The input subsystem pull that went in ahead of Linux 7.3-rc4 widens the XPad driver’s device list and fixes three specific laptops.

Azeron devices

Initial support lands for six Azeron models: the Cyro, Cyborg, Classic/Compact, Cyro Lefty, Cyborg II and Keyzen, via a new vendor ID and the associated device IDs.

Azeron makes one-handed gamepads that replace the left half of a keyboard. The Keyzen has 32 fully mappable keys and a 360-degree hall-effect joystick, and sells for around $269.

The reason these matter beyond enthusiast gaming is accessibility. A device that puts every input within reach of one hand, with finger positions adjustable to the user, is a genuine assistive device for anyone who cannot comfortably use a keyboard and mouse together. Hardware in that category is expensive, niche, and historically poorly served on Linux precisely because the market is small.

Note the wording: initial support. Getting the device recognised is the first step, and full functionality for something with 32 mappable keys and an analogue stick usually takes more than one patch.

The Victrix Pro BFG

The PDP Victrix Pro BFG wired controller did not work on Linux. It now does, and the entire fix is adding a device ID so XPad claims it as an Xbox One compatible controller.

This is the single most common shape of Linux controller support. The device already speaks a protocol the kernel implements. It simply identifies itself with a USB ID nobody has added to the table yet. One line, and a controller goes from dead to fully functional.

It is also why a controller that “does not work on Linux” is often one kernel release away from working, and why reporting the USB ID is a genuinely useful thing to do.

# find a controller's IDs
lsusb
cat /proc/bus/input/devices

# test what the kernel is reporting
sudo evtest

The laptop quirks

Three fixes for specific machines, which is the unglamorous majority of input work:

• Acer Aspire Go 15 (AG15-42P) and Xiaomi Redmi Book Pro 16 2026: quirks so the built-in keyboards keep working
• Lenovo ThinkPad T440p (board ID 2722): a Synaptics PS/2 quirk so the touchpad and TrackPoint respond immediately at boot rather than after a delay

The ThinkPad one is worth noting for how narrow it is. Not all T440p units, but those with a specific board ID. Vendors ship the same model with different components over a production run, and the kernel ends up carrying per-board-revision knowledge because the hardware does not describe itself accurately enough.

That accumulated quirk table is a large part of why Linux works on older laptops at all, and it exists because somebody with the affected machine took the time to report it.

Getting it

These are in 7.3, due in October. Ubuntu 26.10 will ship on 7.3, so that arrives with the release rather than needing a backport.

For the broader input picture, libinput 1.32 shipped the same week with its own set of touchpad and tablet improvements, sitting one layer above the kernel drivers described here.