Hi Gang, I can’t use my Xbox Series S controller via bluetooth after September’s Bazzite update (Gnome)
I’ve updated the controller’s firmware via my Windows 11 PC
I’ve connected my controller to my Xbox Series S to confirm that it still works (it does)
I’ve tried the pairing instructions found on the other forums using ‘bluetoothctl’, on a good day Steam will say that it’s paired and connected but the actual controller doesn’t work
Can anyone think of other things I could try ? The controller works via wired USB but well my couch is far from my PC, the controller used to work prior to the September updates and my reserved Steam controller won’t arrive till 2027
That pattern, paired in Bluetooth but no input in Steam or games, while wired USB works, points to the Bluetooth input layer rather than the controller itself, since you already confirmed the pad works on the Xbox and its firmware is current.
First remove the pairing completely in GNOME Settings, then also run bluetoothctl remove followed by the controller MAC address so no stale pairing remains. After that, try pairing again with the controller in pairing mode, and check whether it appears as an input device at all. If Steam sees it as paired but no buttons register, try disabling Steam Input for that game, or test the pad outside Steam, because Steam Input can claim a Bluetooth pad and then pass no input through.
Also try a rollback test if you can: boot the previous Bazzite image from the boot menu and see whether Bluetooth works there. If it works on the older image and not on the September one, that points to a regression in the update rather than your setup, and it is worth reporting with the output of bluetoothctl info and journalctl for bluetooth.
For a quick check of what the pad is sending, I built a free browser tool at https://game-padtester.com . It shows each button and axis live in the browser, which helps confirm whether the hardware signal is reaching the system before you chase Steam settings.
The stale pairing point is worth emphasizing: removing it in GNOME Settings alone may not clear the entry, so the bluetoothctl remove step matters. I’d also check bluetoothctl info after reconnecting to see whether the pad reports as an input device and whether its battery/service data looks sane. Testing outside Steam first is smart, since Steam Input can grab a Bluetooth pad and swallow input. The rollback test from the boot menu would separate a genuine September regression from a local pairing issue, and if it’s the former, journalctl output would help whoever triages it.
