So are Bluetooth Headsets still functionally worthless or...?

[Ezra]

Honestly I see that there are probably answers to this that I could go with, but I have zero clue on how to implement them.

Regardless, whenever I try to use bluetooth headsets on the Steam Deck with Discord, Discord does not see the microphone part of the headset, and even on Desktop mode, the sound settings menu does not allow me to use it as a microphone.

Is there actually no way to deal with this or is there something I'm missing here? I was trying to use the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro 2 if that matters, any.

[Minneyar]

You may need to manually change the Bluetooth profile for your device in order to use the microphone. I think SteamOS tries to do this automatically, but there's a lot of different profiles and configurations out there, and your device may or may not support the right one.

In desktop mode, you can go to the System Settings, then the Audio panel, and with your Bluetooth headset connected, you should see an entry for it in the "Playback Devices" group; there should be a "Profile:" combo box next to it. By default it's probably set to one named something like "High Fidelity Playback (A2DP Sink)". If you have one that starts with "High Fidelity Duplex (A2DP Source/Sink)", select that instead; then you should see an entry for it appear in the "Recording Devices" group below, and hopefully selecting that will make your microphone work.

If you don't have a duplex A2DP profile, you may need to switch to an HSP profile instead, but as a warning, HSP profiles are intended for mobile phone calls, and so the audio quality sucks.

[deaddoof]

Regardless, whenever I try to use bluetooth headsets on the Steam Deck with Discord, Discord does not see the microphone part of the headset, and even on Desktop mode, the sound settings menu does not allow me to use it as a microphone.

Most bluetooth mic sound garbage. You have to change into HFP/HSP mode for many bluetooth mics and it affects the sound you hear too. You are better off letting the deck become your mic and hearing from the samsung galaxy buds pro 2.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/bluetooth_headset

[Ezra]

Originally posted by deaddoof:

Regardless, whenever I try to use bluetooth headsets on the Steam Deck with Discord, Discord does not see the microphone part of the headset, and even on Desktop mode, the sound settings menu does not allow me to use it as a microphone.

Most bluetooth mic sound garbage. You have to change into HFP/HSP mode for many bluetooth mics and it affects the sound you hear too. You are better off letting the deck become your mic and hearing from the samsung galaxy buds pro 2.

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/bluetooth_headset

Oh this I'm fully well aware of, most bluetooth junk sounds awful in comparison.

The major problem is that the way I'm using this, I'm simply having my Steam Deck be a sort of living room computer where I have it docked at the TV. Trying to use it in Discord has lead to my friends saying that it sounds kinda muffled or quiet, so I'm not sure if there's a way to use the internal microphone to good effect like this. I wanna say it's about a good 8 feet away from where I'm sitting, if that matters.

[Ezra]

Originally posted by Minneyar:

You may need to manually change the Bluetooth profile for your device in order to use the microphone. I think SteamOS tries to do this automatically, but there's a lot of different profiles and configurations out there, and your device may or may not support the right one.

In desktop mode, you can go to the System Settings, then the Audio panel, and with your Bluetooth headset connected, you should see an entry for it in the "Playback Devices" group; there should be a "Profile:" combo box next to it. By default it's probably set to one named something like "High Fidelity Playback (A2DP Sink)". If you have one that starts with "High Fidelity Duplex (A2DP Source/Sink)", select that instead; then you should see an entry for it appear in the "Recording Devices" group below, and hopefully selecting that will make your microphone work.

If you don't have a duplex A2DP profile, you may need to switch to an HSP profile instead, but as a warning, HSP profiles are intended for mobile phone calls, and so the audio quality sucks.

See I did try messing around with that, but the only one that's functionally available to me is "High Fidelity Playback (A2DP Sink, codec AAC)." Using the other profiles either forces it to go back to that profile, or just outright disconnects the headset entirely.

I did see that there was apparently a way to force SteamOS to detect HSP, but frankly, I think it's beyond my understanding of how to implement it, especially if the sound quality takes a hit. Not that I expect to sound like I'm in a professional recording booth or something, but I at least want to be audible and understandable.

[Kage Goomba]

Using one now - works fine - takes a bit to get used too - Id say it depends on quality of the headset.

Controllers however - can't say the same.

[Ezra]

Has there been any new developments on this at all? I keep trying to find solutions other than "just buy a 2.4GHz headset" but there is just about no new documentation or anything about this at all.

[Minneyar]

Originally posted by Ezra:

Has there been any new developments on this at all?

Most Bluetooth headsets seem to be working fine, aside from the inherent poor audio quality of headsets that only support HSP profiles, which is a problem with the device and not the Deck. I've got a set of VAVA MOOV 28 earbuds, Bose QC35 headphones, and Plantronics Backbeat PRO 2 headphones, and the Deck works fine with all of them.

[Ezra]

Originally posted by Minneyar:

Originally posted by Ezra:

Has there been any new developments on this at all?

Most Bluetooth headsets seem to be working fine, aside from the inherent poor audio quality of headsets that only support HSP profiles, which is a problem with the device and not the Deck. I've got a set of VAVA MOOV 28 earbuds, Bose QC35 headphones, and Plantronics Backbeat PRO 2 headphones, and the Deck works fine with all of them.

See above. When I tried all my sets, I have no access to the microphone to use as a headset. My concern isn't with audio output so much as it is for input.

[justthisguyyouknow]

I've got a Sony WH-CH720N and it works great with my phone or my Mac, I use it daily for calls and could certainly use it for gaming on the Deck, but the mic doesn't work. there's only the Playback profiles available in the dropdown, no HSP/HFP or Duplex options. Anyone have tips on how to fix this?