protonscr

SP Controller Configurator window is blank

steamopen Steam clientDistro Family: Arch
ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux#8949 · opened 2022-11-24 by IanTrudel · updated 2025-12-06 · 23 comments · github
IIanTrudel 2022-11-24 github

Your system information

  • Steam client version (build number or date): 2022.10.17 (1668654564)
  • Distribution (e.g. Ubuntu): Arch Linux
  • Opted into Steam client beta?: Tried on both
  • Have you checked for system updates?: Yes

Please describe your issue in as much detail as possible:

I am expecting to be able to access the controller configuration through the game settings or within the game. Interestingly, the controller configuration works when accessed through Big Picture.

Additionally, I checked whether some libraries were missing or not using ldd and lddtree. Everything seems in order.

Steps for reproducing this issue:

  1. Connect a controller.
  2. Pick a game.
  3. Click on the Cog > Manage > Controller Configuration.

Or

  1. Connect a controller.
  2. Run a game.
  3. Press shift-tab.
  4. Controller Configuration.

Screenshot

Capture d’écran du 2022-11-24 04-39-28

Nnded03 2022-11-25 github

Can confirm issue on Nvidia RTX 2070 with latest closed drivers. Controller configurator window comes up blank and is unusable.

Ssorin255 2022-11-26 github

Confirming issue on Nvidia RTX 1650. I'm specifically using i3 as my WM if that makes a difference.

Launching General Controller Settings, and configurations for Big Picture and Desktop does work, it's only configuration for individual games that seem to be having this issue.

Bbliinkk 2022-11-27 github

Same issue here, I'm on windows 10 using an i7-8700 and a 1060 6GB

Ttoalex77 2022-11-28 github

Same here: Linux openSUSE Tumbleweed (kernel 6.0.8), AMD CPU (2xOpteron 6386SE, 32 core), 32GB RAM, nVidia GTX970 (driver version, 525.53).

EEspio419 2022-11-29 github

Same issue on Linux Mint 21, AMD Ryzen 7 5700G, 16 GB of RAM, and GTX 1080 using driver version 520. Works on Big Picture, but that's annoying to use on a desktop.

EEightB1ts 2022-12-06 github

I was able to work around this issue by entering big picture mode to adjust the settings.

IIanTrudel 2022-12-06 github

I was able to work around this issue by entering big picture mode to adjust the settings.

It was mentioned on my initial report. Thank you for testing though. What distro are you using?

Ttoalex77 2022-12-06 github

Last week-end I had to replace my grafics card, a 6 years old nVidia GTX 970, due to a hardware failure.
I replaced it with an AMD RX 6600. Now this issue is disappeared, so I think that this issue is related to nVidia drivers.

EEightB1ts 2022-12-07 github

I was able to work around this issue by entering big picture mode to adjust the settings.

It was mentioned on my initial report. Thank you for testing though. What distro are you using?

Arch 6.0.8-arch1

SShaneTRS 2022-12-18 github

Issue is no longer present on my device as of Dec. 17th on the latest Steam Beta Update.

Distribution: Arch Linux x86_64
Kernel: 6.0.12.zen1-1
NVIDIA Driver: 525.60.11-1
Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 970

MMindFreeze 2022-12-19 github

I still have the issue in Steam beta and even in Big picture

IIanTrudel 2022-12-19 github

I still have the issue in Steam beta and even in Big picture

I tried it based on the suggestion by @ShaneTRS and it worked for me. It was necessary to restart Steam a couple of times though.

XXDM-Inc 2022-12-25 github

had the same issue, updated to beta steam seems to work, its a whole new app layout for configuring controllers

UPDATE, its broken again

FFeralBytes 2023-01-03 github

I still have this issue in Steam Beta in AMD GPU if not in Big Picture mode. Also Big Picture Mode seems broken in latest Beta.

HHorstBaerbel 2023-01-09 github

I can confirm it works for me when opting into beta (Fedora 36, Nvidia proprietary 525.ish). Big Picture Mode work for me too.

XXDM-Inc 2023-01-15 github

its broken again for me for some reason, only thing that could have changed was i had a big system update.

Ggangliaghost 2023-01-15 github

Same problem Endeavour OS (Arch based), NVIDIA proprietary. Big picture mode works for me but outside of it, I get the empty window when I open controller layout.

XXDM-Inc 2023-01-15 github

Same problem Endeavour OS (Arch based), NVIDIA proprietary. Big picture mode works for me but outside of it, I get the empty window when I open controller layout.

Yep, im on the same setup Endeavour OS & nvidia. the only work around i got so far is to launch big picture mode and then configure controller.

RRiven-Spell 2023-01-25 github

Same problem Endeavour OS (Arch based), NVIDIA proprietary. Big picture mode works for me but outside of it, I get the empty window when I open controller layout.

Yep, im on the same setup Endeavour OS & nvidia. the only work around i got so far is to launch big picture mode and then configure controller.

That would be a fantastic solution, but big picture crashes on me.

Mmcgrew 2023-02-05 github

I can also confirm this issue. The controller configurator shows a transparent window on the latest stable Steam client. With the current beta I get an all black window instead.

Distribution: Arch Linux
Kernel: 6.1.7
Graphics card: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970
Nvidia Driver Version: 525.85.05
Windowing system: X11
image

Ddifferent55 2023-03-17 github

I have the same problem, almost an identical system to mcgrew above me except that I'm running Debian Sid. It's also been broken on Nvidia 515 and 510 drivers. I haven't tried in a while, but last time I checked the new big picture mode had the same problem.

MManagor 2025-05-27 github

Has anyone encountered this issue recently?

AAbzol 2025-12-06 github

Chiming in to say this issue is still cropping up here, without any sign of being accessible even through big picture mode.
Any game for which it doesnt work fires off a lot of assertion failures in src/steamUI/controllerconfig.h ("CPrepareConfigWorker failed for AppID...") if i look at the console while the game is booting up

NAME="Linux Mint"
VERSION="22.2 (Zara)"
ID=linuxmint
UBUNTU_CODENAME=noble

nvidia-driver-580-open (580.95.05-0ubuntu0.24.04.2)
GeForce RTX2060

EDIT: Looking at the screenshots earlier in this thread, I'm not sure this is the same issue; in my case it does work (for some games) but importantly even in cases it doesn't work it still renders the bottom UI toolbar (MENU, [B] BACK, [A] ACCEPT) and the background is a steam-y grey color instead of pure black; but maybe that's just how the issue shows itself these days

UPDATE 2: Managed to find an old windows copy of my workshop folders and cloned a file that was not present on my linux install and that seemingly solved the issue, as reccomended by https://steamcommunity.com/app/221410/discussions/0/802322896293869462/
The file seems to be a copy of a regular controller layout vdf file. Either way, seemingly works now.

Nothing extracted yet.