Remio turns your phone, tablet, or laptop into a wireless controller for your computer. Pair a controller to the client device, connect to your host, and play: on a Windows or Linux computer the games see a real controller — sticks, triggers, buttons, and rumble that comes back to your hands. A few minutes from unboxing the controller to playing.
Overview
A controller doesn't have to be plugged into the gaming computer to play games on it. Remio sends every button press and stick movement from the client to the host. On a Windows or Linux host, Remio Host creates a real controller for each player — an Xbox 360 or a DualShock 4 — up to four at once, each in its own player slot, so games find it the way they find any controller plugged in. A Mac can't create a virtual controller, so a Mac host turns the buttons into keyboard and mouse input instead (more below).
On any computer you can also choose Keys & mouse as the output in the Gamepad panel: each control then sends a key or a mouse click instead, and games won't see a controller. It's one or the other — never both at once. Keys & mouse is a great fit for menus, strategy and building games, and anything that plays fine with keyboard and mouse.
Prerequisites
- A controller — Xbox Wireless / Series / Elite, PlayStation DualShock 4 / DualSense, Nintendo Switch Pro, 8BitDo, or any MFi-certified controller, over Bluetooth or USB. No controller? The on-screen gamepad on a phone or tablet works too.
- Remio Client on iOS, iPadOS, Android, macOS, or Windows — latest version recommended.
- Remio Host on a Windows 10/11 or Linux computer for a real controller (rumble included), or on macOS 15+ for keyboard-and-mouse input. Keep it up to date — an older host can't confirm gamepad support.
- Bluetooth or USB-C on the client device. USB-C is generally lower latency than Bluetooth when both are available.
Supported controllers
Xbox, PlayStation DualShock 4 / DualSense, MFi and the other controllers your device supports can pair. Whichever you use, a Windows or Linux computer sees an Xbox 360 or a DualShock 4 controller — you pick which under Controller type in the Gamepad panel. A Mac host reads any of them as keys and mouse.
- Xbox Wireless / Series / Elite — Bluetooth or USB-C. Face buttons, sticks, triggers, and D-pad come through, and a game's rumble comes back to the controller (Windows and Linux computers).
- PlayStation DualShock 4 / DualSense — Bluetooth or USB-C. Buttons, sticks, and triggers come through. When the controller is connected to an iPhone, iPad or Mac and the game runs on a Windows or Linux computer, the game also gets its motion sensors, touchpad, and battery level, and can set its light bar (from Apple TV: motion sensors and light bar, no touchpad). Needs a current Remio Host on that computer; Android and Windows clients don't send these.
- Nintendo Switch Pro Controller — Bluetooth. Face buttons, sticks, and D-pad come through; a Windows or Linux computer sees an Xbox 360 controller.
- 8BitDo — most modern models. Bluetooth or USB. Pro 2, Ultimate, SN30 Pro, and arcade sticks all pair and work; mode switches on the controller still apply.
- MFi-certified iOS controllers — Backbone, Razer Kishi, GameSir, Rotor Riot, etc. Apple's GameController framework picks them up automatically and Remio passes through every button it exposes.
01 · Pair the controller to your client device
Use your client device's standard pairing flow — Remio doesn't replace it. Once the OS shows the controller as connected, Remio Client picks it up automatically.
- iOS / iPadOS Client — Settings → Bluetooth. Put the controller in pairing mode (Xbox: hold the small sync button for 3 s; DualSense: hold PS + Share until the light bar pulses; Switch Pro: hold the sync button next to the USB-C port). Tap the controller name when it appears.
- Android Client — Settings → Connected devices → Pair new device. Same controller-side steps as above. Galaxy devices list the controller under "Other devices".
- macOS Client — System Settings → Bluetooth. Put the controller in pairing mode and click Connect when it appears in Nearby Devices.
- Windows Client — Settings → Bluetooth & Devices → Add device → Bluetooth. Or plug a USB-C cable for instant connection without pairing.
Verify the OS reports the controller as connected before opening Remio. A failed pair at the OS level can't be fixed inside Remio.
Wired USB-C is always lower latency than Bluetooth. If you're playing competitively over a flaky Wi-Fi connection, plug the controller in.
02 · Open Remio Client and connect to the host
Launch Remio Client. When you connect to a host, the controller is automatically forwarded. Open the Gamepad panel in the session toolbar to see where it stands: Preparing… while the computer sets up the controller, then Ready (Xbox 360) or Ready (DualShock 4). On a Mac host it reads Keys & mouse, and No controller means Remio hasn't seen one yet.
You can plug or unplug controllers mid-session. Hot-add and hot-remove both work without disconnecting the stream. Each controller takes its own player slot, listed under Players; a Mac host serves one player at a time.
- iOS / iPadOS / macOS — controller events flow as soon as the Apple GameController framework reports the device.
- Android — Android's InputManager picks up the controller; events are forwarded the moment the first button is pressed.
- Windows — any controller Windows recognizes over Bluetooth or USB works the same way.
03 · Confirm your inputs are reaching the game
Before diving into a game, do a quick sanity check on the host. This avoids spending ten minutes debugging what turns out to be an OS-level pairing issue.
- Run Test gamepad — in the Gamepad panel, choose Test gamepad, then move a stick and press a few buttons. Applied means the computer wrote the input to its controller (on a Mac, to its keys and mouse).
- Check the status — Ready (Xbox 360) or Ready (DualShock 4) means the computer has created a real controller. Keys & mouse means games on that computer see keyboard and mouse input instead.
- If nothing happens — the issue is between client and host, not the game. Skip to troubleshooting.
# Gamepad input flow
Controller → Bluetooth/USB → Client device OS
Client OS → Remio Client reads button and stick events
Remio Client → sends them to the host, one player slot per controller
Windows / Linux host → creates an Xbox 360 or DualShock 4, rumble goes back
Mac host → turns them into key presses and mouse movement
Game on host → reacts like it does to a controller (or to keys and mouse)04 · Launch a game and test everything
Open the game on the host. Two quick checks:
- Sticks and triggers — should move the camera or character the way they do with a controller plugged straight into the computer, triggers included. On a Mac they act as mapped keys and mouse movement.
- Face buttons and D-pad — each should trigger its action in the game, and a game that rumbles should rumble your controller (Windows and Linux computers).
If the game doesn't react, choose the controller inside the game or restart the game — some only look for controllers when they launch.
Gamepad input travels on the same low-latency connection as keyboard and mouse. On a Windows or Linux computer the game sees a real controller and shows gamepad button prompts. Remio Pro adds the gamepad builder: redesign the on-screen controller, remap a controller's buttons and sticks, and save a profile per game that switches on by itself when that game comes to the front. Playing with a controller, rumble, and up to four players are free.
What the host sees
On a Windows or Linux computer the host sees a real controller, not your hardware: an Xbox 360 or a DualShock 4 for each player, as if it were plugged into the computer — so games need no controller support of their own. On a Mac the host sees keyboard and mouse input, because macOS doesn't let Remio create a virtual controller. If a Windows or Linux computer can't create the controller, the Gamepad panel says why.
- Nothing to download — on Windows, installing or updating Remio Host sets up everything the controller needs.
- Works with games that expect a controller — on Windows and Linux they see a standard Xbox 360 or DualShock 4 pad.
- Keys & mouse is still an option — and it is all a Mac host can do: one player, mapped keys and mouse, no rumble.
PlayStation controller features
A DualShock 4 or DualSense connected to your iPhone, iPad or Mac sends more than buttons across — to games on a Windows or Linux computer, with a current Remio Host.
- Motion sensors — games get them, so gyro aiming and steering work (from an iPhone, iPad, Mac or Apple TV).
- Touchpad and light bar — games receive the touchpad and can set the light bar colour; battery level comes through too. Apple TV has no touchpad.
- On a Mac — motion, touchpad, and light bar don't reach games; a Mac host plays the controller as keys and mouse.
- Needs a current Remio Host on that computer.
Rumble and haptic feedback
Supported on Windows and Linux computers. When a game rumbles, the vibration is sent back to your controller — each player's own, including trigger rumble on controllers that support it. A phone has a single motor, so with the on-screen gamepad left/right and trigger rumble play as one. A Mac host has no controller to rumble, so nothing comes back.
Up to four players per session
On a Windows or Linux computer Remio forwards up to four controllers at once, each in its own player slot, so local co-op works with everyone's controller connected to the same device. A player can hand off between the on-screen gamepad and a real controller mid-game. A Mac host plays one controller at a time.
Latency optimization for gaming
Default settings are tuned for fast feedback, but a few choices push latency even lower for fighting games, rhythm games, or competitive shooters.
- Wired controller — USB-C beats Bluetooth for input latency at the controller-to-client hop, every time.
- 5 GHz Wi-Fi to the client — 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi shares spectrum with most Bluetooth controllers and microwaves. The interference shows up as input stutter.
- Ethernet to the host — wire the host PC if possible. Eliminates uplink jitter from the host side.
- Let the frame rate run — keep Quality preset on Auto, or raise Max frame rate in Advanced settings → Video, so Remio can send up to 120 fps when your network has room. See Streaming quality.
- Direct LAN connection — when client and host are on the same network, Remio uses a direct peer-to-peer path that doesn't touch the public internet. See direct LAN connection.
Troubleshooting
- Controller pairs to phone but nothing happens in the game — open the Gamepad panel first: on a Windows or Linux computer it should read Ready (Xbox 360) or Ready (DualShock 4). If it does, choose the controller inside the game or restart the game — some only look for controllers when they launch. If it reads Keys & mouse, the game sees keyboard and mouse input, not a controller.
- The Gamepad panel says the computer couldn't create the controller — if it says the driver is missing, reinstall Remio Host; if it says the computer isn't allowed to create controllers, check the Remio Host input permission on it.
- Rumble doesn't work — check that vibration is turned on in the game. A Mac host can't send rumble, and on the on-screen gamepad a phone has one motor, so left/right and trigger rumble play as one.
- Stick drift only over Remio (not on host directly) — your client device's gamepad driver is forwarding noisy input. Update the client OS to the latest version.
- Switch Pro disconnects after a few minutes — older firmwares have aggressive sleep behavior over Bluetooth. Update the controller via the Nintendo Switch console once, then re-pair.
- Racing wheel or HOTAS not detected — Remio treats controllers as gamepads, and wheels and flight sticks need more. With Remio Pro, a Mac or Windows PC can send a USB wheel or flight stick plugged into it to the Mac, Windows PC or Linux computer it controls (Accessories in the session toolbar). Otherwise plug it into the computer itself and install its own driver there (Logitech G HUB, Thrustmaster TM Hub, etc.).
- Controller works in one game but not another — some games only look for controllers when they launch, so restart the game; some need you to pick the controller inside the game. After changing Controller type, restart the game too. A game that ignores controllers entirely can use Keys & mouse.
Gamepad & controller FAQ
Which controllers work with Remio?
Any controller your client device can pair over Bluetooth or USB — Xbox Wireless / Series / Elite, PlayStation DualShock 4, PlayStation DualSense, Nintendo Switch Pro, 8BitDo (most models), and any MFi-certified iOS controller. A Windows or Linux computer sees each one as an Xbox 360 or DualShock 4 controller.
Does the game see my controller on the computer?
On a Windows or Linux computer, yes — as a real Xbox 360 or DualShock 4 controller, not as keyboard and mouse. On a Mac, no: macOS doesn't let Remio create a virtual controller, so the buttons arrive as keyboard and mouse input. On any computer you can switch the output to Keys & mouse.
Are triggers analog or on/off over Remio?
On a Windows or Linux computer, analog: triggers come through as triggers, so racing and flight games read the pressure. On a Mac they act as mapped keys, so they are on/off.
Does rumble or haptic feedback work?
Yes, on Windows and Linux computers. When a game rumbles, the vibration is sent back to your controller. A Mac host can't send rumble, and the on-screen gamepad on a phone plays left/right and trigger rumble as one.
Can I use more than one controller at the same time?
On a Windows or Linux computer, yes — up to four at once, each in its own player slot, enough for local co-op with everyone's controller connected to the same device. A Mac host plays one at a time.
Will the game show gamepad button prompts?
On a Windows or Linux computer, yes: the game sees a real Xbox 360 or DualShock 4 controller, so it shows the matching button icons. On a Mac, or with Keys & mouse, it shows keyboard prompts instead.
Headset audio through the controller — does that work?
Not over Remio. Headset audio through the controller's 3.5mm jack stays on your phone or laptop. For low-latency game audio, plug a headset directly into the host PC, or pair Bluetooth audio directly with the host. Remio's game audio still flows back to the client through the stream itself.
Related guides
- Apple Pencil setup — the input-device sibling guide. If you use a Pencil for creative work and a gamepad for gaming, both share Remio's low-latency input channel.
- Cloud gaming with Remio — the root use-case page. Performance benchmarks, supported titles, and the full gaming feature story.
- Play PC games on iPad — long-form blog post walking through Steam, Game Pass, and emulator scenarios.
- Keyboard layout fix — if a game falls back to keyboard input and your characters arrive wrong, this guide explains why.
- General troubleshooting — connection issues, audio, video quality.
