Controllers won't work after reconnecting unless you restart the game.
Controllers won't work after reconnecting unless you restart the game.
I'm not entirely sure if this is the ideal section for this, but I thought it would fit here since it's Linux related. Basically, when I play games on Steam using Proton they work really well. I've been playing GTA V a lot, it really does run exceptionally well for me. There's only one issue I have that can be bothersome. If my Xbox controller disconnects (such as when the batteries die), I can reconnect it, but I need to restart the game in order to have the controller function again. I'm wondering if anyone else has this issue too, and if there's a way to resolve it. I'm running Arch Linux, and I'm using the latest version of Proton. I know restarting the game isn't a major issue, but it's not ideal, especially if you're playing online. I also know that the mouse and keyboard can be better for some games, but I personally like using a controller for a lot of games. EDIT: It happens with an Xbox 360 controller using a wireless adapter, and also with an Xbox One controller over Bluetooth.
Use a charger and keep it plugged in. Request a wired controller. Linux lacks built-in support for Xbox controllers, so software connections can cause issues even after disconnecting; restarting the controller or game often resolves the problem. Consider Windows, which offers native Xbox support and broader game compatibility. A gaming PC with a modern system is ideal, as it provides the best performance and game selection. Playing on Linux or Mac is currently less convenient for me.
Windows remains the top choice for gaming, yet Linux has made significant progress recently. I previously experienced poor frame rates and other problems while playing GTA last year. Now the game runs close to native performance, with minor issues such as controller compatibility. My Xbox 360 controller works out of the box without needing extra software. Proton appears to handle xinput well, allowing controllers to function naturally like on Windows. Since the problem isn’t severe, I just make sure to charge the batteries or use a wired Xbox One controller. I’m curious if there’s anything that could be fixed, but it seems more likely to be addressed in an update rather than a Linux-specific issue.
I just set up Debian on a spare SSD and the issue disappeared. I can now reconnect the controller without trouble. It’s puzzling what might be wrong with my Arch installation since I remember playing Rayman Origins on Debian and being able to reconnect my controller. On the other hand, GTA V still faces the same problem when disconnecting the controller, though it works for other games. It’s also worth mentioning that GTA tends to freeze briefly after disconnecting the controller on Arch, but not on Debian. The game exits properly instead of saying “STOP” after closing, which is another concern I have with Arch.
GTA has faced problems with Proton for this game. If the issues are limited to GTA itself, it might just take time for Proton to resolve them. Until recently, GTA didn’t even retain settings correctly, and most updates seem to break Proton functionality.
It seems like the issue might be tied to Proton. I retried it in Rayman Origins with the game already installed, and the controller works fine. Probably a Proton problem specific to GTA.
Steam emphasizes maintaining GTA under Proton, even providing updates specifically for that purpose. You might also explore the GitHub project at https://github.com/GloriousEggroll/proton-ge-custom. It has helped keep GTA running and could assist with controller issues, though I’m not sure. I haven’t played GTA in a while.
I'm actually using Proton GE for GTA, it's got some nice fixes for other games too it seems. The controller thing isn't a deal breaker for me, I was just wondering if others encountered it, and whether it could be fixed. I prefer to use Linux over Windows personally, I could dual boot Windows just to play games, but I'd rather just do everything on the one OS. As I said, gaming on Linux has come a long way in the past couple of years, and Proton made a huge difference. It's at the stage where I'm pretty happy with how games perform on Linux, I don't really have any reason to use Windows anymore, I've grown to love the Linux OS. EDIT: I also have an RX 5700 XT on the way, mainly because the open source mesa drivers on Linux are amazing for AMD GPUs.
My 5700XT tends to run smoother on Linux when using Proton most of the time compared to Windows. For optimal performance with your CPU and this model, I suggest upgrading to mesa-git with llvm 11 and the TKG PDS Zen2 Linux Kernel. Between the aco compiler and that setup, my experience has been positive and enjoyable—it's actually more stable than Windows. I usually use the Chaotic Aur to get these configurations, which saves me from constant recompilation. Some games, especially ARK titles, sometimes cause out-of-memory errors. It seems fixing this with TKG kernel builds helps, though I haven't investigated the root cause yet. If Steam becomes unstable, I'll switch to the mesa-aco builds temporarily. RADV_PERFTEST=aco %COMMAND% is set in Steam's launch options for aco.