Had a moment to think... basically, lag ruined my Elden Ring run! Are you playing GeForce Now or native apps? Knowing that helps me narrow down tech like 8BitDo Pro 2 Bluetooth Gamepad!!

ngl i kinda disagree with just picking a pad based on what worked for someone else last year. sony tweaks the bravia firmware so much that reliability changes with every update basically. honestly your best bet is to just hop on the geforce now subreddit or search for sony bravia controller compatibility 2024 on youtube. theres a specific channel that does super detailed input lag tests for android tv that is way more accurate than what we can tell you here. basically just look for the most recent tech deep dives... they have spreadsheets for this stuff that are updated constantly and it saves so much trial and error.

^ This. Also, just jumping in here... honestly I've spent way too much time tweaking my Bravia setup over the years and it can be a real rabbit hole. One thing that matters a ton is whether you're gonna be sitting right in front of the TV or across a big living room, cuz signal interference is a real mood killer. Are you looking for something that just works out of the box with zero setup, or are you okay with diving into the system settings to map things manually if it means getting better performance? Also, what kind of budget are we talking about here? It helps to know if you're looking for a bargain or willing to pay for the pro features. Just depends on how much you wanna tinker with it really.

yo, I feel u on this. honestly, I went through a whole phase of trying to get the 'perfect' setup for my Bravia and it was such a headache. I initially tried my old Sony DualSense Wireless Controller and man, it was a total disappointment. The mapping in some native Android games was LITERALLY backwards and I couldnt fix it without some sketchy 3rd party apps... so frustrating. After that mess, I switched to the Xbox Wireless Controller - Carbon Black and it basically solved everything. It pairs super fast via Bluetooth and the input lag on GeForce Now is surprisingly low. Plus, basically every cloud service defaults to Xbox button prompts anyway, so it just feels more natural. The lesson I learned? Even though Sony makes the TV, Android TV's Bluetooth stack just seems to play way nicer with the Xbox standard. If ur looking for something that 'just works' without the drama, thats the way to go. gl! 👍

So basically the consensus is that sticking to the standard console pads like the ones from Sony or Microsoft—which were brought up earlier—is a bit of a gamble for Bravia users. Tbh, I've spent years testing these setups, and it's pretty frustrating how hit-or-miss the button mapping can be on Android TV. If you're trying to keep costs down and avoid the lag issues mentioned in the last reply, here is what I've learned over the years: * Go with a third-party brand that focuses on PC or Android compatibility. You generally get much better plug-and-play mapping right out of the box compared to console-first gear.
* Honestly, if your TV is close enough, just get a long USB extension and use a wired controller from a reputable brand. It's the most cost-effective way to LITERALLY delete input lag for GeForce Now.
* Look for brands that offer dual-mode connectivity (2.4GHz dongle + Bluetooth) as they tend to be more versatile for smart TVs. In my experience, you don't need to spend $70 on those 'pro' models. Just get any mid-range controller from brands like Logitech or SteelSeries+and+you&linkCode=osi&tag=5422-20" target="_blank" rel="nofollow sponsored">SteelSeries and you're usually good to go. It's reallyyy not worth the headache of troubleshooting first-party console gear that wasn't natively designed for a TV's operating system. Focus on the 'made for PC' brands and you'll save money and stress. gl! 👍

I've seen so many people run into issues with firmware updates breaking compatibility on these TVs, so it's smart to be cautious. To help narrow it down, are you looking for a brand that offers a dedicated 'Android' mode for maximum stability, or are you trying to stick with the big names like Sony or Microsoft? Also, what's your budget like for this... are we talking premium price for reliability or something more mid-range?

I'm right there with you, honestly. Been dealing with this on my Bravia for over eighteen months and it's basically a full-time job keeping the connection stable. Every time there's a system update, I'm holding my breath hoping my setup doesnt just break overnight. It's super frustrating when you just want to sit down and play... I'd definitely keep these things in mind before you pull the trigger:

• Be careful with anything that relies on proprietary dongles. Sonys USB ports can be really picky about power draw and might drop the connection mid-game.
• I would suggest staying away from controllers that dont have a clear way to update their own internal firmware. If the TV changes its Bluetooth handshake protocol, you're stuck.
• Watch out for X-input vs D-input toggles. If the controller doesnt handle the switch correctly, the TV might recognize it as a keyboard, which is a nightmare for mapping. It's such a rabbit hole... honestly I'm still trying to find that perfect stability myself.