Controller "Guide Button Chord Layout" remains active if controller is powered off while holding the Guide Button

[rickgns]

ISSUE

If the controller is powered off while holding the Guide Button, when it turns back on it will be using the "Guide Button Chord Layout" instead of the "Desktop Layout" or the layout of the game being played. Clicking the Guide Button restores normal behaviour.

My guess is that Steam activates the "Guide Button Chord Layout" when the Guide Button is pressed and waits for the its release to disable it, but since the release is never transmitted because the controller is already off, the "Guide Button Chord Layout" stays active. Turning on the controller and pressing and releasing the Guide Button finally sends the release trigger that Steam is waiting for and disables the "Guide Button Chord Layout".

This has been tested using a Steam Controller (which by default turns off by pressing [Guide + Y] so it always encounters this issue while wireless) and caught my attention on the 15th of January while troubleshooting another bug but I can't say for sure that it wasn't happening before that, I only now figured out what was going on. The current Stable Steam Client doesn't seem to have this bug, I only see it in the Beta.

OS

Windows 10

STEPS

• Open Steam
  
• Turn on controller
  
• Turn off controller while holding the Guide Button
  
• Turn on controller

RESULTS

Controller buttons behave as if the "Guide Button Chord Layout" is always active. Clicking the Guide Button restores normal behaviour.

EXPECTED

Controller buttons should correspond to the "Desktop Layout". The "Guide Button Chord Layout" should only be active while pressing the Guide Button.

[austinp_valve]

Thanks for the report. A potential fix will go out in today's beta

[rickgns]

Today's update didn't fix it.

[austinp_valve]

Can you try with the latest client?

[Brigadoon]

Just tested with my Steam Controller. Bug still persists

[rickgns]

Originally posted by austinp_valve:

Can you try with the latest client?

This bug is still happening with the latest beta client and the stable client is also affected now.

[rickgns]

Steam Client Beta - February 5th claims this issue has been fixed but it's not, at least not completely. It still happens some times but I can't figure out the pattern, it appears random.

I can no longer reproduce it in wired mode by disconnecting the cable so that seems to be fixed.

I can still reproduce it in wireless dongle mode by removing the battery while holding Guide or with the Guide+Y shortcut to shut down the controller, it just doesn't happen every time anymore.

The same fix of pressing the Guide button when it happens still works to restore normal behavior.

[rickgns]

Just to let you know that this bug is still happening in the current version (Beta - March 11th).

[Ultra]

First of all, thank you so much for the temporary fix. This issue has frustrated me since the start of the year

I just downloaded the beta but the issue is still happening.

Is this ever getting fixed?

[rickgns]

That's a good question, maybe it's not high priority, it is still happening as of Beta - April 23rd.

What's weird is that it no longer happens in wired mode since the February 5th update and plugging in the controller while it's happening in wireless mode also fixes it now, so Valve clearly changed something in the initialization of wired controllers that clears the issue, I don't understand why they can't just apply it to wireless mode as well, which is the mode most likely to experience this.

Edit: Unplugging and re-plugging the wireless dongle while the bug is active also fixes the issue, even if I do it while the controller is off. Maybe Steam is not properly recognizing that the controller was disconnected so it keeps waiting for the Guide Button release?