I’m totally fed up with my controllers constantly disconnecting every few minutes while playing on my docked Steam Deck. Upgrading from my old Xbox controller to a brand new 8BitDo Ultimate 2 didn’t fix a thing, and I’m still getting annoying input lag. I’ve already tried messing with the Deck’s Wi-Fi, but absolutely nothing has helped. This setup used to run perfectly fine, so I’m seriously wondering if docked Bluetooth is just completely cursed.
Bluetooth is way more fragile than people expect.
Make sure the Deck itself has clear line of sight to the controller. Not the TV, not the dock — the Deck. If it’s tucked behind the TV, inside a cabinet, under the desk, or your legs are between you and it, Bluetooth can absolutely start acting stupid. Human body blocks 2.4 GHz pretty well. Sounds dumb until you move your leg and the controller magically works again.
@GardenGuardian44 The Deck is behind the TV stand, so not completely hidden, but definitely not in open space. Still weird that it worked for years and then suddenly got bad.
“Nothing changed” usually means nothing obvious changed.New router nearby? New soundbar? USB hub? LED lights? Wireless headphones? Neighbor got a new router? Someone moved furniture? Dock cable sitting differently? Since both controllers do the same thing, I’d stop blaming the controller and look at interference or placement.
Run NetSpot or another Wi-Fi analyzer near the Steam Deck and check what the 2.4 GHz environment looks like. NetSpot won’t diagnose Bluetooth directly, but it can show if the 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi channels around you are packed. If they are, that can explain random controller drops even if your Deck is on Ethernet. Also try moving the router farther from the Deck/dock just as a test.