Everything you need to know about picking, plugging in, and calibrating a controller for Absolute RC Simulator.
Absolute RC works with any gamepad, Xbox controller, or RC transmitter that your operating system recognizes as a game controller. If the device shows up in your OS's game controller list, it will show up in the simulator.
Regular gamepads (Xbox, PlayStation, generic) have a spring-centered throttle stick. That's perfect for driving games — but wrong for RC flying. A real RC plane's throttle stays at whatever position you set it to; you need to actively pull it back for descent, not have it snap to idle every time you let go.
An RC-style transmitter has a ratcheted throttle stick that stays where you put it. This one difference makes the difference between "I'm playing a game" and "I'm practicing RC flight".
A dedicated controller that looks and feels like a real RC transmitter, but connects directly via USB. No batteries, no pairing. Plug it in and it shows up as a gamepad.
BETAFPV LiteRadio 2 SIM Drone Flight Simulator Controller — about $40 on Amazon. Purpose-built for simulator use, so it doesn't need batteries and skips the RF radio hardware you don't need. We fly with this every day: precise sticks, solid build, works on every major platform.
FLYDrone S8 FPV Flight Simulator Controller — about $28 on Amazon. Same platform compatibility as the BetaFPV. A bit less precise on the sticks but still a good RC-style feel for the price. If budget matters, this one is hard to beat.
Note on iOS: the FLYDrone S8 uses a different "enter USB mode" gesture than the BetaFPV — instead of holding both sticks in and down, you press the button on the face of the controller when plugging in. See the iPhone/iPad section below.
Already own a real RC transmitter for planes, helis, or drones? You can use it directly. You'll need a USB simulator cable (sometimes called a "4-in-1 sim cable" or "trainer-port USB dongle"), typically $10–20 on Amazon. It plugs into your transmitter's trainer port (or DSC port) and the other end into your computer's USB.
Many modern transmitters (e.g., RadioMaster, FrSky, FlySky, Jumper) have a built-in USB-HID mode — just plug a USB-C cable from the transmitter straight into the computer and select "USB Joystick (HID)" mode on the transmitter. No dongle needed.
| Platform | Works | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 10 / 11 | ✓ | Plug and play. Appears in "Game Controllers". |
| macOS (Intel / Apple Silicon) | ✓ | Plug and play. |
| Linux | ✓ | Plug and play on any modern distro. |
| iPhone / iPad (iOS, iPadOS) | ✓ | See special procedure below. |
| Android (phone / tablet) | ✓ | Use a USB-C OTG cable if the transmitter ships with USB-A. |
iOS is picky about USB-HID devices. To get a USB simulator transmitter working on an iPhone or iPad, follow the procedure for your specific device below.
Press a button or wiggle a stick on the controller. Most browsers don't report gamepads until they see input.
Re-run the calibration wizard from the Click To Setup button. Then check Stick Mode (Mode 1/2/3/4) — this maps physical sticks to throttle/elevator/aileron/rudder. Most pilots use Mode 2 (throttle on left, elevator/aileron on right).
Each connected gamepad gets its own button in the Controls menu. The one marked ✓ Active — Click To Setup is the one the sim reads. Click the other to switch.
Some transmitters have multiple USB modes (HID Joystick, Mass Storage, etc.). Check the transmitter's settings for "USB Joystick (HID)" or "Simulator" mode. On OpenTX / EdgeTX, this is usually SYS → Hardware → USB Mode → Joystick.
Open a support ticket with your device name, operating system, and browser. We usually reply the same day. Responses appear on the support page — come back and check with the same email you used to submit.
Install the sim as a native app, use a real controller, and mirror to your TV — all from a phone or tablet.
Absolute RC runs fully in the browser, but you can pin it to your home screen so it launches full-screen with no browser UI — exactly like a downloaded app, with its own icon. No installation from an app store, no updates to wait for.
The lower portion of the simulator screen is divided into two large touch zones — left stick and right stick — that you operate with your thumbs, just like a physical transmitter.
Each stick starts centered the moment your finger touches down, and snaps back to center the instant you lift your finger. This is intentional: it mirrors the behaviour of real spring-centered RC sticks, so muscle memory you build in the sim transfers directly to a physical transmitter.
Move your thumb away from the touch point to deflect the stick in any direction. The further you move, the greater the deflection. Keep both thumbs resting lightly on the screen for the smoothest control — the same technique used with real transmitter sticks.
Absolute RC supports USB gamepads and RC transmitters on mobile exactly the same way as on desktop — the browser's Gamepad API works on both iOS and Android.
Plug your controller in with a USB-C OTG adapter (if the controller has a USB-A plug). Most modern Android phones and tablets support USB OTG out of the box — no settings change needed. Once plugged in, wiggle a stick in the sim and it will be detected automatically.
Use Apple's USB-C to USB Adapter (USB-C iPhones/iPads) or the Lightning to USB Camera Adapter (older models). Some transmitters require a special plug-in gesture to enter USB HID mode on iOS.
See the full iPhone/iPad procedure in the Gamepad & Transmitter tab →
Flying RC on a big screen is a completely different experience. Mirroring from your phone or tablet takes under a minute to set up.