I have two OUYA controllers that connect via Bluetooth and pair with my Linux Mint system without any issues, but they don’t show up as game controllers (HID devices) or in any input configuration. I tried following a tutorial from a GitHub guide adapted for Linux Mint, but it didn’t help. Interestingly, these controllers work perfectly on my Android phone but not on Linux. Has anyone managed to get OUYA controllers working on Linux or know if it’s even possible?
3 Answers
If you’re trying to use Steam Input to get the controllers working, be aware that Steam often doesn’t detect OUYA controllers automatically since they use a slightly unusual Bluetooth profile. I recommend pairing them via the system Bluetooth tools and then trying to configure them as generic gamepads in Steam Input. However, I’ve heard that sometimes one of the two controllers might actually be faulty, so it’s worth testing each one separately.
Honestly, OUYA controllers on standard Linux distros like Mint can be a bit of a hassle. I got them working ages ago on Batocera, which is a retro gaming-focused distro, where the support is baked in. If you’re not interested in switching distros, your best bet is troubleshooting Bluetooth configs or using external scripts/tutorials, but it’s definitely more involved than using more common controllers.
I’ve dealt with OUYA controllers on Linux before, and the trick is disabling certain Bluetooth security settings. Specifically, in your /etc/bluetooth/input.conf file, setting ClassicBondedOnly to false and LEAutoSecurity to false helped me get the controllers recognized properly. After doing that, Linux finally treated them like normal HID devices.
Thanks, I’ll try toggling those settings — did that work for both of your controllers?
Yeah, I noticed Steam doesn’t see them at all, even after pairing. Also checked both controllers and one definitely seemed bad.