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Xbox Controller on Linux

Something that I have a hard time with, every time that I start up a new distro, is getting my xbox controller working without a cable. It is never easy, and at no point does it seem like something any of the distros I frequent will fix "out of the box".

So this is for future me, again. When I get it figured out, the steps are below.

The Steps

Before starting lets check to see if ERTM is actually enabled. If it is enabled the following should return N.

cat /sys/module/bluetooth/parameters/disable_ertm

To disable it, every time you boot up, follow these steps.

  1. Create a new bluetooth conf file here -> sudo vim /etc/modprobe.d/bluetooth.conf
  2. Add this to permanently disable: options bluetooth disable_ertm=1. This is the only line that you need to get started.

When you reboot this will disable ertm, the bane of my Xbox Wireless Controller experience.

After you have rebooted, make sure that cat /sys/module/bluetooth/parameters/disable_ertm returns Y.

You should be able to add the controller and it should work like expected.

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