Mobile controllers and RetroArch.

By John Moore, 7 January, 2026

Forum
iOS and iPadOS Gaming

Hello all. I had a hard time choosing which forum to post this to because this is about both hardware and an app. I have both a PS5 controller and an XBox controller. When I paired them with my iPhone, they disconnected when I opened RetroArch and I couldn't navigate the menus except with a keyboard. Can anyone recommend a good mobile controller that has an accessible app for customization? If I don't need to customize the buttons, how do I pair the controller and start using it with RetroArch? Thanks for any help you can provide.

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Comments

By DMNagel on Thursday, January 8, 2026 - 05:51

Why Retro Arch specifically? Have you ever tried using Delta, Gamma, Provenance or myBoy?

By Brian on Thursday, January 8, 2026 - 08:55

When I used to mess around with RetroArch, I used an old Logitech Dual Analog controller, that looked a bit like a PS4 controller. It's USB, and works for both my current Windows PC, and my old MacBook Pro. Nope, RetroArch was on my MacBook Pro. The controller worked fairly well for that system/application. I do not recall if I had to do anything in the settings to get the controller to sync up, I just remember I used to play Mortal Kombat 3/Ultimate and Streetfighter Alpha 2 games (SNES, etc.) on it with no issues with the controller.

HTH