Wireless gamepads link in Windows but not in Linux (Solved)

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mikeb · #1 Post by **mikeb** » Tue 18 Dec 2018, 13:12

I have recently acquired a pair of wireless gamepads. They are not xbox clones but generic ones that simulate the wired playstation like ones we had before but died of old age and worked on linux or windows for various games and emulators.

Thing is they have been working just fine on Windows and behave as if they were wired.
The procedure is to insert dongle , press a couple of buttons and the bluetooth links up.

The problems is I have tried them out on Linux ie various pups and other distros and in every case the bluetooth will not link up.
Since with machine only sees the same as a wired controller and indeed dmesg registers the dongle just fine this behaviour seems a little odd but it has to be some sort of linux driver issue.

I get a similar but different issue attaching my phone...since the change to memory stick mode is done after insertion some windows and linux versions do not register its existence until device manager is manually rescanned.

Any clues would be welcome.

mike

bigpup · #2 Post by **bigpup** » Wed 19 Dec 2018, 13:39

I have recently acquired a pair of wireless gamepads

What are they?
Details?

They are the gamepads and a transmitter that plugs into a USB port?
Anything about having to have USB 3 port?

I would be using the very latest version of Puppy.
Bionicpup64 7.9.7
For Bluetooth run Quickpet>Info>Bionicpup updates to get the latest fix.

04/12/2018 added bluetooth ..... bluez, bluezalsa & janky_BT

Probably is a driver and kernel hardware support issue.

mikeb · #3 Post by **mikeb** » Wed 19 Dec 2018, 14:36

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Wireless-Blu ... 2749.l2649

USB2 port.
Though they can do bluetooth for a phone it is only used to connect to the dongle which mimics a wired generic gamepad. Its this link up that's failing and the only difference seems to related to the driver.

So in terms of use they should be fine with very old puppies and windows (eg they work just fine in windows 2000 with no special driver)

I am guessing the driver has some form of handshaking with the dongle which then allows the bluetooth link though the wired versions are a pretty passive affair.

Hope that clarifies

Mike

rcrsn51 · #4 Post by **rcrsn51** » Wed 19 Dec 2018, 15:02

Some random googling suggests that Bluetooth gamepad controllers need additional drivers.

Or is your problem that the initial pairing operation fails? How are you doing it?

It's not automatic.

mikeb · #5 Post by **mikeb** » Wed 19 Dec 2018, 15:13

yes they do not pair.
i assume a driver behaviour difference as the only logical factor.
the normal procedure is insert dongle then press mode and select button together and link is made.
as far as the operating system is concerned bluetooth is not involved.
mike

rcrsn51 · #6 Post by **rcrsn51** » Wed 19 Dec 2018, 15:23

mikeb wrote:as far as the operating system is concerned bluetooth is not involved.

?????
You need to be running some kind of BT system on the computer for this to work.

mikeb · #7 Post by **mikeb** » Wed 19 Dec 2018, 16:31

the dongle handles the bluetooth but the computor see a usb gamepad

the xp system has no bluetooth handling either,
mike

slavvo67 · #8 Post by **slavvo67** » Thu 20 Dec 2018, 00:42

Have u tried Batocera or Recalbox?

mikeb · #9 Post by **mikeb** » Thu 20 Dec 2018, 11:11

Have u tried Batocera or Recalbox?

hmm look interesting.

I usually run epsxe, various sega emulators and native linux ones like gltron .
Wired gamepads were fine so was a little frustrated with the problem with wireless.

After alll lsmod shows joydev loaded and dmesg shows it registered as a device so its simply the inability to link to the dongle thats missing.

of course its worms thats most affected as one needs to be able to throw the gamepad at your opponent without pulling it out the socket.

mike

bigpup · #10 Post by **bigpup** » Thu 20 Dec 2018, 16:45

Did you try it booted into Bionicpup64 7.9.7?

Just something to try.
Plug dongle into a different USB port.

What is the dongle identified as in Puppy?

Another idea.
If the computer has Bluetooth.
Try just using it's Bluetooth to connect.

I am still not sure what gamepad you have.
That link shows about 5 different ones. All different.
Is it the X3 Wireless Bluetooth Controller Joypad Gamepad Joystick For iOS Android PC?

mikeb · #11 Post by **mikeb** » Fri 21 Dec 2018, 12:18

Thanks for your input here....

Did you try it booted into Bionicpup64 7.9.7?

On a pentium 3 that might be a problem

Plug dongle into a different USB port.

a windows approach but did that one anyway.

What is the dongle identified as in Puppy?

see the screenshots... js0 is produced as was with a wired gamepad...note I have used this type since puppy 2.

If the computer has Bluetooth.
Try just using it's Bluetooth to connect.

hmm never had much fun with bluetooth on anything and only the laptop has it anyway.

I am still not sure what gamepad you have.
That link shows about 5 different ones. All different.
Is it the X3 Wireless Bluetooth Controller Joypad Gamepad Joystick For iOS Android PC?

Its clever...it can emulate several different types...so the one device can connect to iOS, android phone, wireless to pc as generic gamepad (which I use on windows XP and 2000) and wired gamepad (which also fails on linux).

rcrsn51 · #12 Post by **rcrsn51** » Fri 21 Dec 2018, 13:56

wired gamepad (which also fails on linux).

So when you connect the gamepad by USB, it does NOT work in Linux? Your game does NOT detect it?

Do those dmesg messages come when you plug in the gamepad by USB or when you plug in the BT dongle?

bigpup · #13 Post by **bigpup** » Fri 21 Dec 2018, 16:47

Maybe this

https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=94898

I assume the batteries in the gamepad are good and the on/off switch is working

mikeb · #14 Post by **mikeb** » Sat 22 Dec 2018, 10:07

So when you connect the gamepad by USB, it does NOT work in Linux? Your game does NOT detect it?

Do those dmesg messages come when you plug in the gamepad by USB or when you plug in the BT dongle?

I get your drift and good point.

Actually I cannot get the wired option working on any system (only used for charging so far) so best disregarded in this case.

Dmesg is from plugging in the dongle. The user normally does the connection by pressing 'mode' and 'home' after this.

Maybe this Idea
https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?id=94898

Well its not on a hub but food for thought.
I would have thought this problem would have appeared more often.

mike

mikeb · #15 Post by **mikeb** » Sat 22 Dec 2018, 10:15

http://simon.aldrich.eu/blog/2017/07/li ... ment-26045

hmm I am wondering if the dongle is being detected as a bluetooth one rather than as a wired gamepad. That would suggest mode switching like a usb broadband dongle.
Then again the dmesg output suggests otherwise.
I dont have a standard bluetooth dongle to hand

mike

rcrsn51 · #16 Post by **rcrsn51** » Sat 22 Dec 2018, 10:41

If your dongle was a standard BT adapter, the kernel would detect it as such and auto-load the "btusb" module.

But your dongle is being detected as something more, and additional modules like joydev are being loaded. So it's not clear to me if your dongle is working as a BT device.

If it was recognized as a BT adapter, you would definitely need a BT subsystem on your computer to do the pairing.

For example, here is what happens on an XP system with a BT mouse. When you plug in a BT dongle, XP detects it and starts a BT process in the system tray. You then press the pairing button on the mouse and run the sequence in XP for adding a new BT device.

But you suggested that none of that happens when you plug your gamepad dongle into a Windows machine.

It sounds like the gamepad and dongle are doing their own pairing independent of the host OS. If that is the case, it shouldn't matter if the host OS is Linux.

mikeb · #17 Post by **mikeb** » Sat 22 Dec 2018, 10:49

Indeed.

The idea is to behave the same as a wired gamepad/joystick.

I have a wireless mouse that appears as a wired one.

it should make life simpler but is not in this case.

I am guessing that on windows either the dongle reacts to the OS , or the driver sends something to the dongle....but thats a laymans view of the process.

mike

rcrsn51 · #18 Post by **rcrsn51** » Sat 22 Dec 2018, 10:55

mikeb wrote:I have a wireless mouse that appears as a wired one.

It's probably a 2.4 Ghz mouse with its own dedicated dongle. It does NOT work via BT.

rcrsn51 · #19 Post by **rcrsn51** » Sat 22 Dec 2018, 11:02

So the question is whether Linux requires its own BT pairing operation to make your gamepad setup work.

Or maybe the dongle and gamepad have paired successfully on their own, but the Linux host needs additional drivers to make them work.

mikeb · #20 Post by **mikeb** » Sat 22 Dec 2018, 16:55

I have the answer which hopefully might help others.

The pairing is not allowed unless the dongle is being polled by the operating system. I suppose its a form of power saving approach.

I assume on windows polling happens continuously but on linux it would only happen with a game in progress.
A simple cat /dev/input/js0 made this evident.

Thanks to all who tried to help and once again the answer was simple in the end

mike

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Wireless gamepads link in Windows but not in Linux (Solved)

Wireless gamepads link in Windows but not in Linux (Solved)