# Possible to control BlueROV2 with these? Windows 11 tablets with built-in game controller **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [June 28, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295 "2024-06-28T17:01:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![StrikeLines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@StrikeLines](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/StrikeLines)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2024, 5:01pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/1 "2024-06-28T17:01:45Z")
I have always been envious of the nice integrated controller/display units that are sold by some of BlueRobotics’ competitors. It is a pain to set up a laptop (and an inverter to keep it charged) along with a game controller on the boat while we are offshore. Just today I came across these small Windows “gaming” tablets. They run on batteries and have an X-Box style game controller built in. Is it possible to control a BlueROV2 with one of these? They are running full desktop windows, so that shouldn’t be a problem. I’m curious about the controllers though. How particular is the BlueROV about the controller hardware? Here’s a few examples I just searched up… [https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/handheld/legion-go/len106g0001](https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/p/handheld/legion-go/len106g0001) > **[Amazon.com: WIN600 Handheld PC Game Console 5.94 Inch IPS Touch Screen Preset...](https://www.amazon.com/WIN600-Handheld-Console-Screen-Windows10/dp/B0CD1RWGGW)** > > Buy WIN600 Handheld PC Game Console 5.94 Inch IPS Touch Screen Preset Windows10 Home Edition System 256GB M.2 SSD (Black): Tablets - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases > **[Amazon.com: ASUS - ROG Ally Gaming Handheld Console - Z1 Processor, 512GB, 1080p...](https://www.amazon.com/ASUS-Gaming-Handheld-Console-Processor-Display/dp/B0C8H1FHFH)** > > Play your way with the ROG Ally Gaming Console. Access any game that runs on Windows across all game platforms, including Steam, GOG, XBOX Game Pass, cloud gaming services, Android apps and more. Play anywhere anytime on handheld mode or connect the... ---
**Author:** ![williangalvani](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/6f9a4e/32.png) [@williangalvani](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/williangalvani)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2024, 6:05pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/2 "2024-06-28T18:05:35Z")
Hi @StrikeLines, These should work, my largest concern would be video decoding power, but since they are advertised as “gaming” handhelds, I think they should do just fine. As they are designed for gaming, the joystick should be detected as a proper joystick by windows, which is all that QGroundControl and Cockpit need. A good wireless router, preferably on 5.8Ghz or Wi-Fi 6, will also help a lot. Another option I like is using a good phone (I like samsung ones due to screen brightness) and a bluetooth joystick such as the Ipega 9023. ---
**Author:** ![StrikeLines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@StrikeLines](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/StrikeLines)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2024, 6:21pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/3 "2024-06-28T18:21:35Z")
That hadn’t occurred to me about the phone. Does QGroundControl run reasonably well on Android? Does it have all the features that the Windows version has? There are Android computers with a similar form factor. I imagine their interface would be a little bit easier to navigate than tiny Windows desktop… > **[Amazon.com: AYN Odin 2 Android Handheld Gaming High-Performance Retro Game...](https://www.amazon.com/AYN-Handheld-High-Performance-Snapdragon-Octa-core/dp/B0CQX5439N)** > > Buy AYN Odin 2 Android Handheld Gaming High-Performance Retro Game Handheld with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Octa-core CPU, Adreno 740 GPU, 6" 1080p Screen, Wi-Fi 7, Android 13 (Cold Grey, Pro 12+256GB): Plug & Play Video Games - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY... ---
**Author:** ![tony-white](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/tony-white/32/13297_2.png) [@tony-white](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/tony-white)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 5:45pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/4 "2024-07-01T17:45:35Z")
@StrikeLines - QGC on Android works for ArduRover, but I don’t think it’s particularly robust for ArduSub. The SteamDeck is my preferred handheld for using the BlueROV2 in this paradigm - I like using [Cockpit](https://blueos.cloud/docs/extensions/cockpit/1.0/overview/) more than QGC as well! ---
**Author:** ![StrikeLines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@StrikeLines](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/StrikeLines)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 6:59pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/5 "2024-07-01T18:59:10Z")
I have not seen the new Cockpit app yet. Thanks for the info. Question: Does Cockpit support showing Ping360 data within the main display area? Managing Ping Viewer and QGroundControl on at the same time has been a pain point with our current setup… ---
**Author:** ![tony-white](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/tony-white/32/13297_2.png) [@tony-white](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/tony-white)\ **Post date:** [July 1, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/6 "2024-07-01T19:01:17Z")
Hi Travis - Cockpit is quite powerful, and makes customizing the interface very easy! The best way to currently display ping360 data is to use the [iframe](https://blueos.cloud/docs/extensions/cockpit/1.0/advanced-usage/#iframe) widget to embed Cerulean SonarView extension, in this way you can use any Cerulean sonar embedded alongside your live-video stream and telemetry. ---
**Author:** ![StrikeLines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@StrikeLines](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/StrikeLines)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2024, 11:05pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/7 "2024-07-08T23:05:40Z")
Ok, I got one of these handhelds and am trying to get Cockpit running. Question: If I connect to Cockpit from one computer and change the layout of one of the views, should that new layout persist if I connect to Cockpit from another computer? ---
**Author:** ![rafael.lehmkuhl](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/rafael.lehmkuhl/32/6630_2.png) [@rafael.lehmkuhl](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/rafael.lehmkuhl)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 4:55pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/8 "2024-07-09T16:55:20Z")
You’re in luck Travis! We just released [Beta 22](https://github.com/bluerobotics/cockpit/releases/tag/v1.0.0-beta.22), which includes automatic settings sync with BlueOS! Just open Cockpit in the first device (while connected to the vehicle), customize your widgets profile and any other settings you want, and open Cockpit in the other device! Cockpit (in the second device) will ask you if you want to pull the settings from BlueOS. You can agree to all of them and it should be good to go! ---
**Author:** ![StrikeLines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@StrikeLines](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/StrikeLines)\ **Post date:** [July 9, 2024, 5:10pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/9 "2024-07-09T17:10:19Z")
Perfect timing, thanks! I appreciate how responsive y’all have been to my questions. I really like what you guys are doing with BlueOS. So far it’s been much easier to work with than the old Mission Planner/Qgroundcontrol stack. Nice work. ---
**Author:** ![knarotama](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/knarotama/32/12521_2.png) [@knarotama](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/knarotama)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 5:07am UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/10 "2024-07-30T05:07:58Z")
@StrikeLines I just tried installing QGC in ROG Ally X for BlueBoat control. QGC always launch in fullscreen mode and I can’t get it to change to normal windowed mode. Switching to another App (ALT+TAB or via Task Viewer) is almost impossible. I had to press a shortcut button to trigger CTRL+ALT+DEL, select the ‘cancel’ button, and then… switch to another app ☹. It seems that this is QGC behavior in Windows Tablet. In several weeks time, I’ll be testing QGC + ROG Ally X to control BlueBoat… ---
**Author:** ![StrikeLines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@StrikeLines](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/StrikeLines)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2024, 3:53pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/11 "2024-07-30T15:53:43Z")
BlueOS and Cockpit are working well for me on the small windows display on my Lenovo Legion. Mission Planner is working also, if you need a Qgroundcontrol alternative. ---
**Author:** ![knarotama](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/knarotama/32/12521_2.png) [@knarotama](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/knarotama)\ **Post date:** [July 31, 2024, 9:31am UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/12 "2024-07-31T09:31:39Z")
I will look into using Mission Planner and Cockpit… Thanks @StrikeLines ---
**Author:** ![knarotama](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/knarotama/32/12521_2.png) [@knarotama](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/knarotama)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2024, 1:10am UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/13 "2024-08-09T01:10:45Z")
Today, QGC in ROG Ally X suddenly can launch/open in normal windowed mode 😃 👍. We are currently using an Xbox Controller and a Zenbook 14 that sits on top of [a tray, on top of a tripod](https://a.co/d/iuV4YNX). The tripod tray is/can be mounted on a [tripod dolly](https://a.co/d/c0M6TrP). This way the operator can be mobile around the survey vicinity to keep an eye on the vessel. So the idea of using a Windows gamepad (like ROG Ally), is to simplify the above setup and make the operator more mobile. We went through situations where vessel launching and recovery is in a different spot to each other , and also in a different spot than the ground control station, and we have to move ground control station from one spot to another in one day. ---
**Author:** ![Lyra](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/lyra/32/12029_2.png) [@Lyra](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/Lyra)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2024, 2:30pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/14 "2024-09-15T14:30:14Z")
@tony-white How do you deal with the USB cable for the FXTI and a SteamDeck ? ---
**Author:** ![tony-white](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/tony-white/32/13297_2.png) [@tony-white](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/tony-white)\ **Post date:** [September 15, 2024, 5:26pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/15 "2024-09-15T17:26:38Z")
Hi @Lyra - You can use a [USB C to A cable](https://www.amazon.com/JSAUX-Printer-Compatible-Chromebook-Printers/dp/B082HQ3LP2/) ---
**Author:** ![Eloi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/eloi/32/9151_2.png) [@Eloi](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/Eloi)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2025, 4:53pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/16 "2025-04-20T16:53:59Z")
Dear @StrikeLines, @tony-white and others. Could you please comment on screen sunlight readability and joystick quality for SteamDeck and Lenovo Legion Go? I have asked the same question here: [Using a Handheld PC to Control the BlueROV2 - #4 by Eloi](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/using-a-handheld-pc-to-control-the-bluerov2/20070/4) ---
**Author:** ![StrikeLines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@StrikeLines](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/StrikeLines)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 1:50pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/17 "2025-04-21T13:50:03Z")
> [@Eloi](#): > > Could you please comment on screen sunlight readability and joystick quality for SteamDeck and Lenovo Legion Go? I’m charging mine now. I’ll get some photos for you shortly. ---
**Author:** ![StrikeLines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@StrikeLines](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/StrikeLines)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2025, 2:03pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/18 "2025-04-21T14:03:27Z")
I’ve got another tip for someone trying to get completely wireless with a handheld controller. I bought one of [these](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2J7WSDK?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_2) little mini travel routers and mounted it in a [waterproof box](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09N7LB65M?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1&th=1) with a power brick and the Fathom module. The top side of the ROV tether is permanently attached to the box with a waterproof cable gland. The router is configured to run on the BlueROV’s expected IP subnet on the ethernet port, and the wifi is set up as an access point. So when I’m ready to dive, we just power on the ROV, turn on the topside power brick, connect the control computer to the Wi-Fi, and we’re good to go. No more worries about tripping over cables. ---
**Author:** ![Eloi](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/user_avatar/discuss.bluerobotics.com/eloi/32/9151_2.png) [@Eloi](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/Eloi)\ **Post date:** [April 26, 2025, 5:03pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/19 "2025-04-26T17:03:59Z")
That would great thanks. ---
**Author:** ![StrikeLines](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@StrikeLines](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/u/StrikeLines)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2025, 4:59pm UTC](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295/20 "2025-04-27T16:59:21Z")
I just took my Lenovo Legion, a Lenovo Android tablet and an iPhone out in the sunlight and compared the three. The Legion was a touch brighter than the Lenovo tablet. The iPhone was the brightest, and it did a much better job managing reflections and glare, which was the most noticeable improvement. In my experience, the Legion handheld computer has been fine to use outside, though I usually operate from under a sunshade or inside the pilothouse. The most difficult part of using the legion is trying to interact with Windows on such a tiny screen. It’s got a little trackpad for the mouse on your right thumb that works pretty well. I just wish the keyboard would automatically pop up when you selected a text input area. Instead you have to tap the keyboard icon in the task bar, which is a small target with fat fingers. Here’s the Legion vs an iPhone ![IMG_20250427_114227_721](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/bluerobotics/original/2X/a/a5e8b4b81a99822002f5b1de680865c9b941de47.jpeg) And the Legion vs a Lenovo Tablet ![IMG_8086](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex019/uploads/bluerobotics/original/2X/b/b3c4fdf79b87aa6e1076b61f7d607b65ff06227b.jpeg) [Next page](https://discuss.bluerobotics.com/t/possible-to-control-bluerov2-with-these-windows-11-tablets-with-built-in-game-controller/17295.md?page=2)