds4-bridge-linux/releases/download/1.0/ds4_bridge_tray && chmod +x ds4_bridge_tray

You can also download the C Source Code (ds4_bridge.c) and ds4_bridge_tray.c if you want to compile them yourself.

🆕 What's New in 1.0

• Settings window with tabs for buttons, sticks & rumble, gyro and desktop mode.
• Full button remapping: every DS4 button, including Share / Options / PS, L3 / R3 and the D-pad, can be mapped to any Xbox button or disabled.
• Per-game profiles that switch automatically while a game is running.
• Gyro aiming with the right stick or the mouse pointer (needs working motion sensors).
• Desktop mode (PS + Options): use the controller as a mouse and keyboard.
• Controller test window to see stick drift and pick the right deadzone.
• Round deadzone per stick, rumble strength, invert Y, swap sticks, digital triggers.
• Choose the virtual controller: Xbox 360, Xbox One S or DualShock 4.
• Battery per controller with charging indicator.
• Guided permission fix for /dev/uinput: shows the exact command to copy.
• Languages: English and Azərbaycanca.
• Log file capped at 1 MiB with a live log viewer.
• Fixes: remapping while playing no longer leaves buttons stuck, the status no longer shows "Running" when /dev/uinput can't be opened, and the battery is no longer read from a mouse or headset.

Settings from 0.x are imported automatically.

📌 What is this and why is it needed?

Some fake or knockoff DS4 controllers are not properly recognized as gamepads by Linux when connected to a computer (especially via cable or their own dongle), or they simply do not work in games. This program reads the signals from these controllers and creates a fully functional virtual Xbox 360 controller in the system, ensuring that games recognize the controller without any issues.

✨ Features

• DS4 buttons, sticks, triggers and D-pad mapped to the Xbox 360 (xpad) layout.
• Rumble / force feedback forwarded from the game to the DS4.
• Exclusive grab of the physical DS4, so games don't see two controllers.
• Automatic reconnect: the controller is picked up again when unplugged and plugged back in.

🎮 Tray App Extras

• Start / stop the bridge from the tray menu.
• Up to 4 controllers at the same time, each with its own status line and battery level (⚡ while charging), plus a desktop notification below 20%.
• Button remapping for every button: face buttons, bumpers, triggers, Share / Options / PS, L3 / R3 and the D-pad. Any button can also be disabled.
• Stick deadzone per stick (round, rescaled, so movement starts smoothly), invert Y, swap sticks, digital triggers.
• Rumble strength from 0% (off) to 100%.
• Virtual controller type: Xbox 360, Xbox One S or DualShock 4 (PlayStation button icons in games that support them).
• Profiles per game: a profile switches on automatically while a listed program runs (e.g. mygame.exe) and switches back when it exits.
• Gyro aiming (controllers with working motion sensors): drives the right stick or the mouse pointer, always or while a button is held, with calibration.
• Desktop mode (PS + Options): the controller works as a mouse and keyboard.
• Controller test window: live sticks, deadzone, triggers, buttons and gyro, handy for finding the right deadzone for a drifting stick.
• /dev/uinput permission helper: if the bridge has no access, it shows the udev rule command with a Copy button. The app never asks for admin rights itself.
• Log file limited to 1 MiB (older lines move to ds4_bridge.log.1) and a live log viewer.
• Interface in English and Azərbaycanca (🌐 Language menu).
• 🚀 Start on Login: one-click autostart toggle for XDG-compliant desktops (GNOME, KDE, XFCE, etc.).

🐧 Which Linux Distros are Supported?

The pre-built tray app (executable and AppImage) needs glibc 2.34 or newer and Linux kernel 4.5+ (uinput v5):

Distro	Works	Doesn't work
Ubuntu	22.04, 24.04 and newer	20.04 and older
Debian	12, 13	11 and older
Linux Mint	21, 22	20 and older
Pop!_OS / Zorin / elementary OS	releases based on Ubuntu 22.04+	older releases
Fedora	35 and newer	34 and older
RHEL / AlmaLinux / Rocky	9	8
Arch / Manjaro / EndeavourOS / openSUSE Tumbleweed	✅ (rolling)

On older distros, compile it yourself: built from source it works on any distro with kernel 4.5+.

🛠 Dependencies

To run the tray app you need GTK 3 (installed on practically every desktop) and, for the tray icon, an AppIndicator library. The app finds either libayatana-appindicator3 or the older libappindicator3 on its own, so the same binary works on every distro. Without either it falls back to a classic tray icon (KDE, XFCE, MATE, Cinnamon). On GNOME, the "AppIndicator and KStatusNotifierItem Support" extension is needed to show tray icons.

To compile you only need a C compiler and the GTK 3 headers:

Ubuntu / Debian / Linux Mint / Pop!_OS

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential libgtk-3-dev

Fedora

sudo dnf install gcc gtk3-devel

Arch Linux / Manjaro

sudo pacman -S base-devel gtk3

⚙️ Manual Compilation

Navigate to the project directory in your terminal.

Compile the background/CLI engine (ds4_bridge):

gcc -O2 ds4_bridge.c -o ds4_bridge

Compile the GTK Tray Application (ds4_bridge_tray):

gcc -O2 -std=gnu11 ds4_bridge_tray.c -o ds4_bridge_tray $(pkg-config --cflags --libs gtk+-3.0) -lpthread -lm -ldl

(A binary only runs on systems with the same or a newer glibc than the one it was built on. Build release binaries on an older distro, e.g. Ubuntu 22.04, so they work on as many systems as possible.)

🔑 Permissions (Run Without Root)

The bridge needs write access to /dev/uinput and to the DS4 event device. To use it without sudo, add a udev rule:

echo 'KERNEL=="uinput", SUBSYSTEM=="misc", TAG+="uaccess", OPTIONS+="static_node=uinput"' \
  | sudo tee /etc/udev/rules.d/60-ds4aze-uinput.rules
sudo udevadm control --reload-rules && sudo udevadm trigger

Log out and back in (or reboot) afterwards.

When the tray app cannot open /dev/uinput, it shows these commands with a Copy button (also under 🔧 How to Fix /dev/uinput Access… in the menu and in Settings → General).

🚀 Usage

You can run the program in two different ways:

Method 1: Graphical Interface (Tray App - Recommended)

The most convenient method is to use the standalone Tray application:

./ds4_bridge_tray

• This will create an icon in your top panel (or system tray).
• From there, you can Start/Stop the bridge, see each controller's battery, pick a profile, deadzone and rumble strength, and switch desktop mode on or off.
• ⚙️ Settings… opens the full settings window (button remapping, profiles, gyro, language), and 🧪 Controller Test… shows live stick and button input.
• Autostart: Check 🚀 Start on Login in the tray menu to automatically launch the bridge when you log in.

If you want to start the tray app and immediately enable the bridge from a script or terminal:

./ds4_bridge_tray --start

Settings are stored in ~/.config/ds4-bridge/settings.ini and the log in ~/.local/state/ds4-bridge/ds4_bridge.log. A settings.json from older versions (next to the executable) is imported automatically on first start.

Method 2: From Terminal (CLI)

To run the lightweight engine directly from the terminal:

# Run in the foreground:
./ds4_bridge

# Run in the background (as a daemon):
./ds4_bridge -d

# Don't grab the DS4 exclusively (games see both devices):
./ds4_bridge -n

# Fix Analog Stick Drift (Deadzone %):
# (e.g. filters out 15% of center stick movement for cheap controllers)
./ds4_bridge -z 15

# View detailed (verbose) logs:
./ds4_bridge -v

(Note: If you receive a /dev/uinput error, ensure you have set up the udev rule above, or run as sudo).

🛡️ VirusTotal Results

For safety, you can check the VirusTotal results of the project files once they are released:

• AppImage (DS4_Bridge-1.0-x86_64.AppImage) - 1.0
• Compiled Tray Executable (ds4_bridge_tray) - 0.7

📝 Developer & Credits

• Developer: engineer948
• Repository: ds4-bridge-linux

Open Source Acknowledgments

This project is built using and made possible by the following open-source technologies:

• Linux Kernel (uinput): Used for creating the virtual Xbox 360 controller. (GPLv2)
• GTK 3: Used for rendering the system tray UI. (LGPL License)

🔍 Keywords / Search Tags

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📄 License

DS4 Bridge is released under the MIT License. © 2026 engineer948.

⚖️ Legal Disclaimer

This project is an independent, open-source software tool designed for hardware interoperability. It is not affiliated with, endorsed, sponsored, or approved by Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc.

"PlayStation", "DualShock", and "Sony" are registered trademarks of Sony Interactive Entertainment Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. The terms "fake" or "knockoff" are used purely for descriptive purposes to refer to third-party, unlicensed, or unbranded controllers that attempt to replicate the functionality of official hardware. This software does not bypass any DRM or piracy protection; it simply reads standard input events and translates them to an Xbox 360 virtual device.