ControllerBuddy vs Xbox 360 Controller Emulator
ControllerBuddy
controllerbuddy.orgXbox 360 Controller Emulator
x360ce.comSide by side
| Figure | ControllerBuddy | Xbox 360 Controller Emulator |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | Free | Free |
| Free plan | Yes | Yes |
| Free trial | — | — |
| Open source | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| Linux | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 1 | 1 |
| Spec score · Controller Mapping Software | 8.8 (#1) | 7.0 (#26) |
| Spec score · Game Controller Mapper Software | 8.8 (#2) | 7.0 (#25) |
| Purpose | ControllerBuddy maps gamepad inputs for flight simulators, aiming to let users fly without a joystick, keyboard, or mouse. | It lets gamepads, joysticks, steering wheels, pedals, and other controllers function on a PC as an Xbox 360 controller. |
| Support | The project directs bug reports to GitHub Issues and questions to its Discord community. | The maker directs users with installation or configuration questions to the NGEmu X360CE forum, Google, or YouTube tutorials. |
Plans
Xbox 360 Controller Emulator
- Xbox 360 Controller EmulatorFree
In their own words
ControllerBuddy
ControllerBuddy maps gamepad inputs to keyboard and mouse actions or a virtual joystick for flight simulators. Profiles can assign controls through different modes, and an overlay displays the active mode and virtual-axis states. A gamepad-controlled on-screen keyboard supports selecting keys and holding multiple keys at once. The software supports Xbox Controller, DualShock 4, DualSense and other controllers supported by SDLGameControllerDB. Community-maintained profiles are listed for simulators and aircraft, including DCS World and Microsoft Flight Simulator versions 2020 and 2024. ControllerBuddy runs on Windows 10 or 11 (x64) and Linux (x64 or aarch64); its official Flatpak package includes profiles and optional helper scripts for Proton games and DOSBox Staging. The software is free and open-source under GNU GPL v3.0. There are control limits: mode actions must be assigned at Default Mode level and cannot combine multiple buttons, and the two triggers cannot be merged into one rudder axis. It uses rolling releases, with backward compatibility not guaranteed.
Xbox 360 Controller Emulator
Xbox 360 Controller Emulator has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.