# Game Controller Library
Part of [Android Game Development Kit](https://developer.android.com/games/agdk/overview).

The Game Controller library, also known as Paddleboat, helps you implement robust support
for game controllers. The library provides the following:

- Callbacks for detecting controller connections and disconnections
- Controller device information, including button style and layout
- Controller input data, standardized around modern dual-stick controller designs
- Extended features on supported controllers, including vibration, lights, motion axis data, and battery status
- Ability to read input from virtual and physical mouse devices
- Ability to specify custom controller mapping data for particular devices

## Compatibility requirements

The Game Controller library has minimum compatibility requirements of:

- Android 4.4 (API level 19) or higher
- [Android NDK](https://developer.android.com/ndk) version 21 or higher

## Integrate

The Game Controller library is distributed in two formats: As a [Jetpack](https://developer.android.com/jetpack)
library for games using a Gradle-based build system (including Android Studio),
and as discrete files for games using custom build systems.

For a sample that integrates the Game Controller library, see the
[games-samples repository](https://github.com/android/games-samples).

### Jetpack library

The [Jetpack Android Games](https://developer.android.com/jetpack/androidx/releases/games) page has
integration instructions to add the Game Controller library dependency to your
game's `build.gradle` file.

The Jetpack library release of Game Controller is a static
library built against the C++ runtime shared library.

After updating your `build.gradle` file, you will need to add the following
line to your game's main `CMakeLists.txt` file:  

    find_package(games-controller REQUIRED CONFIG)

You will also need to add the following entry to the list of libraries
in the `target_link_libraries` command of your game's main shared
library:  

    games-controller::paddleboat_static

### Discrete files

The `.zip` archive distribution of the Android Game Development Kit includes
header and library files for the Game Controller library. The following files
must be included in your project to use the Game Controller library:

- The `classes.jar` file containing the Dalvik bytecode portions of the Game Controller library. This file is located at `libs/classes.jar`
- The `paddleboat.h` interface header file. This file is located at `include/paddleboat/paddleboat.h`
- Either the `libpaddleboat.so` shared library file or the `libpaddleboat-static.a` static library file. These files are found in the build configuration subdirectories under the `libs` directory.

The build configuration subdirectories under the root `libs` directory are
categorized by:

- ABI architecture
- Minimum Android API level
- Android NDK version
- C++ runtime library version
- Release or debug build configuration

As an example, the `arm64-v8a_API16_NDK21_cpp_shared_Release` subdirectory
contains library files for:

- ARM 64-bit ABI
- Minimum API level 16
- Built against NDK version 21
- Built against shared library version of C++ runtime
- Release build configuration

The `libpaddleboat_static.a` file is located directly in the subdirectory. The
`libpaddleboat.so` file is located at `lib/paddleboat/` within the subdirectory.

## Next steps

See the following guides to continue integrating the Game Controller library into your game:

- [Use the Game Controller library](https://developer.android.com/games/sdk/game-controller/controller)
- [Add mouse support](https://developer.android.com/games/sdk/game-controller/mouse)
- [Add custom controller device mappings](https://developer.android.com/games/sdk/game-controller/custom-mapping)