Multi-Monitor Issue: Controller stops working when I use mouse on secondary screen.

[A Bear]

So I've got two monitors, and I want to be able to play games (Dark Souls) on the main one with a controller (PS4 Controller), while using a mouse to browse or watch Youtube vidoes on the second one. Problem is whenever I try to do anything on the secondary monitor, like pausing a video, the controller stops working on the screen with the game.

How do I get around this?

[_I_]

depends on the game
some stop/pause or do not take inputs when focus is lost

ask in the games forum

[emoticorpse]

And when you go back to original monitor the controller doesn't continue to work?.

you pause the game first before doing that?

[Snow]

There might be some app to make a specific game always stay in focus. Unfortunately, I don't know such apps.

[Supafly]

The game no longer has focus so you'd need to give it focus by left clicking on it. I know some games don't have that issue....can't remember which of the top of my head.Liker Snow mention you may be able to find a program that forces a game to stay in focus......if one exists.

EDIT: get used to Alt + Tab to switch focus back quickly. I actually have that bound on my mouse for certain games to switch focus back. I've just assigned same command to a foot pedal too. Simple tap with my foot quickly switches focus back.. Little odd but I don't need to move mouse or touch the keyboard to switch focus back from my DS4 so I may leave the foot pedal as it is for now.

[Pocahawtness]

I used two monitors for a very long time and yes the problem is the so called "focus". Windows directs all user input to the app that has focus. The moment you do anything outside of the game it loses focus so all input including the controller goes to the app that just received the focus. As far as I know there is no way to direct specific input to specific games and apps, so there is no way round the problem.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

It's not possible. Once focus is no longer on the game window, kb, mouse, controller can't control the game. That's what alt+tab is for. If you switch to another window do what you need to do then switch back to the game window to bring focus back to it.

[Snow]

Originally posted by Bad 💀 Motha:

It's not possible. Once focus is no longer on the game window, kb, mouse, controller can't control the game.

I'm quite positive I've played two Borderlands 2 copies on the same PC simultaneously, so definitely possible.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Originally posted by Snow:

Originally posted by Bad 💀 Motha:

It's not possible. Once focus is no longer on the game window, kb, mouse, controller can't control the game.

I'm quite positive I've played two Borderlands 2 copies on the same PC simultaneously, so definitely possible.

Yet no explanations of how.

[A Bear]

Originally posted by ｢C❤️A｣ Pocahawtness:

I used two monitors for a very long time and yes the problem is the so called "focus". Windows directs all user input to the app that has focus. The moment you do anything outside of the game it loses focus so all input including the controller goes to the app that just received the focus. As far as I know there is no way to direct specific input to specific games and apps, so there is no way round the problem.

That's a shame, but thanks I guess I'll get used to it in time.

[Snow]

Originally posted by Bad 💀 Motha:

Yet no explanations of how.

With -AlwaysFocus launch option.

[_I_]

some games can keep controller inputs when focus is lost
but if you run another program that uses the controller its inputs may be lost

may also depend on if the game is using dinput, xinput or raw

[Rezombiex93]

Originally posted by Supafly:

The game no longer has focus so you'd need to give it focus by left clicking on it. I know some games don't have that issue....can't remember which of the top of my head.Liker Snow mention you may be able to find a program that forces a game to stay in focus......if one exists.

EDIT: get used to Alt + Tab to switch focus back quickly. I actually have that bound on my mouse for certain games to switch focus back. I've just assigned same command to a foot pedal too. Simple tap with my foot quickly switches focus back.. Little odd but I don't need to move mouse or touch the keyboard to switch focus back from my DS4 so I may leave the foot pedal as it is for now.

Just want to say thanks I'm nit the smartest tech out here just recently got a2nd screen and the control wouldn't work on it. Read this about switching focus with alt+tab and boom I'm good.

[Bad 💀 Motha]

Not just ALT+TAB but there is also WINKEY+TAB and you can also have multiple Desktops, not just a single Desktop like in the old days of Win8 and older. Multiple Desktop has been a thing on Linux since before the early days of WinXP

[Markovz]

I solved it by disabilitating the steam input and restart the game. Sometimes it works by switching fullscreen in bordless/Windows mode.

[_I_]

if that worked, then steams mapping for the controller was not correct
you can enable steam input again, and browse controller configs and pick default