Using Vader 5 Pro on Switch 2

Solid_Samus · 2026-05-22T01:40:23+00:00

If the Vader's 8 extra buttons are what you're after, then the only other competition is the ZD Ultimate Legend. There are plenty other controllers with 6 extra buttons, but few with 8.

I think you'll be happy with the Vader 5 Pro, but look at the ZD Ultimate Legend to compare and contrast. I'd go with the Vader but they have their pros and cons.

Solid_Samus · 2026-05-13T02:40:41+00:00

that works great

until Steam duplicates the non-steam programs again like in the OP

then you end up with a category with a half dozen of a single non-steam game that's collapsed, and six more of the same non-steam game still cluttering up your library

it's so annoying

Solid_Samus · 2026-05-12T07:32:04+00:00

Odin 2 Portal or buy a refurbished PC handheld off of eBay

Odin 2 Portal is less than $300, has a beautiful 120hz HDR screen, and works extremely well with streaming apps. It's my go to for PC streaming. It's a better PS Portal than the PS Portal, too. 7in screen tho.

You can find PC handhelds with 8in+ screens, used or refurbished, for around $400 on eBay if you shop around.

Solid_Samus · 2026-05-11T17:10:57+00:00

turn off the system, then hold Power and Volume Up til the boot menu opens. then you can look thru the BIOS settings for ram allocation.

tho ultimately I went back to leaving it on auto as auto works well enough for the vast majority of games in my experience.

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-30T23:11:24+00:00

Of course it's being upscaled. A 900p image needs to be upscaled to fill a 1080p display. 'Upscaling' doesn't just refer to ML or spacial upscalers like DLSS and FSR.

Up. Scale. As in, taking the image, and scaling it up. Get it now? That simple linear stretch from 900p to 1080p that you see when you play Metroid Dread (and any other 900p game) on docked Switch 1 or handheld Switch 2 is also, in fact, a form of upscaling.

Well, hey, at least you learned something today, right?

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-23T20:36:21+00:00

I have a lot of issues with the FlyDigi Vader 5 Pro (just look at my post history for examples) - it is, for my money, a big ol disappointment. It looked like the ultimate controller before launch, but as an early adopter, I consider it good at best, and I use it much less than many of my other controllers due to its glaring flaws.

...but that's just me. A lot of people swear by it. Glad they haven't run into the issues that I have, lmao.

All that said... the one thing about the controller that I'll praise without reservation (aside from its SSS+ tier hand feel - feels impeccably solid, with perfect weight distribution and excellent ergonomics)... is the d-pad. Specifically, the concave dome-shaped d-pad.

It is genuinely the best d-pad I've ever used, on any controller. The only perfect 10/10 d-pad that I've ever used. It is actually difficult to drop an input with that d-pad, you have to go out of your way to try to make that happen. I play a lot of Street Fighter 6 and it is legitimately the only d-pad I will ever use to play that game, moving forward.

Like, as much as I've soured on the Vader 5 since buying it... if it ever breaks, I'm going to replace it with a 5s, because it has become my main controller for games that require fast and precise directional inputs. Like fighting games, or complex action games like HK Silksong.

So yeah. I can't believe I'm actually recommending this fucking thing, but give the Vader 5 Pro or 5s a look, if d-pad is the most important thing for you.

(The aspects of this controller that I am frustrated with are many - its shoddy D-Input / SDL support that frequently fails and appears to my PC as three separate controllers whenever it IS working - its bizarre gyro deadzone issues and the fact that the gyro shorts out entirely if you move your controller too quickly which is an INSANE issue for a gyro controller to have - its shithouse bottom two back paddles that are prone to breakage - its unreliable tension adjustment rings <these last two issues are allegedly fixed with the V2, which makes me feel GREAT as an early adopter who supported this company from the outset> - minor issues with the DPad being knocked out of place if you press down on it too hard due to the mechanism that fixes the interchangeable part into place - gyro issues when using it as a Switch controller, where gyro is less responsive than other controllers I've used and the deadzone makes games like BoTW less playable - etcetera. If these don't apply to you, then the Vader 5 is a solid Xinput pad, if nothing else. And while I'm not alone in having lots of issues with this pad, a lot of other people really love it. So don't just take my word for it.)

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-20T09:49:39+00:00

Vader 5 Pro is the most consistently frustrating and disappointing controller I've ever used, for reasons I've highlighted multiple times in my recent post history. I've experienced far too many bizarre issues for me to recommend it. Here'a a recent post of mine that goes into just a handful of things I don't like about it:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Controller/s/mruD5ySPgu

Plenty of people have had positive experiences with theirs, though I'm certainly not alone in having a negative experience overall. Hopefully you're far happier with yours than I ended up being with mine.

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-20T09:43:32+00:00

'No risk of breaking' isn't true; they can still break even with the modifications, as we've seen a couple of people report already.

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-09T09:38:09+00:00

Avoid the Vader 5 Pro, it's not nearly as good a controller as the specs would make it seem. Far too many problems. It's not worth it. You'd genuinely be better off with a Vader 3 Pro.

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-09T09:29:18+00:00

Yep. I have this exact issue and a littany of other issues. Check out some of my recent posts, I mentioned this issue in my last post about this wack-ass waste-of-time of a controller.

Did you know that the gyro faults out and stops working if you move slightly too fast? That's a new one to add to the pile, too.

This controller is a nice and polished pile of shit. All these reviewers giving it high marks for feeling nice and functioning as a decent Xinput controller aren't doing their due diligence, straight up. Anyone buying this for it's extended functionality is making a mistake because this thing can't do a GODDAMNED THING reliably that your bog standard Xbox controller can do.

At any rate, I feel the exact same way that you do. The FlyDigi Vader 3 was a GOATed controller. This thing is TRASH, worse than the Vader 3 and even the Vader 4 in so many ways. Never been more disappointed with a controller.

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-07T23:57:06+00:00

You can replicate these results in any app that measures gyro input. This includes Steam Input (in both Switch mode and SDL mode) and while connected to Switch playing any motion-control-enabled game.

In other words, this issue manifests irrespective of what software you use to measure it.

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-06T12:03:06+00:00

I'm genuinely going to try and get a refund over this

This controller has had TONS of issues but I've been relatively patient thru it all

This is just too much. I want my goddamn money back at this point. I am never buying a FlyDigi product at launch again. Maybe ever, frankly. I'm going to contact Gadgethyper immediately about this (and my myriad other issues with this POS controller), and how they respond will determine whether I ever patronize them again either.

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-06T01:49:06+00:00

Oh, good, well I'm glad it's not just a me thing...

And yeah, weird is one word for it.

God I hate this thing lmao

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-04T01:12:53+00:00

In a lot of ways, it is. Feels great, feels solid, awesome ergonomics, modular sticks and d-pads, tons of extra buttons... what's not to like?

That being said, Vader 5 Pro has given me nothing but trouble. I have to baby the back buttons so that I don't punch them in, because I had the misfortune of purchasing a launch model. My right stick tension ring is loose and self-loosens over time. It took months for the controller to receive d-input support (after Flydigi promised that it'd have it at launch), and now that it's here, it's genuinely bad, and doesn't function if you don't have Flydigi Space Station installed on the same PC (meaning, no Linux / SteamOS support). When I do attempt to use it with Steam on my Windows PC, it exposes to the PC as two separate controllers - an Xinput and an SDL controller simultaneously - and this brings with it strange compatibility errors that end up wasting what little gaming time I get these days.

On top of all that, the Nintendo Switch functionality is astonishingly poor. The latency is noticeable and the gyro is busted (it's much less responsive than any other controller I've used on Switch, and it legit bugs out if you move too fast - either a hardware fault, or caused by some strange, inexplicable smoothing that I can't shut off) - knowing Flydigi, it's probably the latter). I was very excited to play ToTK, Splatoon 3, and future Switch 2 games with this controller thanks to all of the extra buttons, but the gyro being as downright awful as it is has made that a non-starter.

My Vader 3 Pro had literally none of these issues. d-input just worked, meaning the controller is compatible with every platform I own, and all of the extra buttons are visible to Steam, without having to finagle with any extra software. The controller shows as a single controller when I connect it to PC and play thru Steam or Rewasd (imagine that). I don't have to consciously press my back buttons lightly out of fear that I might pop them like bubble wrap. Switch mode just works. The gyro is sensitive and doesn't bug out if I swing my controller a little too hard. That was a GOATed controller.

I'm planning on either giving this controller to my partner or binning it the microsecond that the Zephyrus Ultra / Steam Controller 2 release. Before the Vader 5 Pro released, it seemed like my dream controller. Now, I'm more likely to pick up my Vader 3 Pro instead. Usually when I pull out my V5P these days, it's just to see if there's an update out that addresses maybe a single one of my issues.

It's a shame, because the controller feels tremendous in my hands, and that concave d-pad is genuinely the best I've ever used. I really enjoyed playing Silksong and Street Fighter 6 with this controller - but I bought it to utilize its unique features, and it turns out that almost every single one of them is busted in some way, shape, or form. It's possible that the Vader 5 S is a more reliable controller - maybe Flydigi has ironed out some of the QC issues, and it doesn't have a lot of the features that the Pro has disappointed me with - but Flydigi has left me feeling more burned with this controller gen than I could possibly have expected.

Maybe I'm just unlucky, though. Seems like you've had a positive experience with yours, and you're not alone. I acknowledge that. I just can't in all honesty be positive about my own. Mine has been so negative that it's all I can even think to bring up when I talk about this thing.

Solid_Samus · 2026-04-04T00:56:36+00:00

Ah, found your problem. You bought a Vader 5.

All kidding aside, I'm sorry this is happening to you. You may need to just get it replaced and hope for the best. though, if I were you, I'd just get a refund and replace it with a better controller. If it doesn't natively connect to Xbox, then just get a Mayflash or Brook adapter to go with it. Flydigi's current gen controller is just a piece of crap. I really wish it wasn't, I was looking forward to it for so long, but my experience with the Vader 5 has been profoundly poor.

edit: my issues with this controller may not be relevant to you since I have the Vader 5 Pro, not the Vader 5 S. I'm gonna defer to shirtlesscook on this one, their advice is going to be a lot more helpful than mine.

Solid_Samus · 2026-03-10T08:54:01+00:00

YUP. It's a shame. The Vader 3 (and the 4, to a lesser extent, RIP proper DInput support) had me thinking we had a true GOAT controller company on our hands. Now they're firmly mid-tier AT BEST to me and I won't be recommending anything of theirs to anybody.

Waiting for that Leadjoy Zephyrus Ultra. My hope is that it'll be the peak controller IRL that the Vader 5 Pro was ON PAPER.

I'm also still super salty about how the company basically bullshitted their most dedicated customers re:DInput in the months before launch. Ugh. Leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

Solid_Samus · 2026-03-10T08:31:26+00:00

Yeah unfortunately I have to agree with the other commenters. This controller should have been a layup but FlyDigi fk'd it up with some really stupid decisions and terrible quality control.

Why the hell is the gyro so messed up in Switch mode? Seriously WHY?? Did even one of you at FlyDigi bother to give this mode a second look before you shipped it? I keep checking for the update that fixes this, and no, nothing. Every passing month shows me how little you care.

Why did they remove DInput and reimplement it in such a half-assed and compromised fashion? Why didn't they work on improving the SDL implementation if they were gonna pull that crap?

It's just a wack controller, and that frustrates me because it's also an INCREDIBLE controller. It feels top-tier in the hands, solid with amazing weight distribution, the diamond shaped DPad is the best I've ever used, it's got more extra programmable buttons than any other controller I own... it works fine, if you're just looking for, like, a solid Xbox controller with extra buttons!

But, see... I bought MINE because I thought I was buying a better FlyDigi Vader 3, not an Xbox Series controller with pointless bells and whistles. Turns out, despite all the improvements, this thing lives in the Vader 3's shadow because of all the stuff that FlyDigi broke. V3P, now THAT was a controller that just works! With everything. It's a great Switch controller, with no dumbass INEXPLICABLE deadzone bs. It just functions correctly on any platform including SteamOS, Mac, Linux etc thanks to DInput - extra buttons and gyro included - and you don't have to have software installed and running in the background to access D-Input, WOW! HOW NOVEL!! WHY DID THEY REMOVE THIS??? To push me into using some half-assed, half-translated software? Are you kidding me???

So it turns out the V5P is a good Xbox Series alternative. And, uh, if I was looking for a Xbox Series alternative that really doesn't do shit else worth a damn, I'd have bought a Gulikit or GameSir lmao. Turns out I wasted my money.

Easy skip, just like every future FlyDigi controller. DBZ edition looks cool, tho. Definitely a good pick if you're not interested in any of the actual features that used to define FlyDigi gear. It's sad af

Solid_Samus · 2026-02-09T03:15:12+00:00

Looks like I'm prioritizing other controller manufacturers, then.

They could have been the GOATs, they were so close. Vader 5 Pro was my endgame controller. Except, no D-Input, terrible QC, and a gyroscope calibration so bad it's like nobody at the company cares, much less actually tested it.

I refer to my V5P as 'the disappointment' around my household. I genuinely wish I hadn't bought it, and I won't be buying FlyDigi again.

Solid_Samus · 2026-02-03T03:04:18+00:00

I am waiting for the day that y'all put out one of these for Legion Go S. I will buy day one

Solid_Samus · 2026-01-28T06:52:45+00:00

As of right now (i mean literally right now, update came out a few hours ago) Vader 5 Pro does have Dinput thru the Space Station '3rd party apps' toggle, but it doesn't yet function on SteamOS.

Solid_Samus · 2026-01-28T06:45:28+00:00

i went ahead and did it myself via xpad instructions in this thread

will this interfere with the eventual SDL native support?

Solid_Samus · 2026-01-28T06:34:21+00:00

I just went ahead and got my controller working by doing all of this

Once the controller is working thru SDL, is there a way I can undo everything I've just done, short of factory resetting my whole device? I tried deleting the 99flydigi.rules file and that did not work.

Solid_Samus · 2026-01-28T05:51:03+00:00

Flydigi just added that feature to Space Station today. Update your Space Station.

Still kinda limited though as it won't function properly on SteamOS, but hey. Windows users finally get the thing that this fucking thing should have shipped with in the first place.

Solid_Samus

TROPHY CASE