8BitDo Ultimate 2 Bluetooth connection to Retropie

Support Raspberry Pi
1

I recently received a 8BitDo Ultimate 2 controller. Before purchasing, I googled if they would connect via bluetooth to RetroPie running on a RaspberryPi and every indication was that it would work.

I cannot get this to connect. The bluetooth device is seenb in Retropie, I select it to connect, the controller rumbles but it doesn’t ever show as connected within RetroPie. I’ve tried the old articles on here but I still cannot get it to work.

Any ideas? I cannot find any YouTube videos or articles to help.

Running a RaspberryPi 4, RetroPie fully updated. 8BitDo Ultimate Controller fully updated.

Note, it work when connected via cable but I really want to be using it wirelessly via bluetooth.

Any help would be appreciated.

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Hi there, @Paul283965, and welcome to the forum,

Let’s try and get this resolved for you.

The first thing we need to do is determine if this is a fault in the Pi 4 or the Bluetooth controller.

Can you connect the Bluetooth Controller to another device, literally any device, without it dropping out? If you can, it suggests that issue lies in the Pi 4. If you can’t, it’s most likely the controller.

Please let me know the outcome :slight_smile:

3

Thanks for the prompt reply. Yes, I have a Bluetooth keyboard attached which is working fine.

I’m using this to navigate the menus in RetroPie with no issues.

I also paired my Bose Headphones successfully but they don’t connect. Maybe they’re not supposed to.

With the 8BitDo controller, I cannot even get it to say paired.

I also tried this workaround article but then it wouldn’t even see any devices when searching.

Thanks

Paul

1 Like
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Older RetroPie guides (for SN30 Pro, Pro 2, etc.) show that “Switch Pro” or “X” mode pairs properly. Try both if one fails.

In Switch Pro mode, RetroPie sees it as a Nintendo Switch Pro controller.
In X-input mode, RetroPie sees it as an Xbox controller.

5

Hi Paul,

Sorry, do you mean that your Bose Headphones successfully paired with the Pi but are not receiving audio output?

That’s good to know, but can you please confirm if the 8BitDo controller is still dropping out when it is connected to another device such as a phone?

The Pi 4 has notoriously bad bluetooth capabilities, due to its antenna being so small and prioritising WiFi. Especially on devices that require frequent inputs such as controllers or keyboards. I have seen other users attach Bluetooth USB receivers in order to take advantage of the stronger signal.

I have run into this same problem with a Bluetooth Keyboard of mine working on the Pi 4. It works great with my PC and tablets, but will frequently miss keys or drop connection on the Pi 4.

Because of that I just want to confirm if the Bluetooth controller is capable of connecting to other devices and delivering input.

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I’ve tried both modes and neither connect.

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The bluetooth keyboard I have is connected and stays connected no problem. I use this all the time in the Retropie setup.

The 8bitdo controller pairs with my iPad no problem and stays connected. It can be seen in the list when searching BT devices in Retropie but never pairs. If I look in the paired devices, it showed which are paired and which are connected. It only shows my keyboard and Bose headphones as paired and the keyboard as connected.

1 Like
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Hey @Paul283965,

Ok, good to know that it is not a defect with the controller and seems to just be a connection issue.

Retropie has a known bug in relation to bluetooth controllers not being able to connect. We have a workaround which was tested with 8BitDo controllers. Could you please follow the below guide and let me know the outcome:

9

Hi Jane

If you look at my earlier reply, you can see I have already tried that. The result was that trying to search for Bluetooth devices shows no devices at all. Seems to be worse.

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Hi @Paul283965 ,

Sorry to hear you are still having issues with this controller connecting to your Pi 4 RetroPie setup. It looks like you have done all the right things to get it working and if our workaround guide didn’t help you make progress.

It may be worth posting about your issues on the RetroPie Forums to see if anyone there knows any tricks that could help you out.

Let us know how you go!

11

Yeah, I’ll give that a crack.

Thanks all

1 Like
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Jane

The result of the workaround for me is that no devices show at all when looking for BT devices. Usually i get a list of all the BT devices it can see. It also seems to make RetroPie freeze when I try and search.

Have you experienced any of these issues when trying the workaround?

Thanks

Paul

1 Like