Hi,

I'm looking for a solution that's about as universal as possible, and have had trouble installing things like Joy2Key on Linux. I'd prefer a solution that's effective across distros(I use a few for various purposes,) but even one I could reliably make use of in games for Ubuntu/Mint would be very helpful.

What's the best program to use to get USB joysticks to work in Linux, and how might I get such a thing up and running properly? Thanks in advance!

In Debian I had no problem getting a PS3 controller working via USB. You need the xserver-xorg-input-joystick package, and then everything works automagically. So I guess you need a proper X-server configuration for other distros?

Same here for a XBox360 controller, SpeedLink Drift OZ steering wheel and Logitech Extreme 3D Pro Joystick on Slackware, Gentoo and Arch.
Please be more specific what exactly does not work as you want.

Well, I'd love to just find some solution that works very broadly across distros as well as across programs/games, such as one that'll pretty much nail any issue I'm having on Steam games. There seem to be a small minority of them that just work out of the box with my usb gamepad(which is a Kinobo, though I could live with using my PS3 controller if that was somehow more reliable.) Most don't recognize the joystick at all and this has been one of few hardware issues with Linux I've had consistently since I started using it over a year ago.

If getting it to work on every Linux game that has joystick support isn't doable, I'd resort to asking about some Joy2Key equivalent that'd just map it to my keyboard, but ideally I'm wanting some type of driver, etc. that wouldn't require mapping. I may try this package suggested for 24 hours to see how it works.

i think anything like antimicro (not sure why you cant use joy2key ?) would be dependent on your gamepad latching onto a device like /dev/input/event10. maybe running dmesg after plugging it in will clue us into if the system recognizes it. also show us the contents of:
ll -R /dev/input/
with it plugged in.

iirc correctly not all steam games support gamepads (e.g. the swapper which is point and click).

plug the usb joystick in

the os should auto detect it

i have yet to have one not detected

unless this is some VERY!!! minimal ( server type) install
almost all joysticks should "just work"

now if your STEAM and WINE ( microsoft) games are not seeing the joystick that thew Operating System dose

then that is steam and wine issue

Right. I did notice that on Linux(or Ubuntu 15.04 at least) the game Electronic Super Joy has no issues working out of the box with NO programs/drivers needed, but I can't think of another game now that recognizes it. This may be a sign I need a mapper program. Most all games I'll be playing will be on Steam or Desura--any ideas out there as to how I could universally get the controller to work on those reliably?

if the games developer didnt add joystick support then i dont think there is a way to get one to work with it natively. you can petition the publisher and maybe they will add support for their next update.

as a work-around, programs like antimicro could be used to map joystick buttons to keyboard/mouse controls.

Hmm. Antimicro seems to work somewhat and may even be a catch-all solution, at least for Ubuntu-compatible OSes. One glaring issue is that the thing seems to emulate mouse by default too, making the cursor move around every time I use the stick. Anyone know how to disable the mouse emulation altogether? Thanks, and thanks for the suggestion.

Edit: I've found Ubuntu documentation on exactly how to do it supposedly, but after adding the lines and saving it's not working. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Sixaxis

Using Debian Jessie I just installed Steam, started Super Meat Boy, my Logitech F710 worked the second I picked it up. Have not tried non-steam games.

Even if this only fixed Steam games it'd help a lot, though I'll be making use of Desura as well.

I still can't get this program to stop emulating the mouse input in addition to keyboard. It's wrecking what seems like it could fix most or all of my problems. Any info on how to disable mouse emulation on this is greatly appreciated.

OFFTOPIC:
Sadly, Desura's parent company has filed for bankruptcy, so you might want to download the installers for all your Desura games as long as you are still able to (if you haven't already).

Wow. Thanks for the heads up. I only hope that just like Bad Juju bought it from another company, someone will buy it from Bad Juju. That'd be pretty bad if we just lost the whole service, installers or not.

They made a statement on this:
http://www.desura.com/news/may-27th-update

That's good news, thanks for posting that.