Xbox Controller in Game mode issue

Bazzite
1

Hello,

I have recently installed bazzite on legion go and now on a htpc. I have one issue with the xbox controller, it pairs fine but after i shut down, when i turn the htpc on and hit the power on on the controller, it keeps looking to connect and then turns off. If i go into the menu using the keyboard and enter the bluetooth menu, it immediately connects.

How can i get it to connect when i turn the computer on and not needing to use the keyboard to navigate so the setting/bluetooth menu to force pairing?

Thank you

2

Same issue here, does anyone has a solution?

3

same here too. Using another bluetooth dongle helps.

4

The same problem. On Windows that works perfecct

5

Auto-connect Bluetooth Gamepad on Bazzite

This guide sets up your system so your Bluetooth gamepad connects automatically when turned on. It uses a udev rule for instant connection and a systemd timer (every 5 seconds) as a fallback.

Step 1: Create the auto-connect script

Create the script folder:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin

Create the script:

nano ~/.local/bin/bt-autoconnect.sh

Paste the following code (replace 11:22:33:44:55:66 with your gamepad’s MAC address):

#!/usr/bin/env bash
DEVICE=“11:22:33:44:55:66” # replace with your gamepad MAC

Check if already connected

if bluetoothctl info “$DEVICE” | grep -q “Connected: yes”; then
exit 0
fi

logger “bt-autoconnect: trying to connect $DEVICE”
/usr/bin/bluetoothctl connect “$DEVICE”

Make it executable:

chmod +x ~/.local/bin/bt-autoconnect.sh

Step 2: Create the systemd unit

Create the systemd folder:

mkdir -p ~/.config/systemd/user

Create the service unit:

nano ~/.config/systemd/user/bt-autoconnect.service

Paste:

[Unit]
Description=Auto-connect Pro Controller

[Service]
Type=oneshot
ExecStart=%h/.local/bin/bt-autoconnect.sh

Step 3: Create the systemd timer (every 5 seconds)

Create the timer unit:

nano ~/.config/systemd/user/bt-autoconnect.timer

Paste:

[Unit]
Description=Fallback: try to connect gamepad every 5s

[Timer]
OnBootSec=5
OnUnitActiveSec=5s
Unit=bt-autoconnect.service

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Enable the timer:

systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable --now bt-autoconnect.timer

Step 4: Create the udev rule for instant connection

Create the udev rule file:

sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/99-bt-autoconnect.rules

Paste (replace 11:22:33:44:55:66 with your gamepad MAC):

ACTION==“add”, SUBSYSTEM==“bluetooth”, ATTR{address}==“11:22:33:44:55:66”, TAG+=“systemd”, ENV{SYSTEMD_USER_WANTS}+=“bt-autoconnect.service”

Reload udev rules:

sudo udevadm control --reload-rules
sudo udevadm trigger

:small_blue_diamond: How it works

udev: triggers the service immediately when the gamepad is turned on.

systemd timer: checks every 5 seconds and retries connecting if the first attempt failed.

:white_check_mark: With this setup, your Bluetooth gamepad should connect almost instantly and reliably every time.

6

Something else to try, I’ve had all sorts of issues in the past with Xbox controllers under Linux, one main thing to check, is that the firmware on the controller has been updated in Windows first, this usually fixes most issues.