Your system information

• Steam client version (build number or date): 1784778118
• Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Ubuntu 26.04 64-bit
• Opted into Steam client beta?: No (also reproduced with the Steam Client Beta)
• Have you checked for system updates?: Yes
• Steam Logs: Attached steam-logs.tar.gz
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090, proprietary driver 595.71.05

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

Steam correctly detects my original Sony DualSense controller through HIDAPI:

Product: DualSense Wireless Controller
Controller using HIDAPI driver, vid=0x054c, pid=0x0ce6

All controller buttons, sticks, triggers, and calibration work normally. However, the controller does not vibrate when I press the rumble-test button in Steam Settings. Rumble also does not work in any game launched through Steam.

The expected result is that pressing Steam's rumble-test button, or receiving a rumble event in a game, should make the controller vibrate. The actual result is that no vibration occurs.

The controller hardware and the Linux force-feedback driver are working correctly. Running fftest directly against the DualSense input device successfully produces both strong and weak rumble:

Uploading effect #4 (Strong rumble, with heavy motor) ... OK
Uploading effect #5 (Weak rumble, with light motor) ... OK

Now Playing: Strong Rumble
Now Playing: Weak Rumble

Both effects physically vibrate the controller. This also works while Steam is running.

The same physical DualSense controller has working vibration when connected to an original Steam Deck and to a computer running Bazzite.

Additional testing performed:

• Tested Linux kernels 7.0.0-27-generic and 7.0.0-28-generic.
• Tested Steam Stable and Steam Client Beta.
• Tested the native Ubuntu Steam package and Flatpak Steam.
• Reset the Steam installation.
• Removed and regenerated the controller configuration files.
• Removed and regenerated Steam's global config.vdf.
• Reproduced the problem with a completely new Linux user account and a fresh Steam installation.
• Confirmed that the user has read/write access to /dev/hidraw4 and /dev/uinput.
• Confirmed that the steam-devices package is installed.
• Found no relevant AppArmor denial.
• Confirmed that Steam opens /dev/hidraw4 while the controller is connected.
• Starting Steam with SDL_JOYSTICK_HIDAPI_PS5=1 and SDL_JOYSTICK_HIDAPI_PS5_RUMBLE=1 did not change the result.
• Disabling the PS5 HIDAPI path made Steam identify the device as PS5 Controller through the evdev fallback, but rumble still did not work.
• Confirmed that the controller preference file contained both "rumble" "1" and "haptics" "1".

I also attached strace to the Steam process and all of its threads while repeatedly pressing Steam's rumble-test button. No write, writev, or relevant ioctl operation referencing /dev/hidraw4 appeared during the test.

This suggests that Steam detects and opens the DualSense controller but does not dispatch a rumble output command when the rumble-test button is pressed.

The problem is consistently reproducible. Rumble briefly started working once after controller calibration, but stopped again. Repeating the calibration has not restored it.

I initially noticed the problem after testing another controller, but I found no driver or configuration change that applies to the DualSense. Direct force feedback continues to work, and the problem persists after Steam configuration resets and under a fresh Linux user account. Therefore, the exact first affected Steam build is unknown.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

1. Connect a Sony DualSense controller (054c:0ce6) to the Ubuntu computer by USB.
2. Start Steam and open Settings → Controller.
3. Open the controller test interface and press the rumble-test button.
4. Observe that Steam detects the controller and all inputs work, but the controller does not vibrate.
5. Exit the Steam controller test and run fftest on the DualSense /dev/input/event* device.
6. Play effects 4 and 5.
7. Observe that both strong and weak rumble work correctly through fftest, including while Steam is running.

steam-logs.tar.gz