Linux Getting Rumble Support For Latest Microsoft Xbox Controllers

Thanks to a Google engineer in communication with Microsoft engineers, the "hid-microsoft" upstream Linux driver is seeing work to support the rumble mode on newer Xbox controllers.

The Microsoft HID Linux driver had supported rumble mode with the Xbox One Wireless Controller but that broke with a 2021 firmware update to the controller. Google engineer Siarhei Vishniakou tracked down the issue and simply needs the new device ID for matching what is exposed by the updated firmware. So with a patch sent out this week the Xbox One Wireless Controller has restored rumble support with this Linux driver.

Thanks to Siarhei also being in communication with the Microsoft Xbox team, it looks like other controllers will end up supporting the rumble mode on Linux. Siarhei noted:

After discussing further with the xbox team, it was pointed out that other xbox controllers, such as xbox elite, should also be possible to support in a similar way. However, I could only verify this on 2 controllers so far.

Nice to see not getting shutdown by the Xbox team. Google for their part is probably interested in the Xbox controller support for any gamers on Chrome OS devices, Android TVs, or similar.

This patch for now is just adding the Xbox Wireless Controller and Xbox One S Controller with the updated firmware while presumably follow-up patches will be on the way once being able to verify the support with the other Xbox controllers.