Handheld Companion Guide: Supported Devices, Install, and Armoury Crate or Legion Space Conflicts

Short answer: Handheld Companion is a free, open-source Windows app for PC gaming handhelds. It adds gyro aiming, Xbox 360 or DualShock 4 controller emulation, button remapping, per-game profiles and a Quicktools overlay for TDP, refresh rate and brightness. It supports the ROG Ally and Ally X, Legion Go and Go S, MSI Claw, Steam Deck, and models from AYANEO, GPD, OneXPlayer, AOKZOE, Ayn and ZOTAC. Download it only from its GitHub releases page. The current version is 1.2.1.3, released September 22, 2026. It can run alongside Armoury Crate, but the project says Armoury Crate takes priority on the special buttons. On the Legion Go, it tells you to disable Lenovo’s DAService to avoid conflicts.

What Handheld Companion does

Handheld Companion (HC) is developed by Valkirie and contributors on GitHub. Its README describes it as “a touch optimized GUI to increase your handheld gaming computer experience.” The main features it lists:

• Motion control. Gyro aiming through the device’s built-in sensor, with settings for racing, first- and third-person games and emulators.
• Quicktools overlay. Quick access to TDP, Auto TDP, GPU, refresh rate, frame limiter, resolution, brightness, volume, power mode and battery level.
• Virtual controllers. Emulation of an Xbox 360 controller or a Sony DualShock 4.
• Per-game profiles that apply automatically when the game starts.
• Remapping of gamepad buttons to mouse and keyboard, plus deadzone settings.
• PS Remote Play support with DS4 emulation, including motion and touchpad.
• Performance overlays and a 3D controller overlay for recordings.

HC’s controller features depend on third-party drivers. The README says it relies on Nefarius’s ViGEmBus driver and the HidHide filter driver. The README calls the installer an “all-in-one setup” and says to run it as administrator.

The project’s FAQ gives one piece of advice worth knowing early: “We recommend relying on Steam controller support whenever possible.” It built its own Universal Motion Control so that games outside Steam, including Microsoft Store titles, can use gyro too.

Supported devices

The README lists these devices, on Windows 10 and Windows 11:

Release notes for 1.2.1.1 (September 9, 2026) add support for the OneXPlayer X2 and X2 Mini Pro, the 2026 Steam Controller, a DirectInput mode for the Legion Go and Legion Go 2, and Steam Deck OLED firmware 0x1100.

How to install Handheld Companion

1. Go to github.com/Valkirie/HandheldCompanion/releases. For 1.2.1.3 the installer is HandheldCompanion-1.2.1.3.exe, 44,094,259 bytes.
2. Check its SHA-256 in PowerShell:

   Get-FileHash .\HandheldCompanion-1.2.1.3.exe -Algorithm SHA256

   It should match GitHub’s digest: 8ab1feb8cbe7cfd10eb50d8c39d4b944c0a9a5022b44a8447967c3de5a613bc8.

3. Run the installer as administrator and click through the setup.
4. Start HandheldCompanion.exe as administrator. The wiki says you can close the window afterwards and HC keeps running.

Watch out for one wiki link. When we checked on September 26, 2026, the link on the project wiki’s Installation page was labeled with a GitHub releases address, but actually pointed to an unrelated third-party website. Don’t follow it. Type the GitHub releases address yourself, or use our Handheld Companion download page, which links straight to GitHub.

Updating. You can run a new installer over an existing install. The wiki says it will ask to stop the running service first and keeps your existing profiles.

Early access builds. The README says Patreon supporters in the Early Access tier get builds “at least two weeks before they are released publicly.” The public GitHub releases are free.

Handheld Companion and Armoury Crate (ROG Ally)

The project’s ROG Ally wiki page says it’s possible to use both apps at the same time, with these rules:

• “AC takes priority on the special OEM buttons.” If you want HC to remap the Ally’s front buttons and back buttons, the wiki says to disable Armoury Crate and reboot.
• To do that, open Services from the Start menu and disable startup for ARMOURY CRATE SE Service and Armoury Crate Control Interface.
• Armoury Crate’s gamepad mode set to Auto “can cause trouble” for HC’s virtual controller. Set Controller Mode to Gamepad in Armoury Crate.
• You can use HC’s manual TDP and AutoTDP alongside Armoury Crate, without turning on HC’s controller service.

The same page warns against running all three of HC, Armoury Crate and Steam Input as remappers at once: “This is asking for problems,” such as double inputs and unresponsive buttons. Choose one, or at most two, for remapping.

It also says HC and its controller service must be started before your games. If a game starts first, it can grab the physical controller instead of HC’s virtual one, causing double inputs.

Handheld Companion and Legion Space (Legion Go)

The Legion Go wiki page says: “In order to avoid conflicts between the software, you will need to disable the DAService from the services list and reboot your device.” It adds that you can’t just stop the service; you have to disable it and reboot.

Other points from that page:

• HC takes over TDP control from Legion Space. The wiki says HC doesn’t change your settings; the controls move from Legion Space into HC.
• For HC to control the controller LEDs, open Legion Space once and set the lighting effect in your profile to Solid.

Parts of the Legion Go and Steam Deck wiki pages refer to much older HC versions (0.19 and 0.20 on the Legion Go page), so some details may have changed. The general rule of disabling Lenovo’s service to avoid conflicts is the one the project states.

Common problems the project documents

• Double inputs in Steam. The FAQ says to turn off Xbox Extended Feature Support in Steam’s controller settings, which bypasses HC’s controller hiding. It also says to disable Steam Input for the Desktop Layout.
• Quicktools minimizes the game. Switch the game to windowed or borderless fullscreen. The wiki says Quicktools “mostly won’t work” with exclusive fullscreen.
• Buttons greyed out. Run HC as administrator.
• Gyro doesn’t work in a game. Check the profile points at the right .exe. Some games launch a second executable, such as a Win64-Shipping.exe, and that’s the one to select.
• You only want TDP control. The FAQ explains how to disconnect the virtual controller, stop and remove the controller service, and set TDP in profiles.

How to uninstall it cleanly

The wiki’s steps, in this order:

1. In HC, press Halt Service, then Remove Service, at the bottom left.
2. Uninstall Handheld Companion from Add or remove programs.

The FAQ notes that if an AYANEO controller stops working after an uninstall, you should reinstall HC, run it as administrator, stop and remove the service, then uninstall again.

What Handheld Companion is not

• It’s not made by ASUS, Lenovo or MSI. The README credits OEM partners for sample devices, but it’s a community project.
• It’s not for commercial redistribution. It’s licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0.
• It’s not for Linux. It’s built for Windows 10 and 11. On Linux handheld OSes, see Bazzite vs SteamOS.

If you add frame generation on top, our Lossless Scaling guide covers the settings its developer recommends.

Questions

Is Handheld Companion free?

Yes. Public releases on GitHub are free. Patreon supporters get early builds.

Where is the official Handheld Companion download?

The releases page at github.com/Valkirie/HandheldCompanion/releases.

Does Handheld Companion work on the ROG Ally X?

Yes. The ROG Ally and Ally X are on the project’s supported device list.

Can I use Handheld Companion with Armoury Crate?

Yes. Armoury Crate keeps priority on the special buttons, and the project recommends setting its controller mode to Gamepad.

Do I need to disable Legion Space on the Legion Go?

The wiki says to disable Lenovo’s DAService and reboot to avoid conflicts.

Why do I get double inputs?

Usually Steam’s Xbox Extended Feature Support, or a game starting before HC. Start HC first and turn that Steam setting off.

Does Handheld Companion work on the Steam Deck?

Yes, on Windows. The Steam Deck (all models) is on the supported list.

What does Handheld Companion install?

It relies on the ViGEmBus and HidHide drivers for virtual controllers and controller hiding.

Can I use it only for TDP?

Yes. The FAQ explains how to disable the virtual controller and use HC for power settings only.

Is Handheld Companion open source?

Yes. Its code is on GitHub under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license.

Sources

• Valkirie/HandheldCompanion README (features, devices, license), GitHub
• Handheld Companion 1.2.1.3 release (asset digest), GitHub, September 22, 2026
• Handheld Companion 1.2.1.1 release notes, GitHub, September 9, 2026
• Installation, Handheld Companion wiki, checked September 26, 2026
• FAQ, Handheld Companion wiki
• ASUS ROG Ally, Handheld Companion wiki
• Lenovo Legion Go, Handheld Companion wiki
• Get-FileHash, Microsoft Learn