While the Linux kernel has supported the official Sony PlayStation 3 controller as an input device, some of the off-brand/knockoff models haven't quite behaved correctly on Linux but that's now being rectified.

Red Hat's Bastien Nocera has made a necessary change to the Sony HID code in the Linux 4.15 kernel to address these knockoff PlayStation 3 controllers as well as a change in BlueZ Git, for the upcoming BlueZ 5.48 release.

With the updated Linux kernel and BlueZ code, those imitation PS3 controllers -- often listed as manufactured by SHANWAN or GASIA -- should now work correctly under Linux after working around their lack of Bluetooth compliance and their rumble motor also running non-stop.

In his Linux Bluetooth work, Bastien Nocera has also recently addressed support for Bluetooth LE battery reporting support via the specification's standardized reporting interfaces. Those changes are now in place for BlueZ and UPower.

More details on these Linux Bluetooth improvements via Bastien Nocera's blog.