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Welcome to the OpenDS5 Wiki

OpenDS5 brings the full DualSense experience to Linux — wirelessly. Your controller stays on Bluetooth, but games see a USB-wired DualSense with every native feature unlocked: adaptive triggers, haptics, controller audio, lighting.

Start here

I want to…	Page
Install OpenDS5	Installation
Install on NixOS	NixOS
Set up my controller after installing	Getting Started
Design trigger effects	Trigger Lab
Auto-apply effects per game / browse community profiles	Game Profiles and Library
Route audio, tune haptics, control lighting	Audio, Haptics and Lighting
Remap buttons, personas, chords	Buttons, Personas and Chords
Understand app & driver updates	Updates
Fix something	Troubleshooting and FAQ
Remove OpenDS5	Uninstalling

How it works, in one diagram

DualSense (Bluetooth)
   │
   ▼
vds_hcd.ko + vdsd            ← presents a virtual USB DualSense to the system
   │
   ▼
OpenDS5 app                  ← triggers, haptics, audio, lighting, remapping
   │
   ▼
Your games                   ← see a wired DualSense

Many games only enable native DualSense features (adaptive triggers, haptics, speaker audio) over USB. The vds kernel module + daemon pick up your Bluetooth controller and present it to the system as a genuine wired one — OpenDS5 installs and manages all of that for you, and adds a full companion app on top.

Important limitation to know upfront

While OpenDS5's driver stack is installed, bluetoothd runs with its input plugin disabled (vds needs raw ownership of the controller's Bluetooth HID channels). Other Bluetooth input devices — keyboards, mice — will not work during that time. This is an upstream vds limitation. Details and the revert command are in Troubleshooting and FAQ.

Credits

OpenDS5 builds on vds (MIT) by hurryman2212 — the breakthrough that made any of this possible on Linux — and grew out of DS5_Bridge (AGPL-3.0) by SundayMoments, itself built on DS5Dongle by awalol. The combined work is AGPL-3.0-only.