AETHUS Controller Support: Gamepad Setup and Controls

AETHUS features native controller support on PC following Patch 1.035, offering tailored gamepad bindings for mining, building, and menu management. Players can operate tools with standard inputs while using the left trigger and right analog stick for precision targeting.

Patch 1.035 Gamepad Integration and Core Controls

Developer Pawsmonaut Games released official gamepad support in Patch 1.035, adding a dedicated control scheme tailored for standard controllers. The update automates core interactions to remove reliance on mouse movements during mining trips and station management. Mining ore, interacting with machinery, and harvesting hydroponic crops map directly to basic controller face buttons, using X as the primary interaction button on standard layouts.

Precision work remains accessible through a secondary cursor mode. Holding the Left Trigger activates a 3D interface cursor operated by the Right Stick, enabling players to target specific mineral deposits, select small interface tabs, and position build structures. Accessing Maeve's journal maps to D-pad Up. When organizing outpost layouts or working with how to use build kits, this trigger-assisted cursor allows exact grid placement without requiring a connected mouse.

Controller Options and Input Methods

AETHUS accommodates several controller hardware configurations on PC. The interface displays Xbox button prompts by default, though players using alternative hardware can adjust compatibility through Steam settings.

DualSense and DualShock controllers require Steam Input enabled within the Steam desktop client to ensure button mapping registers correctly. While the store page lists support for DualShock and DualSense hardware, the current in-game visual prompts show standard Xbox button iconography. Players adjusting inventory quantities or interface sliders can hold the left trigger while nudging the analog stick to position selections across craft benches.

Steam Deck and Handheld Performance

Valve lists AETHUS as Playable on Steam Deck. Patch 1.035 integrated full Steam Deck control bindings, matching the portable console's built-in thumbsticks and buttons to the native PC gamepad scheme. In the Steam forum update thread, the developer confirmed ongoing optimization work aimed at achieving full Steam Deck Verified status.

Handheld players can adjust in-game graphic options and utilize custom Proton layers to maintain stable performance during deep underground exploration. Video playback adjustments made in Version 1.022 resolved cutscene rendering on Linux-based runtimes. The gamepad scheme allows handheld players to monitor automated extractors delivering materials to a storage silo and modify difficulty parameters via the best difficulty settings directly through the Deck interface.

Upcoming Console Release and Controller Reworks

Pawsmonaut Games partnered with Spanish porting studio Making Port to bring AETHUS to consoles in early 2027. The upcoming launch covers ps5, xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, and the Microsoft Store on Windows.

Making Port is rebuilding the controller interface to streamline UI navigation across all platforms. The console editions introduce revised menu interaction loops, visual upgrades, and dedicated Joy-Con 2 mouse targeting on Nintendo Switch 2. The developer confirmed that every controller refinement and interface upgrade developed for the console release will arrive simultaneously as a free update for the PC and Steam Deck versions.