While there are plenty of games that take advantage of a smartphone’s touchscreen, there are certain genres of games that just feel better with a physical controller. This includes fighting games, racing games, and also RPGs, just to name a few. If you happen to have an Xbox 360 controller lying around somewhere, here’s how you can connect it to your Android device to use as a physical controller.
Now, Microsoft sells the Xbox 360 controller in either a wired or wireless version. Depending on which model you have, the connection methods to your Android smartphone or tablet will be different.
For those who own the wired version of the Xbox 360 controller, you will need to purchase an OTG cable. This will feature a USB-A port on one end and a micro USB/USB-C connector on the other end. Depending on your phone, if it uses a USB-C port, you’ll need to get a USB-C to USB-A cable, but if your phone still uses micro USB, then you’ll need to get a micro USB to USB-A cable.
Unlike the newer Xbox One controllers that rely on Bluetooth, the wireless version of the Xbox 360 controller uses its own wireless connection. This means that it isn’t quite as simple or straightforward as pairing it with your Android phone or tablet. You will need to purchase an OTG cable like the ones we’ve listed above, along with a wireless receiver.
For those with the Xbox One or PS4, you can check out our guides here as well on how to connect your controllers to your Android smartphone or tablet:
Unfortunately, this is where your mileage may vary. Some games may support the Xbox 360 controller right off the bat without any issues, but there may be some games that might require you to switch from touchscreen input to controller input, which you can find in the settings.
Also, since most games do not offer the ability to button map, you will be stuck with whatever the default button layout is, so you might need to take some time to adjust to the new controls, and this may vary from game to game so you will need to explore this yourself.
Note: this article may contain affiliate links that help support our authors and keep the Phandroid servers running.