Skip to content

Installation

OpenGamepadUI offers a variety of installation methods. It can be installed locally in your user directory or system-wide. Use one of the following installation guides to install OpenGamepadUI on your system.

If you are using ArchLinux, you can install OpenGamepadUI from the AUR.

You can install it using your favorite AUR helper:

yay -S opengamepadui-bin

If you wish to install the OpenGamepadUI session, you can also install the opengamepadui-session-git package:

yay -S opengamepadui-session-git

Pre-built binary

Source package

Desktop Installer

The easiest way to install OpenGamepadUI on SteamOS is to use the desktop installer. Access this page from your SteamOS device and download the installer below. Note that you may have to open the installer from your file manager if your browser cannot run files:

Download

FAQ

Can I still use Steam's interface with OpenGamepadUI installed?

Yes, when running on SteamOS, OpenGamepadUI will give you the option to switch back to Steam's gaming interface whenever you\'d like.

Does OpenGamepadUI require me to unlock the read-only filesystem?

No, OpenGamepadUI is installed as a systemd extension which gets merged over the root filesystem using overlayfs. No system files are modified and OpenGamepadUI can be removed any time.

Does OpenGamepadUI work on Windows, Mac, or other operating systems?

No, OpenGamepadUI only works on Linux-based operating systems. It relies heavily on software that is only available on Linux. There are no plans to support any other operating systems.

Does using OpenGamepadUI void my Steam Deck warranty?

OpenGamepadUI does not modify the root filesystem, so there shouldn't be any reason for your warranty to be denied. However, OpenGamepadUI is provided without warranty and you are responsible for the security of your device.

OpenGamepadUI can be installed by modifying your configuration.nix and including the opengamepadui program:

configuration.nix
programs.opengamepadui = {
  enable = true;
  inputplumber.enable = true;
  powerstation.enable = true;
};

If you want to also include the enable the dedicated session:

configuration.nix
programs.opengamepadui = {
  enable = true;
  inputplumber.enable = true;
  powerstation.enable = true;
  gamescopeSession.enable = true;
};

services.displayManager = {
  defaultSession = "opengamepadui";
}

If you are using an OS that has an immutable filesystem (such as SteamOS or ChimeraOS), OpenGamepadUI can be installed as a systemd extension. When extensions are enabled (aka "merged") those files will appear on the root filesystem using overlayfs.

Binary Installation

Use the following steps to install OpenGamepadUI as a systemd extension:

  • Download the latest version of OpenGamepadUI from the releases page. The systemd extension should be called opengamepadui.raw.
  • Create a directory to store the extension in your home directory:
mkdir -p ~/.var/lib/extensions
  • Create a symlink to the extensions directory:
sudo ln -s $HOME/.var/lib/extensions /var/lib/extensions
  • Move opengamepadui.raw to the extensions directory
mv ~/Downloads/opengamepadui.raw ~/.var/lib/extensions
  • Enable and start systemd-sysext:
sudo systemctl enable systemd-sysext
sudo systemctl start systemd-sysext
  • Verify that the extension is loaded:
systemd-sysext status

If the extension doesn't load, you may need to force refresh:

sudo systemd-sysext refresh --force

Source Installation

Use the following steps to build and install OpenGamepadUI as a systemd extension from source:

  • Ensure that you have the build dependencies from the developer guide installed.
  • Clone the OpenGamepadUI repository:
git clone https://github.com/ShadowBlip/OpenGamepadUI.git
  • Build the project with make
cd OpenGamepadUI
make build
  • Install and enable the systemd extension:
make enable-ext
make install-ext

OpenGamepadUI offers pre-built binaries that can be installed on any modern Linux distribution. There are 2 different ways you can install OpenGamepadUI:

  1. System-wide (recommended)
  2. Locally in your home directory

System-wide installation

Installing OpenGamepadUI system-wide provides the most funtionality. Use the following steps to install OpenGamepadUI:

  • Ensure you have the runtime dependencies installed
  • Download the latest version of OpenGamepadUI from the releases page. The package archive should be called opengamepadui.tar.gz.
  • Extract the archive to a folder
tar xvfz opengamepadui.tar.gz
  • Install OpenGamepadUI
sudo make install PREFIX=/usr

Local user installation

OpenGamepadUI can be installed completely in your home directory, with some limitations. Use the following steps to install OpenGamepadUI in your home directory:

  • Ensure you have the runtime dependencies installed
  • Download the latest version of OpenGamepadUI from the releases page. The package archive should be called opengamepadui.tar.gz.
  • Extract the archive to a folder
tar xvfz opengamepadui.tar.gz
  • Install OpenGamepadUI (default: ~/.local)
cd opengamepadui
make install

OpenGamepadUI can be built and installed on any modern Linux distribution. There are 2 different ways you can install OpenGamepadUI:

  1. System-wide (recommended)
  2. Locally in your home directory

Build

  • Ensure that you have the build dependencies from the developer guide installed.
  • Clone the OpenGamepadUI repository locally
git clone https://github.com/ShadowBlip/OpenGamepadUI.git
  • Build the project with make
cd OpenGamepadUI
make build

System-wide installation

If you wish to install OpenGamepadUI system-wide, you can do the following:

sudo make install PREFIX=/usr

Local user installation

Use the following to install OpenGamepadUI to your local user directory (default: ~/.local):

make install

Usage

Once OpenGamepadUI is installed, it should show up as an application you can launch from your desktop environment.

Alternatively you can launch it from the command line with:

opengamepadui

or, if installed in the local user directory:

~/.local/bin/opengamepadui