[SOLVED] Bluetooth gamepad connects but not shown

ControlK · 07-23-2020, 06:19 AM

Hi,

I recently got an off-brand switch pro controller to use with my laptop.
The gamepad connects through bluetooth using blueberry (blueman-manager just gives an "input/output error" message).
After connecting the controller also shows in bluetoothctl:

Code:

[Pro Controller]# info
Device 98:B6:E9:45:F8:FD (public)
	Name: Pro Controller
	Alias: Pro Controller
	Class: 0x00002508
	Icon: input-gaming
	Paired: yes
	Trusted: yes
	Blocked: no
	Connected: yes
	LegacyPairing: no
	UUID: Human Interface Device... (00001124-0000-1000-8000-00805f9b34fb)
	Modalias: usb:v054Cp05C4d0100

However none of the test applications (jstest-gtk, evtest-qt, or steam) show the controller, and i can not seem to find it in /dev/input.

I'm using artix linux and i have the hid-nintendo-nso-dkms and nintendo-udev packages installed,
There also seem to be no new files in /dev/ anywhere after connecting.

EDIT: it does connect to my android phone, so it is not simply that the gamepad can not connect to anything.

Some more info:

dmesg:

Code:

[11034.441773] udevd[839]: invalid key/value pair in file /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/70-steam-input.rules on line 42, starting at character 82 ('u')
[11061.004292] udevd[839]: invalid key/value pair in file /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/70-steam-input.rules on line 42, starting at character 82 ('u')
[11069.973507] udevd[839]: invalid key/value pair in file /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/70-steam-input.rules on line 42, starting at character 82 ('u')
[11070.146120] sony 0005:054C:05C4.0012: unknown main item tag 0x0
[11075.152658] sony 0005:054C:05C4.0012: Failed to get calibration data from Dualshock 4
[11075.153007] sony 0005:054C:05C4.0012: hidraw8: BLUETOOTH HID v81.00 Gamepad [Pro Controller] on e4:70:b8:52:ec:79
[11075.153013] sony 0005:054C:05C4.0012: failed to claim input
[11075.162813] udevd[839]: invalid key/value pair in file /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/70-steam-input.rules on line 42, starting at character 82 ('u')

The file "70-steam-input.rules": https://termbin.com/yno5

dugan · 07-27-2020, 12:19 PM

Where did this 70-steam-input.rules file come from? Have you tried removing it?

Also: in my experience (on Fedora), you have to wait a bit between connecting with Blueman and actually being able to use the gamepad.

ControlK · 07-29-2020, 08:30 AM

Hi,

I tried deleting it, no luck.
It seems however that the issue with the drivers is known upstream:
https://github.com/DanielOgorchock/linux/issues/10

It seems the generic switch pro controllers do not work most of the time (yet).

imahbub · 01-28-2024, 02:59 AM

After no solution from the internet, I worked days after days tinkering with bluetooth profiles and finally solved it. I am here to share my solution:
First of all, if you're using first party controller, use an external USB bluetooth which should connect without any tinkering. Then move to the solution bellow (this will not only work for xbox, but also third party generic bluetooth gamepads, chinese bluetooth gamepads, EasySMX gamepads with Nintendo Switch Controller mode and some bluetooth keyboards)
Edit /etc/bluetooth/input.conf (if not available, create one) and edit the options to match the following config:

Code:

# Configuration file for the input service

# This section contains options which are not specific to any
# particular interface
[General]

# Set idle timeout (in minutes) before the connection will
# be disconnect (defaults to 0 for no timeout)
#IdleTimeout=30

# Enable HID protocol handling in userspace input profile
# Defaults to false (HIDP handled in HIDP kernel module)
UserspaceHID=true

# Limit HID connections to bonded devices
# The HID Profile does not specify that devices must be bonded, however some
# platforms may want to make sure that input connections only come from bonded
# device connections. Several older mice have been known for not supporting
# pairing/encryption.
# Defaults to true for security.
ClassicBondedOnly=false

# LE upgrade security
# Enables upgrades of security automatically if required.
# Defaults to true to maximize device compatibility.
LEAutoSecurity=false

Now, your device will connect even if the pairing key is not exchanged or the bluetooth adapter fails to exchange the keys.