By 2024, video games on smartphones will account for 50% of the industry's revenue, with consoles and PCs accounting for 25% and 24% respectively. It's the segment that has seen the biggest growth driven by the popularity of controllers since the pandemic five years ago. While controllers are popular, controlling a character in a game using a touchscreen is not as good as using physical controllers. Precise movement in FPS games, for example, is impossible.
Google is currently testing a feature that allows game controller buttons to be remapped directly from system settings, according to a report by Android Authority. The feature is currently in testing with code found in the latest Android framework. This could signal better game controller support coming with Android 17 next year.
In the current version of Android, the buttons on controllers like the DualSense or Xbox can't be remapped directly from within the controller you're playing (unless they're supported natively). Android users will need to download a third-party app like Button Mapper to perform the remapping.
