NEW: HIDAPI for Desktop Linux

[kalana-sahabandu]

Description

Purpose of this PR is to bring HIDAPI support to Desktop Linux Platform along with HIDAPI support for PS5 controller. This PR adds necessary macros to following files to enable HIDAPI logic flow for Desktop Linux Platform (Editor and runtime):

• DualShockTests.cs
• DualShockGamepadHID.cs
• DualShockSupport.cs

Note that this PR only enables HID API path in the New Input package. All the platform related ground work (detection and disconnection, read and write) is handled in the native platform code (see: PLAT-15472, PLAT-15473, PLAT-15474)

Testing status & QA

• Tested Linux Editor Detects PS5 controller through HIDAPI
  Screencast from 2025-09-03 10-23-04.webm

• Tested Linux Runtime detects PS5 controller through HIDAPI
  Screencast from 2025-09-03 10-28-38.webm

Overall Product Risks

Please rate the potential complexity and halo effect from low to high for the reviewers. Note down potential risks to specific Editor branches if any.

• Complexity: Low
• Halo Effect: Low

Comments to reviewers

Please describe any additional information such as what to focus on, or historical info for the reviewers.

Checklist

Before review:

• Changelog entry added.

  • Explains the change in Changed, Fixed, Added sections.
  • Added: HIDAPI Support for Desktop Linux
  • PLAT-15476

• Tests added/changed, if applicable.

  • N/A

• Docs for new/changed API's.

  • N/A, since this PR only enables logic flow in New Input System for Desktop Linux Platform
  • Documentation will be added for Desktop Linux with DOCR-6100

During merge:

• Commit message for squash-merge is prefixed with one of the list:
  • NEW: HIDAPI Support for Desktop Linux Platform.

After merge:

• Create forward/backward port if needed. If you are blocked from creating a forward port now please add a task to ISX-1444.

[unity-cla-assistant]

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[codecov-github-com]

Codecov Report

All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests ✅

@@             Coverage Diff             @@
##           develop    #2231      +/-   ##
===========================================
- Coverage    68.14%   68.13%   -0.01%     
===========================================
  Files          367      367              
  Lines        53662    53662              
===========================================
- Hits         36570    36565       -5     
- Misses       17092    17097       +5     

Flag	Coverage Δ
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linux_2021.3_project	70.39% <ø> (ø)
linux_2022.3_pkg	5.23% <ø> (ø)
linux_2022.3_project	65.24% <ø> (ø)
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linux_6000.0_project	68.03% <ø> (ø)
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linux_6000.2_project	68.04% <ø> (-0.01%)	⬇️
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linux_trunk_project	68.03% <ø> (ø)
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mac_2021.3_project	70.40% <ø> (ø)
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win_2021.3_pkg	5.45% <ø> (ø)
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win_2022.3_pkg	5.23% <ø> (ø)
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win_6000.2_project	68.13% <ø> (+<0.01%)	⬆️
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win_trunk_project	68.13% <ø> (ø)

Flags with carried forward coverage won't be shown. Click here to find out more.

Files with missing lines	Coverage Δ
...putSystem/Plugins/DualShock/DualShockGamepadHID.cs	42.03% <ø> (ø)
.../InputSystem/Plugins/DualShock/DualShockSupport.cs	100.00% <ø> (ø)

... and 1 file with indirect coverage changes

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[ekcoh]

Thanks for doing this PR @kalana-sahabandu. Changes look good to me if all that is needed is to enable the device mapping/layouts for Linux backend to work with these gamepads over HID and Linux backends now. Will this work across all support Unity versions though? I cannot see that there is version based conditions attached to enabling this for Desktop Linux?

[jfreire-unity]

Thanks for this. And good to have increased support for Gamepads on Linux.
Changes look fine. I assume we don't need a check for the availability of this feature in the package because the platform won't be sending any HID devices prior to that change, right? Just want to make sure you have tested this PR with Unity versions without the platform changes you mentioned, like @ekcoh has mentioned.

I just have a question: why do this only for Dualsense controllers? Why not all Sony controllers or even other controllers? I looked into the platform code you mentioned and basically it seems we have a new HID backend.
Are other controllers supported by SDL? And only the Dualsense is not supported?

[kalana-sahabandu]

@ekcoh @jfreire-unity Thank you so much for the reviews and the questions.

Will this work across all support Unity versions though? I cannot see that there is version based conditions attached to enabling this for Desktop Linux?
Thank you so much for pointing this out. I haven't tested this on older Editor versions, I will test this on the supported Editor versions as well (I have a feeling I might need a version based condition for Desktop Linux).

Quick question here: It will be Editor versions 2021.3 and up ?

I just have a question: why do this only for Dualsense controllers? Why not all Sony controllers or even other controllers? I looked into the platform code you mentioned and basically it seems we have a new HID backend.
Are other controllers supported by SDL? And only the Dualsense is not supported?
Hey @jfreire-unity I only added for DualSense controllers for now. But adding other HID compatible controllers to this list is totally doable. Since we are accessing HID compatible devices much lower level, compared to SDL's Gamepad API.

So i have a quick question here, What are the other controllers New Input system access through HID ? If you could let me know a list of controllers that use HID for communication. I can definetly add them to the native implementation as well.

Again, thank you both for the kind feedback, very much appreciated