[SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

NaboriRuta · 2025-02-10 03:35:32

Hello,

Whenever I try to play games on Arch using a controller, the screen keeps trying to turn off every 5 minutes. I think this has something to do with my controller inputs not reaching the desktop itself, but I don't know. I've been trying to use different versions of uinput from the AUR, but I can't get it to work.

I use a Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, and the only way it works is via joycond. Things like qjoypad just don't recognize my controller. Controls still work fine through Steam, but even that gets picky sometimes.

Before anyone mentions it, I have looked at the wiki and other places to solve my problem, and they haven't helped. Been troubleshooting for the past few days, but nothing has worked.

Any and all help is appreciated. Sorry if I'm posting this in the wrong category, mods.

Last edited by NaboriRuta (2025-02-12 06:20:12)

Lone_Wolf · 2025-02-10 11:07:48

Smells like DPMS or screensaver settings.

Are you using X or wayland ?

If X try some of the commands at https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Displa … e_settings

NaboriRuta · 2025-02-10 14:55:42

I am using X, but I don't see how any of those commands help me. Changing the blank time would just be delaying the inevitable screen off.

I did get a bit of help running

xset q

, and it did seem to guide me to what to do next:

 Keyboard Control:
  auto repeat:  on    key click percent:  0    LED mask:  00000000
  XKB indicators:
    00: Caps Lock:   off    01: Num Lock:    off    02: Scroll Lock: off
    03: Compose:     off    04: Kana:        off    05: Sleep:       off
    06: Suspend:     off    07: Mute:        off    08: Misc:        off
    09: Mail:        off    10: Charging:    off    11: Shift Lock:  off
    12: Group 2:     off    13: Mouse Keys:  off
  auto repeat delay:  500    repeat rate:  33
  auto repeating keys:  00ffffffdffffbbf
                        fadfffefffedffff
                        9fffffffffffffff
                        fff7ffffffffffff
  bell percent:  50    bell pitch:  400    bell duration:  100
Pointer Control:
  acceleration:  2/1    threshold:  4
Screen Saver:
  prefer blanking:  yes    allow exposures:  yes
  timeout:  0    cycle:  0
Colors:
  default colormap:  0x20    BlackPixel:  0x0    WhitePixel:  0xffffff
Font Path:
  /usr/share/fonts/misc,/usr/share/fonts/100dpi,/usr/share/fonts/75dpi,built-ins
DPMS (Display Power Management Signaling):
  Standby: 0    Suspend: 0    Off: 0
  DPMS is Enabled
  Monitor is On

I can already see that I need Gamepad Control (or something that means the same thing) in this list somewhere, but I don't know how I would.

Last edited by NaboriRuta (2025-02-10 14:56:15)

seth · 2025-02-10 15:07:01

DPMS and screensaver are defacto disabled (0/0/0) - the DPMS is likely triggered by some screensaver client (which will also set those values)
What kind of desktop environment is this?

Lone_Wolf · 2025-02-10 15:09:29

Disabling dpms would solve the issue in a bruteforce method.

There is no joycond in repos, but several in aur. Which one are you using ?

NaboriRuta · 2025-02-10 15:51:38

I’m using Budgie as my desktop and joycond-git from the AUR.

seth · 2025-02-10 17:34:20

So probably https://archlinux.org/packages/?name=budgie-screensaver ?

NaboriRuta · 2025-02-10 20:27:41

I could see that as a possibility. I'm not sure how to access budgie-screensaver from any settings area. I can go into settings and set screen blank to never, but I would also like screens to turn off on their own without having to go into settings all the time. Might be a "one or the other" deal.

It could also be me using ly as my display manager, but I'm not sure what that changes.

Running budgie-screensaver in the terminal doesn't seem to create an output, but it also doesn't stop, either.

Edit: It's also important to note that whenever I play a long video in youtube or some other video player, the screen doesn't blank, either.

Last edited by NaboriRuta (2025-02-10 20:29:44)

seth · 2025-02-10 20:54:50

From the packages file list, try to run

/usr/lib/budgie-screensaver-dialog

Edit: It's also important to note that whenever I play a long video in youtube or some other video player, the screen doesn't blank, either.

The browser will very most likely inhibit the screensaver, look around on the session bus w/ qdbus or dbus-send

NaboriRuta · 2025-02-10 23:14:01

What /usr/lib/budgie-screensaver-dialog returns:

** (budgie-screensaver-dialog:5809): WARNING **: 16:10:49.651: Couldn't load user icon: Failed to open file “/home/[me]/.face”: No such file or directory
WINDOW ID=69206022

(budgie-screensaver-dialog:5809): GLib-CRITICAL **: 16:11:51.718: Source ID 32 was not found when attempting to remove it
RESPONSE=CANCEL
Terminated

Edit: When I try adding in .face with either mkdir or touch, this is what it returns:

** (budgie-screensaver-dialog:9306): WARNING **: 16:54:21.137: Couldn't load user icon: Couldn’t recognize the image file format for file “/home/[me]/.face”
WINDOW ID=71303174

(budgie-screensaver-dialog:9306): GLib-CRITICAL **: 16:55:23.715: Source ID 32 was not found when attempting to remove it
RESPONSE=CANCEL
Terminated

Last edited by NaboriRuta (2025-02-11 00:44:59)

seth · 2025-02-11 06:00:51

I've no experience w/ budgie or its config GUI whatsoever, sorry.

inhibit the screensaver, look around on the session bus w/ qdbus or dbus-send

Other than that you can probably control it w/ gsettings or dconf.

NaboriRuta · 2025-02-11 06:47:11

Giving another look at this and how to get controller support through Budgie, I decided to jstest my controller. I noticed a couple of things:
1. The controller isn't registering as js0 but rather as event256 and event257
2. Running the two jstest commands separately returns the same output, which is this:

Driver version is 0.8.0.
jstest is not fully compatible with your kernel. Unable to retrieve button map!
Joystick (Unknown) has 2 axes and 2 buttons.
Testing ... (interrupt to exit)

jstest: error reading: Invalid argument

I'm noticing that jstest isn't fully compatible with Arch, jstest is getting the number of buttons wrong, and the controller isn't going into /dev/input/ correctly. I don't know if this helps at all, but it's worth a shot.

seth · 2025-02-11 07:11:26

https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gamepa … l_programs

NaboriRuta · 2025-02-12 03:40:58

I really should've mentioned this before, but I typically use my Switch Pro Controller plugged in via usb, as bluetooth ends up being way too laggy, and it registers at least somewhat properly.

I tried following what the Wiki was saying but it ended up doing nothing. Disabling joycond doesn't seem to help, either.

still not proud of the fact that I just got an rtfm

Kurobac · 2025-02-12 05:13:27

I would suggest just using gamemode or joystickwake.
Some games (especially Windows games) don't inform the system to disable screen lock. This issue seems to be unrelated to the type of gamepad, and many desktop environments (gnome kde, etc.) have this problem.

NaboriRuta · 2025-02-12 06:21:45

Joystickwake works like a charm! Thank you so much! I'm definitely putting this in as a startup command.

To the mods: Post is marked as solved.

seth · 2025-02-12 08:01:25

Ftr, the udev rule in https://wiki.archlinux.org/title/Gamepa … l_programs is a pattern - if you don't fit in the proper values it won't do anything but you end up having a bogus udev rule around (so make sure to delete that in case joystickwake does it for you)

Arch Linux

#1 2025-02-10 03:35:32

[SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#2 2025-02-10 11:07:48

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#3 2025-02-10 14:55:42

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#4 2025-02-10 15:07:01

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#5 2025-02-10 15:09:29

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#6 2025-02-10 15:51:38

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#7 2025-02-10 17:34:20

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#8 2025-02-10 20:27:41

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#9 2025-02-10 20:54:50

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#10 2025-02-10 23:14:01

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#11 2025-02-11 06:00:51

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#12 2025-02-11 06:47:11

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#13 2025-02-11 07:11:26

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#14 2025-02-12 03:40:58

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#15 2025-02-12 05:13:27

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#16 2025-02-12 06:21:45

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

#17 2025-02-12 08:01:25

Re: [SOLVED] Screen keeps turning off when using controllers for games

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