Use your Android phone as a wireless PSP controller for PPSSPP emulator on Linux.
This app lets you control PPSSPP running on your Linux PC using your phone as a gamepad. It connects over WiFi with very low latency (typically 1-5ms on a local network).
The controller has all the PSP buttons - D-pad, analog stick, action buttons (Triangle, Circle, Square, Cross), shoulders (L/R), and Start/Select.
There's also a desktop layout editor that lets you drag buttons around and see the changes live on your phone. Much easier than fiddling with the phone screen.
Grab the latest release from the Releases page:
- PSPLinuxController-x.x.x.apk - Install this on your Android phone
- PSPLinuxController-Server-x.x.x.tar.gz - Extract this on your Linux PC
Extract the server tarball somewhere convenient:
tar -xzf PSPLinuxController-Server-*.tar.gz
cd PSPLinuxController-ServerInstall xdotool if you don't have it (the server uses this to simulate keyboard input):
sudo apt install xdotoolStart the server:
./start_server.shYou'll see something like this:
==================================================
PSP Controller Server
Made by Uzair
==================================================
Local IP: 192.168.1.100
Port: 5555
==================================================
Note down that IP address - you'll need it for the phone app.
Transfer the APK to your phone and install it. You might need to allow installing from unknown sources in your phone's settings.
- Open the app on your phone
- Tap the Connect button and enter your PC's IP address
- Launch PPSSPP on your PC and load a game
- Use your phone as the controller!
If you want to move buttons around, use the desktop layout editor:
pip install PyQt5 # Only needed once
python3 layout_editor_gui.pyDrag controls to reposition them. Changes show up on your phone in real-time. Hit Save when you're happy with the layout.
The editor supports undo/redo with Ctrl+Z and Ctrl+Y.
These are the keyboard keys that get pressed when you tap each button:
| Button | Key |
|---|---|
| D-pad | Arrow Keys |
| Cross | Z |
| Circle | X |
| Square | A |
| Triangle | S |
| Start | Space |
| Select | V |
| L / R | Q / W |
| Analog | I/J/K/L |
You can change these in PPSSPP's control settings if needed.
Can't connect?
Make sure your phone and PC are on the same WiFi network. You might also need to allow port 5555 through your firewall:
sudo ufw allow 5555Button presses not working?
Make sure PPSSPP has focus (click on it). You can test if xdotool is working by running:
xdotool key zIf you want to build the app yourself instead of using the releases:
# Build the APK
./gradlew assembleDebug
adb install app/build/outputs/apk/debug/app-debug.apk
# Run the server (no build needed, it's Python)
cd server
./start_server.shApache License 2.0
Contributions are welcome! Please open an issue or submit a pull request.
Made by Uzair

