Getting Started

🚀 Getting Started

You've installed OpenDS5 (Installation) — here's the path to actually playing.

1️⃣ Log out, log back in

The installer added you to the vds group; group membership only takes effect on a fresh login. (Skip if you already rebooted, e.g. for Secure Boot enrollment.)

2️⃣ Pair the controller

Pair the DualSense over Bluetooth as usual (hold Create + PS until the lightbar pulses, then pair from your system's Bluetooth settings).

Why your Bluetooth keyboard/mouse stopped working: setup disables BlueZ's input plugin — vds needs raw ownership of the controller's Bluetooth HID channels, and with the plugin active the system claims the DualSense as a plain gamepad and OpenDS5 never sees it. The side effect is that other Bluetooth input devices don't work while the override is active (audio devices are unaffected). This is an upstream vds limitation. Revert anytime:

sudo /usr/share/opends5/override-bluetoothd.sh enable-input --restart

3️⃣ Launch OpenDS5

It's in your app menu after install (or run the AppImage). The Overview shows connection state, audio path, and wireless status, with quick actions and controls at hand.

Once connected, games see a wired DualSense — native adaptive triggers, haptics, and controller audio work in games that support them, no cable.

4️⃣ Take the tour

• Adaptive Triggers / Trigger Lab — design custom trigger feel: Trigger Lab
• Game Trigger Profiles — auto-apply effects when a game launches, and the community profile library: Game Profiles and Library
• Audio / Haptics — speaker, headphone jack, mic, HD haptics vs classic rumble: Audio, Haptics and Lighting
• Lighting — lightbar color/brightness and player LEDs: Audio, Haptics and Lighting
• Button Remapping / Chords — remap anything, bind combos to functions: Buttons, Personas and Chords
• Settings → Shortcuts — e.g. speaker volume from the controller (PS + D-pad Up/Down).

🕵️ When the controller doesn't show up

The #1 cause is the Bluetooth input plugin (see the note above — on installs made before v1.8.x the override may be missing). The full checklist is in Troubleshooting and FAQ.

⚖️ A word on expectations

For games with native DualSense support: OpenDS5's job is the wired bridge; let the game drive the triggers itself — don't stack a custom profile on top. For everything else, that's what Trigger Lab and per-game profiles are for.