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Gamepad Support

Handle gamepad input using the Input framework property (IInputContext) available in every scene.

Quick Start

protected override void OnUpdate(GameTime gameTime)
{
    if (!Input.IsGamepadConnected()) return;

    if (Input.IsGamepadButtonPressed(GamepadButton.A)) Jump();

    var leftStick = Input.GetGamepadLeftStick(); // Radial deadzone applied automatically
    _position += leftStick * _speed * (float)gameTime.DeltaTime;
}

Connection

// Check default gamepad (index 0)
if (Input.IsGamepadConnected())
    HandleGamepadInput();

// Specific slot
if (Input.IsGamepadConnected(gamepadIndex: 1))
    HandlePlayer2();

// How many gamepads are currently connected
int count = Input.ConnectedGamepadCount;

Buttons

// Just pressed (one-shot)
if (Input.IsGamepadButtonPressed(GamepadButton.A)) Jump();

// Held down (continuous)
if (Input.IsGamepadButtonDown(GamepadButton.RightShoulder)) Sprint();

// Just released
if (Input.IsGamepadButtonReleased(GamepadButton.X)) ReleaseCharge();

// Any button pressed on a specific gamepad
if (Input.IsAnyGamepadButtonPressed(gamepadIndex: 0)) ConfirmSelection();

// Any button on any gamepad (multiplayer join)
if (Input.IsAnyGamepadButtonPressedOnAny(out int joinedIndex))
    RegisterPlayer(joinedIndex);

Available buttons:

GamepadButton Xbox PlayStation Nintendo
A A Cross B
B B Circle A
X X Square Y
Y Y Triangle X
LeftShoulder LB L1 L
RightShoulder RB R1 R
Back Back Select -
Start Start Options +
LeftStick LS Click L3 LS Click
RightStick RS Click R3 RS Click
DPadUp/Down/Left/Right D-Pad D-Pad D-Pad

Analog Sticks

GetGamepadLeftStick() and GetGamepadRightStick() return a Vector2 in the range -1 to 1 with a radial deadzone already applied (default 0.15). Values inside the deadzone are reported as Vector2.Zero; the remaining range is rescaled smoothly to 0--1.

var leftStick  = Input.GetGamepadLeftStick();   // Movement
var rightStick = Input.GetGamepadRightStick();  // Camera/aim

_position += leftStick * _speed * deltaTime;

Adjusting the Deadzone

Input.GamepadDeadzone = 0.20f; // Default is 0.15

Triggers

// 0.0 (not pressed) to 1.0 (fully pressed)
var leftTrigger  = Input.GetGamepadTrigger(GamepadAxis.LeftTrigger);
var rightTrigger = Input.GetGamepadTrigger(GamepadAxis.RightTrigger);

// One-shot: trigger just crossed the deadzone threshold this frame
if (Input.IsGamepadTriggerPressed(GamepadAxis.RightTrigger)) Fire();

// One-shot: trigger just dropped below the deadzone threshold
if (Input.IsGamepadTriggerReleased(GamepadAxis.RightTrigger)) StopFire();

Raw Axes

Use GetGamepadAxis for raw access to any axis without the stick helpers' radial deadzone:

var leftX  = Input.GetGamepadAxis(GamepadAxis.LeftX);
var leftY  = Input.GetGamepadAxis(GamepadAxis.LeftY);

// Edge detection on raw axes
if (Input.IsGamepadAxisPressed(GamepadAxis.LeftX))  StartMoving();
if (Input.IsGamepadAxisReleased(GamepadAxis.LeftX)) StopMoving();

Note

GetGamepadAxis returns the raw hardware value without rescaling. For consistent 2D directional input prefer GetGamepadLeftStick() / GetGamepadRightStick().

Available axes: LeftX, LeftY, RightX, RightY, LeftTrigger, RightTrigger

Rumble / Haptic Feedback

// Low-frequency (left, thud) and high-frequency (right, buzz) motors
// Intensity: 0.0 (off) -- 1.0 (max)
Input.RumbleGamepad(lowFrequency: 0.5f, highFrequency: 0.8f,
    duration: TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(200));

// Stop rumble immediately
Input.RumbleGamepad(0f, 0f, TimeSpan.Zero);

// Trigger motors (Xbox impulse triggers)
Input.RumbleGamepadTriggers(leftTrigger: 0.3f, rightTrigger: 1.0f,
    duration: TimeSpan.FromMilliseconds(100));

Rumble is enabled by default. Configure it at startup via InputOptions:

services.Configure<InputOptions>(opts =>
{
    opts.EnableRumble = false; // Disable globally
    opts.MaxGamepads  = 4;     // Default
});

Multiple Gamepads

for (int i = 0; i < Input.ConnectedGamepadCount; i++)
{
    if (!Input.IsGamepadConnected(i)) continue;

    var stick = Input.GetGamepadLeftStick(i);
    if (Input.IsGamepadButtonPressed(GamepadButton.A, i))
        PlayerJump(i);
}

Combined Keyboard + Gamepad

protected override void OnUpdate(GameTime gameTime)
{
    var direction = Vector2.Zero;

    // Keyboard
    if (Input.IsKeyDown(Key.W)) direction.Y -= 1;
    if (Input.IsKeyDown(Key.S)) direction.Y += 1;
    if (Input.IsKeyDown(Key.A)) direction.X -= 1;
    if (Input.IsKeyDown(Key.D)) direction.X += 1;

    // Gamepad (add to keyboard so either works)
    if (Input.IsGamepadConnected())
        direction += Input.GetGamepadLeftStick();

    if (direction != Vector2.Zero)
        direction = Vector2.Normalize(direction);

    _position += direction * _speed * (float)gameTime.DeltaTime;
}

Troubleshooting

Gamepad Not Detected

  1. Verify the controller is connected and recognized by your OS.
  2. Check Input.IsGamepadConnected() returns true.
  3. Test with keyboard first to verify game logic works.

Stick Drift

The built-in radial deadzone handles this. If drift is still noticeable, increase it slightly:

Input.GamepadDeadzone = 0.20f;

Summary

Component API Notes
Left Stick GetGamepadLeftStick() -1 to 1, radial deadzone applied
Right Stick GetGamepadRightStick() -1 to 1, radial deadzone applied
Triggers GetGamepadTrigger(axis) 0 to 1
Buttons IsGamepadButton{Down/Pressed/Released}() bool
Rumble RumbleGamepad() 0.0--1.0 intensity
Deadzone GamepadDeadzone Default 0.15

Next Steps