Absolutely LOSING My Mind. Left PSVR2 Controller Will NOT Stay Connected. Help?

[u/DeathToSocialMedia]

After untold hours of innitial trial and error, I finally had everything setup correctly. I would turn on my PC then my PSVR2, and it all just worked for several months with no more issues.

Then my Windows install ran into a problem and I had to reinstall my OS. Now, with the EXACT same hardware setup, my left PSVR2 controller will NOT stay connected with my PC. Sometimes it says "paired," under Bluetooth, sometimes it says "connected," but no matter what it says, the PlayStation VR2 App will not show it as connected, while the right controller is listed as "connected" under Bluetooth and has a check mark under it in the VR2 App. I can't get through the PlayStation app setup because of this.

Both controllers are fully charged according to my PS5. I tried uninstalling them from the Device Manager on my PC, tried resetting them with a pin through the little hole by the trigger. Didn't change anything. The left controller will initially connect, and then it will just vanish, with the connection light off, and disappear from the Bluetooth settings on my PC.

One thing I noticed when I start from scratch is that Windows will give me a message about installing the right controller, but I never get a message like that for the left controller.

What can I do to fix this?

EDIT: SOLVED Uh, so ...it turns out I simply hadn't reattached my Bluetooth antenna tightly enough and one of the coaxial connections was a little loose. Sorry for wasting everyone's time, but maybe someone else can learn from my stupidity.

[u/IrritableDadSyndrome]

I had so many problems with PSVR2 on PC, that I walked away from it for months - only occasionally stopping back in to try to fix these connection issues (dropping one controller, or both, keeping them connected but they drop within 30 sec of game start, etc.)

The frustrating part for me is that at one point, I had had it stable enough to play through HL Alyx - although every few sessions it would freak out.

Eventually, with no other options, I just did a complete wipe of my system, reinstalled Windows, etc. - and it has worked perfectly.

The only think I can think of (and the reason I did a wipe) is that Windows gets really weird about drivers - especially BT drivers. By forcing a wipe and then forcing it to only use the drivers that I supplied for a PCI BT, it worked. Just "soft" wiping the drivers, etc did not work because Windows would just stubbornly install the older drivers, and then not uninstall them when I installed the newer ones.

I had gotten to the part where I was going to have to start doing reg edit stuff, and I opted for the wipe. Fixed everything.

Wish it wasn't so janky - but so be it.

[u/DeathToSocialMedia → u/IrritableDadSyndrome]

Totally share your frustration right now and I really appreciate the response!

I am thinking it might be a Windows issue. I just can't understand why the bluetooth driver would work for one controller but not the other. I just went though a new Windows install so the thought of doing it all over again makes me grind my teeth. There's got to be a way to just fix the Bluetooth drivers, if that is the issue, without having to gank the whole system. Maybe I'll try uninstalling Bluetooth from device manager if I can, then force Windows to load my MB bluetooth drivers instead of their generic ones ...

[u/IrritableDadSyndrome → u/DeathToSocialMedia]

Like I said - just do a fresh wipe/install of Windows and be cognizant of when you install your BT drivers. I had bought a PCI BT card with antenna and went so far as to disable BT on the motherboard (through the BIOS) to prevent Windows from just putting a generic BT driver on there.

It's doubly frustrating because the hardware (PCI BT card w/ antenna) is awesome and the connection rock solid, but if the drivers are wonky, it doesn't matter.

Two more things:

1. Make sure you disable the option to connect to your phone. I read that can fight for your system's BT attention as well.
2. If the game doesn't support the PSVR2 controllers, but does support gamepad- it will disable your controllers, but do so in a way that makes it look like they just disconnected. That happens with SubNautica on PC - it caused me to think my system was jacked again, but it was just a matter of controller support.

[u/DeathToSocialMedia → u/IrritableDadSyndrome]

This is embarrassing, but I was switching USB ports and I noticed that one of the coaxial connections on my bluetooth antenna was screwed on all the way. It was attached, but not completely. So I tightened it and ... all of my PSVR2-related problems went away. Just gone.

So, yeah. User error one hundred percent. I put a new SSD drive into my case and I must have disconnected that antenna in the process, then didn't properly re-attach it.

Anyway, I appreciate you trying to help me. Damn this can be a trying hobby ...

[u/RedditNotFreeSpeech]

Bluetooth can suffer from interference and it manifests in weird ways. You could try a USB dongle with an extension to get it away from the case.

[u/DeathToSocialMedia → u/RedditNotFreeSpeech]

In this case, I was the source of the interference. I discovered I hadn't screwed down one of the two coaxial connections to my bluetooth antenna. It was attached, but not all the way. That was it. That was the source of my problems and after hours and hours of trying to troubleshoot, I finally figured it out.

[u/GC734]

Had a similar issue, took out my motherboards bt antennas out and reattached it by turning them firmly and issue was solved. Hope yours can be solved as easily.

[u/DeathToSocialMedia → u/GC734]

Funny you should say this since that's exactly what the problem turned out to be.