System Information

Steam Client

Steam Beta Branch: Steam Beta Update
Steam Version: 1782952760
Steam Client Build Date: Wed, Jul 1, 2026 7:23 PM UTC -06:00
Steam Web Build Date: Wed, Jul 1, 2026 4:44 PM UTC -06:00
Steam API Version: SteamClient023

• Steam Input Enabled

• Distribution: CachyOS (Arch-based)
• Desktop Environment: KDE Plasma (Wayland)
• GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090
• Steam Controller: Original Steam Controller using the original wireless USB dongle
• Steam Input: Enabled
• HDR: Enabled via Proton Wayland

Games Tested

• God of War Ragnarök
• Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Launch Options

PROTON_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1 PROTON_ENABLE_HDR=1 ENABLE_HDR_WSI=1 DXVK_HDR=1 %command%

Expected Behavior

The Steam Controller should continue functioning as a gamepad while HDR is enabled.

Actual Behavior

When HDR is enabled using the launch options above:

• HDR activates correctly.
• The game detects keyboard and mouse input instead of the Steam Controller.
• Keyboard prompts are shown instead of controller prompts.
• Controller gameplay is either unavailable or behaves as desktop input.

Troubleshooting Performed

• Tested Proton Experimental.
• Tested the latest GE-Proton.
• Tested multiple HDR-capable games.
• Verified the Steam Controller works correctly in Aperture Desk Job.
• Verified the Steam Controller works correctly when HDR is disabled.
• Verified the controller hardware is functioning correctly using the original wireless dongle.
• Reviewed Proton logs and Steam Input logs.

Additional Findings

The issue is reproducible in both God of War Ragnarök and Marvel's Spider-Man 2.

A Steam Controller community layout restores proper controller behavior when launching games from the desktop Steam client.

However, the same community layout does not restore controller functionality when launching the games from Big Picture Mode.

The Steam Input log repeatedly reports:

Controller 0 mapping uses xinput : false

while activating the affected games.

This appears to be related to the interaction between:

• Steam Controller
• Steam Input
• Big Picture Mode
• Proton Wayland
• HDR

rather than being specific to a single game.

Reproduction Steps

1. Launch Steam.
2. Connect an original Steam Controller using the original wireless USB dongle.
3. Launch an HDR-capable game with:

PROTON_ENABLE_WAYLAND=1 PROTON_ENABLE_HDR=1 ENABLE_HDR_WSI=1 DXVK_HDR=1 %command%

1. Launch the game from Big Picture Mode.
2. Observe that HDR functions correctly, but the game displays keyboard/mouse prompts instead of controller prompts.

Removing the HDR launch options immediately restores normal Steam Controller behavior.

The issue reproduces across multiple games, suggesting this is not game-specific but instead related to Steam Input or Big Picture Mode while using Proton Wayland HDR.

controller.txt

steam-2322010.log