PC doesn't detect Dualshock 4 controller

[Ronin Waffle]

Hey, I'm sorry that this topic has been run totally into the ground, but there's no post that I've come across that addresses this specific issue.

I bought an official DS4 controller to connect to my Windows 7 PC through the built-in bluetooth on my motherboard. I went through the normal steps to connect it via bluetooth, which *seem* to work... the controller is detectable, I hit next on the pop-up menu to connect it, the little message in the bottom right shows up that says it's installing it, and I get the positive tone that indicates it's done.

And then it immediately disconnects. Like... 2 seconds, max.

It does absolutely nothing if I plug it in with a USB cable. No beeps, no boops, no light on the controller. Nothing.

I installed DS4Windows, and it initially detects the controller, but again, it instantly disconnects. I have gone into Device Manager to see about the driver, but I don't have an entry for an HID compliant controller, just a bunch of mice and "device" entries.

I have gone into properties in the bluetooth device menu, tried to uninstall the driver, but the option is greyed out, because apparently there is no driver installed.

Under no condition does it show up in the Big Picture controller options menu.

Other things I have done:
-Reset the PC
-Pressed the PS button on the controller every which way

[DarkMachine]

Previously I had the exact same issue as well with connecting my DS4 with my PC bluetooth USB receiver, and it turns out that the issue was that the bluetooth USB adapter in question which refused to "play nice" with the DS4 no matter what I try. Sadly, there is literally nothing you can do about it though you could try going to your motherboard manufacturer site to check out and try tinker around with the different drivers for your bluetooth receiver if it's available to you.

Fact is, there are certain bluetooth receiver that simply use bluetooth chipsets that are better in terms of compatibility (like for the DS4) than others. In the end, I bought another bluetooth USB receiver from a more reputable manufacturer, it worked like a charm on the first attempt and have been since.

[Jack Schitt]

DarkMachine is on to something. There are almost 50 different versions of bluetooth data connections and frequencies. Just because your "pc" (a laptop?) has bluetooth and a device you have is bluetooth doesn't mean they're going to connect with and work with each other.

Try this:
http://ds4windows.com/

If the issue here is that your computer's bluetooth version isn't one that's compatible with the controller's bluetooth version bluetooth isn't going to work. The only thing you can try if that's the case is disable the bluetooth connection on both of them and then try USB.

USB should just work, regardless of what bluetooth is doing. Check the wire for shorts by it through your index finger and thumb gently squeezing it along it's entire length. If you feel a bump or kink that is very likely a defect in the metal wire inside the insulation.
Sometimes a short in a device like that can be at the ends where the USB plug connects to the wire, or where the wire goes in to the controller. If the USB unplugs from a device like that it could also be a bad connection in the plug port on the device. It can also be a bad usb port connection on the computer. When you plug them in it should be tight. If it wiggles around a bit...it's probably a bad port connection.

[Ronin Waffle]

Originally posted by DarkMachine:

Previously I had the exact same issue as well with connecting my DS4 with my PC bluetooth USB receiver, and it turns out that the issue was that the bluetooth USB adapter in question which refused to "play nice" with the DS4 no matter what I try. Sadly, there is literally nothing you can do about it though you could try going to your motherboard manufacturer site to check out and try tinker around with the different drivers for your bluetooth receiver if it's available to you.

Fact is, there are certain bluetooth receiver that simply use bluetooth chipsets that are better in terms of compatibility (like for the DS4) than others. In the end, I bought another bluetooth USB receiver from a more reputable manufacturer, it worked like a charm on the first attempt and have been since.

Yeah, I'm guessing it's the bluetooth receiver. It's built into the mobo, as I said, and is therefore probably about 6 or 7 years old.

My plan is to buy a bluetooth dongle and try that. What I've noticed since the OP, is that if I look at Device Manager as I try to connect the controller, is that "HID compliant controller" pops up for a second, with a little yellow caution sign, and then immediately turns back off. So that's probably a communication error or something.

Do you have any sense of whether using a dongle is going to add latency?

[Jack Schitt]

If it's that old you can probably buy a USB Bluetooth adapter at Wal-mart that would do better.
It's not a latency issue. It's more likely the bluetooth versions aren't compatible.

Or buy one at Amazon for $7 USD that MIGHT do it.[www.amazon.com]

4k resolutions are here and available too. But there aren't many things available that can actually do it.

Same thing.

[Ronin Waffle]

So update:
I bought a new USB bluetooth adapter. I thought it was going to work, but then it really didn't. It definitely picked it up, and it stayed connected for longer, but then eventually started instantly disconnecting again.

I'm wondering if it's not a faulty controller. As I said previously, plugging it in to USB does absolutely nothing. Same Micro-USB charges my headphones and tablet just fine. I've tried a couple other ones around, they don't work either.

It doesn't seem to start charging if I plug it into a phone charger that way either. It seems like the controller is running out of battery, and I can't charge it.

[Jack Schitt]

It should work through USB. If it doesn't it probably is faulty. Return it before you can't.

[Ronin Waffle]

And so yeah, it was the controller. I returned it, exchanged it for a different one, and it worked immediately. There's like a 0.2% chance it was the USB cable, which I also replaced, despite it working with everything else.

Thanks for all the help!