This is what happens for me on Ubuntu 24.04 using the latest Steam beta client on the HWE 6.17 kernel. Steam can only see the controller and puck for firmware updates, otherwise it doesn't recognize that the controller is connected. The firmware update worked just fine, as did the last one, but the controller still isn't detected by Steam. Steam is installed through Apt and steam-devices is present.

I had libhidapi-hidraw0 and libhidapi-libusb0 installed and the udev rules 60-steam-input.rules replaced with the up to date ones from the repo file. I had also seen somewhere to create and populate a /etc/udev/rules.d/60-steam-controller.rules file and I had done that as well. Since none of it resulted in Steam seeing my controller and my VR tracking (Index + Vive trackers) suddenly started going haywire, I reverted all of those changes. The below screenshot was taken yesterday as an example of what's going on. The beta client could see the controller only to update its firmware and nothing else.

@kisak-valve Could you add the Ubuntu tag please?

Hi I let my related issue in Ubuntu:

https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/13286

Edit: Only for info: I use snap version in Ubuntu

UPDATED: With the DEB version, it recognized it without any problems.

WITH SNAP-version there are always problems,

UPDATED: With the DEB version, it recognized it without any problems.

WITH SNAP-version there are always problems,

I am using the Deb version and the controller isn't detected.

The latest stable version of Steam does detect my controller now and can also properly update it.

The latest stable version was unable to update my controller and puck. I installed the deb, which uninstalled steam:i386, steam-devices, and steam-installer, and after the client started my controller and puck were able to update. However Steam still does not see them. I reinstalled libhidapi-hidraw0 and libhidapi-libusb0 before doing any of that and nothing changed. I can try reinstalling steam-devices but I was told that installs old udev rules or something.

Nothing worked. Steam support suggests that I RMA it. I guess I'll try that. I switched back to the apt version because the one installed from the deb refused to let "Steam" show up when I searched it in my applications or let me pin it to my dock. The actual client is updated through Steam itself so I'd rather not deal with that other crap. Maybe my controller was DOA somehow.

Nothing worked. Steam support suggests that I RMA it. I guess I'll try that. I switched back to the apt version because the one installed from the deb refused to let "Steam" show up when I searched it in my applications or let me pin it to my dock. The actual client is updated through Steam itself so I'd rather not deal with that other crap. Maybe my controller was DOA somehow.

Hi, are you using the Steam beta version?
Here are my system specs in case it helps figure out what's going on:
Ubuntu 24.04.4 LTS
Linux 6.17.0-35-generic
gnome version 46
X11
Here more information about how I did the steps if that helps
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/13286

Please create a support ticket—I don't think this is a duplicate. Please post your Steam logs so a developer can take a look. Do you use Ubuntu as well?

EDIT: just for be sure, try to click again the link for the installer and do the steps, maybe something extra is updated
https://store.steampowered.com/about/

EDIT2: im using Proton 11 if that helps:

Copy/pasting my post from #13171:

Also Kubuntu 24.04 here.
Steam (both stable and beta branches, currently on beta) via the official Valve steam.deb file is what is installed.
My udev rules perfectly match what is at https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-devices/blob/master/60-steam-input.rules as it is at this moment.
Noticed the controller only appeared as hid-generic instead of hid-steam, corrected that, still no change either way.
udevices gives access, but I have it set to 666 for the mode for all hidraw*, uinput, etc... until next reboot (rebooted many times, with all updates applied system-wide as well).
Both libhidapi-hidraw0 and libhidapi-libusb0 are installed.
In short:

• Plug in controller first, it's lizard mode, has 2 ev nodes "Valve Software Steam Controller" and "Steam Controller", the lizardmode events are coming over "Valve Software Steam Controller", the other is silent. Then start steam, lizardmode disables, the ev node of "Steam Controller" vanished, controller does nothing, steam sees no controller, then a minute later the "Steam Controller" reappears and lizardmode is working again over "Valve Software Steam Controller" (which never vanished), which seems to match what I see in the hid-steam code for when the program that told it to switch mode (steam in this case) didn't send further commands for a minute.
• Start steam first, then plug in controller (puck or directly, I've been testing with directly connected primarily), immediately lizardmode with both "Valve Software Steam Controller" and "Steam Controller" evnodes appearing, steam never sees it.

I installed steam via flatpak for testing, aaand... it sees the controller, the controller works, puck too when I use it, it's complaining that it can't update the controllers firmware every time it is started, plugged back in, etc... but it always fails to update it, I verified the steam flatpak has unbounded access to various things in /dev.

Connecting it to my SteamDeck... and it just works, in all ways, and the firmware updated fine on both the controller and puck, bluetooth works too (and bluetooth has the same issues on the ubuntu 24.04, just lizardmode, disables for a minute if steam starts when it's plugged in, etc...).

Here's hoping 26.04 will resolve it when it releases here in a month or 3...
If anyone has other ideas, I'm all ears/eyes. I've tried so many things, including moving to the hardware enablement kernel version 6.17.0-29-generic...

EDIT: Oh, and for completion, it doesn't work over steam link from phone to the Ubuntu 24.04 system either, but it does work over steam link to the steamdeck, which really really makes it sound like something is up with steam?

And yes, both of my OG 2016 Steam Controllers work perfectly in all places in all ways.

And yes since the above I've found that running ./hardwareupdater.x86_64 at ~/.steam/steam/bin/hardwareupdater does list and update it properly from that same system, steam still doesn't see it at all though. Works perfectly on the Steamdeck however.

The RMA did not resolve the issue, which I already knew would be the case.

@Hicks79 I've already posted all my system and software info. I'm on Ubuntu 24.04 with the HWE kernel. Proton has nothing to do with whether or not Steam sees the controller.

Just to keep up to date, noticed there was an update for its firmware, so ran ./hardwareupdater.x86_64 on its ID, it updated, no more updating being reported (by steamdeck*), but still no change on ubuntu 24.04.

Okay this is weird... I notice that when I start steam on the ubuntu 24.04 computer (rarely happens as it is almost always running) then I get a notification that the pucks firmware needs to be updated (which, yes it does, it's only been connected to this computer other than the steamdeck once at the start of its life for its initial update, and well... steam isn't updating it so...), but steam itself is still not seeing it? It's so weird... I bet manually running ./hardwareupdater.x86_64 on it will update it and I'll probably do that in the next few days but I'm leaving it not-upgraded for the moment in case you want me to test something or get some log or so?

Okay this is weird... I notice that when I start steam on the ubuntu 24.04 computer (rarely happens as it is almost always running) then I get a notification that the pucks firmware needs to be updated (which, yes it does, it's only been connected to this computer other than the steamdeck once at the start of its life for its initial update, and well... steam isn't updating it so...), but steam itself is still not seeing it? It's so weird... I bet manually running ./hardwareupdater.x86_64 on it will update it and I'll probably do that in the next few days but I'm leaving it not-upgraded for the moment in case you want me to test something or get some log or so?

If your system is anything like mine, then Steam will be able to update the firmware despite not seeing the controller and puck. That is the only thing Steam sees it for. I haven't tried connecting it to see if that's changed in a while though.

Just did another controller and puck firmware update. No change, Steam still can't see them.

controller gets detected in steam when enabling steamrt3 for me, otherwise this appears in the logs when plugging it in

DetectUsbEntities: udev_enumerate_scan_devices failed

SDL3, hardwareupdater.x86_64 as well as freshly installed linux distros detect the steam controller just fine though.....