Multiple bluetooth gamepads

BaK

King of Cable Management
Original poster
Bronze Supporter
May 17, 2016
930
931
Hi!

I'm injoying playing games on Windows 10, especially with a wireless gamepad.
Right now I have a DualShock 4 controller (latest version), paired as a bluetooth device and then emulated as an XBOX controller thanks to DS4Windows.

Everything works fine except one thing, there no sound coming out of the DS4 jack connector.
While there is audio output on the DS4 when the latter is connected via USB to the computer, the only way to make it work without a cable is to connect the DS4 wirelessly through the official Sony dongle (some more info here). But from what I see, this official adpater is currently either unavailable or out of price.

As I need a second controller, I am wondering if getting an XBOX wireless controller X|S (QAT-00002) could be an easy workaround to my sound problem.
With this controller the audio should theoretically work properly with a bluetooth connection, so I could use my headset while playing alone. And when playing with a friend I will use my loudspeakers.

Now to the point of this thread, will I be able to have both the DS4 and the XBOX controllers paired in bluetooth to Windows 10? Won't one controller interfere with the other?
Has anyone already tried that?
 

REVOCCASES

Shrink Ray Wielder
REVOCCASES
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Apr 2, 2020
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I once used a Xiaomi gamepad together with an XBOX controller, both paired via Bluetooth to my PC and did not experience any issues. However, I also did not get sound working on the XBOX controller using Bluetooth. After I bought the dedicated XBOX Wireless Dongle for PC it worked flawless.

There is also a bundled set you can check out:

 
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BaK

King of Cable Management
Original poster
Bronze Supporter
May 17, 2016
930
931
However, I also did not get sound working on the XBOX controller using Bluetooth.
I don't know if I had read somewhere that it was supposed to work or if I just made the assumption that two Microsoft products should be fully compatible, but you are right... : /

"Bluetooth does not support any attachments, such as headsets, chatpads, or the Xbox Stereo Headset Adapter"
and
"When your controller is connected via Bluetooth, audio devices are not supported. To use a headset, connect your controller directly to your PC by using a USB cable or the Xbox Wireless Adapter for Windows 10, or connect your audio device directly to your PC."
[https://support.xbox.com/en-US/help...ct-and-troubleshoot-xbox-one-bluetooth-issues]

I once used a Xiaomi gamepad together with an XBOX controller, both paired via Bluetooth to my PC and did not experience any issues.
After I bought the dedicated XBOX Wireless Dongle for PC it worked flawless.
There is also a bundled set you can check out:
Thanks for all that, really appreciate!
 
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BaK

King of Cable Management
Original poster
Bronze Supporter
May 17, 2016
930
931
XBOX controller + wireless dongle have arrived for a couple of weeks now!
I really enjoy holding this controller in my hands, a little more than the DualShock4 I guess.

Playing with a friend works fine, him with a wireless bluetooth DS4 + DS4Windows and me with the XBOX controller + wireless dongle.

Still one issue though...guess what, sound through the wireless XBOX controller! 😭

As soon as I plug my headset into the controller, I can see the sound device used in Windows switching from my default HDMI output to 'Headphones (Xbox Controller)'.
So I launch a game and hear its music into the headset, so far so good, but after a few seconds the controller loses its connection and I can not use it anymore. The sound still works fine though through the headset.

I've managed to improve the situation by removing the 'Headphones (Xbox Controller)' from the input devices. My headset indeed does not have a mic.
Unfortunately the controller keeps on getting disconnected, but a bit later, after 2-3 minutes I would say, so annoying...
If I power down the controller and switch it back on, I can again play for 2-3 minutes before it becomes non responsive again.

I've tried attaching the wireless dongle on an USB extension to have it closer to me (~1.5m), but that did not help.
There is really a conflict with the sound, as I can freely play with this controller without issue when there is not headset involved.



I also have another problem btw.
I am playing on Windows 10 in tablet mode, with a 'Full screen Start Menu'.

As you can see above, a layer with tiles shortcuts is displayed on top of the desktop.
Having my games and programs displayed as tiles like that is very convenient as I can move from one tile to another with a game controller, and launching it with the controller button.

When quitting a game or program, you are supposed to be back on the 'Full screen Start Menu' and its tiles, one being a shortcut to power off the computer.
That means no mouse or keyboard is required, only a game controller.
Unfortunately again, Windows doesn't behave like this with my games or with Kodi. When I'm quitting these latter, all I see is the desktop background, only the blueish color, no lateral and task bars, and more importantly, not the overlay with the tiles!

To bring them back, a mouse click, at any position, is needed.
The DS4 is able to produce the mouse click with its touchpad, but not the XBOX controller. Very annoying again...

I will have a look at Gopher360, which is supposed to be able to emulate a mouse from the XBOX controller.
But What I am afraid of is if the controller will work properly as a controller once in a game even with Gopher on auto start.
 
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REVOCCASES

Shrink Ray Wielder
REVOCCASES
Silver Supporter
Apr 2, 2020
2,057
3,331
www.revoccases.com
XBOX controller + wireless dongle have arrived for a couple of weeks now!
I really enjoy holding this controller in my hands, a little more than the DualShock4 I guess.

Playing with a friend works fine, him with a wireless bluetooth DS4 + DS4Windows and me with the XBOX controller + wireless dongle.

Still one issue though...guess what, sound through the wireless XBOX controller! 😭

As soon as I plug my headset into the controller, I can see the sound device used in Windows switching from my default HDMI output to 'Headphones (Xbox Controller)'.
So I launch a game and hear its music into the headset, so far so good, but after a few seconds the controller loses its connection and I can not use it anymore. The sound still works fine though through the headset.

I've managed to improve the situation by removing the 'Headphones (Xbox Controller)' from the input devices. My headset indeed does not have a mic.
Unfortunately the controller keeps on getting disconnected, but a bit later, after 2-3 minutes I would say, so annoying...
If I power down the controller and switch it back on, I can again play for 2-3 minutes before it becomes non responsive again.

I've tried attaching the wireless dongle on an USB extension to have it closer to me (~1.5m), but that did not help.
There is really a conflict with the sound, as I can freely play with this controller without issue when there is not headset involved.



I also have another problem btw.
I am playing on Windows 10 in tablet mode, with a 'Full screen Start Menu'.

As you can see above, a layer with tiles shortcuts is displayed on top of the desktop.
Having my games and programs displayed as tiles like that is very convenient as I can move from one tile to another with a game controller, and launching it with the controller button.

When quitting a game or program, you are supposed to be back on the 'Full screen Start Menu' and its tiles, one being a shortcut to power off the computer.
That means no mouse or keyboard is required, only a game controller.
Unfortunately again, Windows doesn't behave like this with my games or with Kodi. When I'm quitting these latter, all I see is the desktop background, only the blueish color, no lateral and task bars, and more importantly, not the overlay with the tiles!

To bring them back, a mouse click, at any position, is needed.
The DS4 is able to produce the mouse click with its touchpad, but not the XBOX controller. Very annoying again...

I will have a look at Gopher360, which is supposed to be able to emulate a mouse from the XBOX controller.
But What I am afraid of is if the controller will work properly as a controller once in a game even with Gopher on auto start.

Strange, never had any issues like that with mine. Sometimes I would also loose audio but only because the dongle was too far away / hidden behind the case. A USB extension to keep it in plain sight helped with that. Did you try to re-pair the dongle and controller again? Or some other headphones? Maybe another USB port?

I sometimes used Controller Companion for mouse emulation on the desktop. Worked pretty good but it's been a while since I last tried it. Got a small keyboard with touchpad function instead.