Question Bluetooth Controllers on PC

[alexxthegreaat]

For many years I have avoided using Bluetooth controller on PC. I've tried the big three in Bluetooth, Nintendo, PS, Xbox. The connection is never consistent the range is not far. What only seems to work is Xbox official wireless controller dongle for PC. Its 2024 now and I think what the heck, Bluetooth technology has gotten much better. So, I decided to utility my Switch Pro Controller on my PC. I figured since it functions so well on my switch via Bluetooth and the range is excellent with no disconnects or lags, it should function fine on my PC, right? Wrong.

I have to be literally Infront of my PC for this thing to work well. And even so, sometimes I have moments of lag where my PC decides the controller inputs I'm pressing are 2 seconds later then when I pressed it. Or an input can stick, and I get stuck for about 2 or 3 seconds moving in a direction I am not holding anymore. This happens with 3 different PCs. I even checked my main PC which is Bluetooth 5.2. Still have connection issues. Is there something I'm missing? Do I need to buy a better adapter?

 

[hotaru.hino]

Bluetooth connectivity quality depends on a variety of things:

• The amount of 2.4GHz traffic there is
• Where the antennas are located. You can be in front of the computer, but if the BT module is towards the back, the metal in the case can degrade the signal since metal basically acts like a wall (and a reflector)
• The quality of the BT module you have installed

In my experience as of the past few years, I've had little issue with Bluetooth devices working on any of my computers, though most of them came with the PC. If these problems are stemming from the same adapter, I say ditch it.

This ASUS adapter was the last one I bought, and it works great in my experience.

 

[alexxthegreaat]

Bluetooth connectivity quality depends on a variety of things:

• The amount of 2.4GHz traffic there is
• Where the antennas are located. You can be in front of the computer, but if the BT module is towards the back, the metal in the case can degrade the signal since metal basically acts like a wall (and a reflector)
• The quality of the BT module you have installed

In my experience as of the past few years, I've had little issue with Bluetooth devices working on any of my computers, though most of them came with the PC. If these problems are stemming from the same adapter, I say ditch it.

This ASUS adapter was the last one I bought, and it works great in my experience.

The part that gets me is why does Bluetooth connectivity on PS or Nintendo work flawlessly. But the moment these same devices are on my PC with the newest Bluetooth technology, it's inconsistent. I can attempt buying a Bluetooth adapter like the one you have above. But it doesn't make sense to me.

 

[jonny0808]

For many years I have avoided using Bluetooth controller on PC. I've tried the big three in Bluetooth, Nintendo, PS, Xbox. The connection is never consistent the range is not far. What only seems to work is Xbox official wireless controller dongle for PC. Its 2024 now and I think what the heck, Bluetooth technology has gotten much better. So, I decided to utility my Switch Pro Controller on my PC. I figured since it functions so well on my switch via Bluetooth and the range is excellent with no disconnects or lags, it should function fine on my PC, right? Wrong.

I have to be literally Infront of my PC for this thing to work well. And even so, sometimes I have moments of lag where my PC decides the controller inputs I'm pressing are 2 seconds later then when I pressed it. Or an input can stick, and I get stuck for about 2 or 3 seconds moving in a direction I am not holding anymore. This happens with 3 different PCs. I even checked my main PC which is Bluetooth 5.2. Still have connection issues. Is there something I'm missing? Do I need to buy a better adapter?

you should get a dedicated bluethooth adapter for connecting your controller with no lag input or lower one, if you connected to motherboard bluethooth that takes a "selective " take between wifi and bluetooth and that's why you controller lags out.

 

[hotaru.hino]

The part that gets me is why does Bluetooth connectivity on PS or Nintendo work flawlessly. But the moment these same devices are on my PC with the newest Bluetooth technology, it's inconsistent. I can attempt buying a Bluetooth adapter like the one you have above. But it doesn't make sense to me.

Is this a desktop PC or a laptop?

 

[alexxthegreaat]

Is this a desktop PC or a laptop?

All Desktops.

 

[Flayed]

For many years I have avoided using Bluetooth controller on PC. I've tried the big three in Bluetooth, Nintendo, PS, Xbox. The connection is never consistent the range is not far. What only seems to work is Xbox official wireless controller dongle for PC. Its 2024 now and I think what the heck, Bluetooth technology has gotten much better. So, I decided to utility my Switch Pro Controller on my PC. I figured since it functions so well on my switch via Bluetooth and the range is excellent with no disconnects or lags, it should function fine on my PC, right? Wrong.

I have to be literally Infront of my PC for this thing to work well. And even so, sometimes I have moments of lag where my PC decides the controller inputs I'm pressing are 2 seconds later then when I pressed it. Or an input can stick, and I get stuck for about 2 or 3 seconds moving in a direction I am not holding anymore. This happens with 3 different PCs. I even checked my main PC which is Bluetooth 5.2. Still have connection issues. Is there something I'm missing? Do I need to buy a better adapter?

I recently bought this Bluetooth adapter for my PC:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0BWT4WF74?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

It has been working perfectly so far with no issues.

 

[alexxthegreaat]

you should get a dedicated bluethooth adapter for connecting your controller with no lag input or lower one, if you connected to motherboard bluethooth that takes a "selective " take between wifi and bluetooth and that's why you controller lags out.

This makes more sense. Typically, the Bluetooth I've used comes with the wifi adapter. I've seen this happen whether it's a huge card that takes a whole slot next to the PCIE ports, or a small m2 chip somewhere on the MoBo. Same results.

This makes me wonder if disabling Wi-Fi from the card will improve your Bluetooth connectivity. All my PCs are hardwired.

 

[hotaru.hino]

All Desktops.

Outside of knowing which BT adapter you originally had, a desktop can cause a lot of issues with RF. It's a big metal box, with a lot of things that have metal in them. So positioning of where the antenna is in relation to where the device is will be key.

It's not as much of a problem with consoles because the BT antenna is in the front, outside of any metal shielding. And it's not like you're not going to have to the front facing away from you. The Switch's shell is plastic, which doesn't block RF.

I don't buy the argument that WiFi + BT combo adapters are a problem, because that's what most laptops use. I haven't had a problem with any of them. Hecc my current desktop uses a Wi-Fi + BT combo and I don't have a problem with it.

I mean, I could also believe I'm Tech Jesus because if not having a problem is the exception...

 

[alexxthegreaat]

Outside of knowing which BT adapter you originally had, a desktop can cause a lot of issues with RF. It's a big metal box, with a lot of things that have metal in them. So positioning of where the antenna is in relation to where the device is will be key.

It's not as much of a problem with consoles because the BT antenna is in the front, outside of any metal shielding. And it's not like you're not going to have to the front facing away from you. The Switch's shell is plastic, which doesn't block RF.

I don't buy the argument that WiFi + BT combo adapters are a problem, because that's what most laptops use. I haven't had a problem with any of them. Hecc my current desktop uses a Wi-Fi + BT combo and I don't have a problem with it.

I mean, I could also believe I'm Tech Jesus because if not having a problem is the exception...

How do you explain a wifi/Bluetooth adapter with external antennas? I have a PC that is specifically for couch gaming. The couch is not really far from it. The PCs next to the TV in the living room. If I could guess it's 6 to 7 ft. How this whole debacle started was I have to lean forward on the couch for the connectivity to be somewhat consistent. The moment I lean back it then gets out of range and it starts to not function consistently. I mean I doubt that it's because this is the crappiest Bluetooth adapter. In fact I think every single one of my PCs have external antennas for Wi-Fi on Bluetooth. This is why I even came to the forms in the first place. This makes no sense to me whatsoever. Either Bluetooth is crap, or I've got an unlucky three times in a row. I will attempt getting a dedicated Bluetooth adapter. But this still doesn't make any sense. There are so many controllers that I pass up on because they are Bluetooth only.

 

[hotaru.hino]

As a simple test, I wanted to check how good or bad Bluetooth could be with my desktop. Of note, the motherboard is an ASRock Z790 Riptide WiFi. I used three Bluetooth controllers: A Dualsense, an Xbox One S, and an 8BitDo. I basically went across my apartment out of my room and did an action in a game that I know I could tell happened when I pressed a button. All three worked without issue.

Also considering that Bluetooth is still a thing, I can't be led to believe that it's simply crap. Otherwise why would it still be in widespread use? And I refuse to believe I'm somehow "lucky."

So I'll leave it at that as a point that Bluetooth can work. But there's only so much we can do from here if you just happen to be in an adverse environment.

 

[Flayed]

I've tried the big three in Bluetooth, Nintendo, PS, Xbox. The connection is never consistent the range is not far. What only seems to work is Xbox official wireless controller dongle for PC.

It is interesting that the Xbox controller works but the others don't. I read something about this in the comments from the Bluetooth adapter I bought. I will reproduce the comment here:

I get 32 ms with my PS5 controller and the connection also has hiccups for about a second every couple of seconds
UPDATE EDIT:
i refunded the product and the seller got ahold of me because of my review and sent me a new one for free.
it had the same problem and this was their reply:
Hi, George
I provided the disconnection problem to the technical department for testing. The Bluetooth adapter is not a dedicated PS5 adapter, because the chip model and Bluetooth protocol used are different. When connecting two PS5 game controllers, it may be due to Caton caused by protocol incompatibility
You can search for Bluetooth adapters with "Switch/PS4/PS5" in the product title. The Bluetooth protocol set by this type of Bluetooth adapter can match the connection with PS5 devices.
Thank you for your question. I will explain the compatibility between the product and ps5 in the product copy so that more consumers can choose the product that suits them. We attach great importance to the experience of every consumer and will strive to do better. Thank you again for your understanding. Have a good day.☺️☺️☺️
Best regards,
Eva
it good to see than some sellers care

I'm not sure about it but Eva seems to suggest that it is not compatible with PS5 controllers due to protocol incompatibility. I have never heard of this before and I'm not sure if I believe it to be true.