How to connect a joystick to your android device: don´t!

I like videogames and i wanted to play them with a joystick with my Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1. So i´ll try to connect one of my joysticks in it, right? It´s not that simple.

I have an Xbox and a PS3, meaning that i have these controllers avaiable: Sixaxis, DualShock 3, wireless original Xbox joystick, wired Thrustmaster GPX Lightback and a generic-transparent-full-with-leds one from DealExtreme.



Sure you have some apps from the store that should do that. Sure that the original Xbox wired controller should work out of the box with an OTG cable (the Thrustmaster is licensed by Microsoft, so i think it qualifies). Bear with me here: this is september 2013 and i can´t predict the future, yet, but i do not see it changing for now, but if you reading this in the future, maybe you could look for a newer article (if i write one i´ll link it here (if i remember)).

So i plug the Xbox wired one that should work already: didn´t work. Google the possible issues. Maybe your device doesn´t have a "strong" or "proper" USB host, or something. Search for some USB host that may be missing: nothing.

Right. Let´s buy the app that promisses to let you connect almost anything to your android stuff and play: USB/BT Joystick Center 8. You read the instructions, plug it, activate this and that, do not activate that one option unless you´re using this one emulator, and after some fails it´s connected. Awesome! Nope. If it doesn´t have the "drivers" for you joystick you have to create it, meaning you have to map the buttons. And then you point each button to a command, and it´s not like you have the option to tell the app wich one is the rigth or left analog stick, you map those to letters or numbers or whatever the hell is in a keyboard. And each game uses a different set of those, so you have to create profiles for them and save them and load them when you´re going to play that one. Those are A LOT of  "ands".

AND you can´t use the PS3 controller over bluetooth unless you have a specific dongle, because the one in your device is not apropriate for this. FUCK!

AND you don´t know by the Play Store description if the games are compatible with joysticks. You have a plugin to make your controller control the touch gestures, manking it compatible with almost every game, but your phone or tablet must be rooted. Other apps that allow the use of joysticks also need it to be rooted.

I like technology and like to fiddle with this kind of stuff a little, i´m not a programmer and i have a life. And these kind of hassles are some of the ones that made me stop playing games in my PC and investing in consoles, mostly because it works. So if you want to have fun configuring a bunch of things before you play anything, go ahead and knock yourself out with joysticks in androids. If you wanna have fun really playing something while mobile, buy a DS, 2DS, 3DS, PSP, Vita, Gameboy or use the touchscreen.