Some HID devices make Big Picture unusable

[valentindavid]

How to reproduce

1. Plug one of those devices: Microsoft Wired Keyboard 600 (045e:0750) or A4Tech mouse G7 750 (09da:054f).
2. Start Big Picture.
3. Go in a vertical list (like in the options) and go anywhere but the top.
4. Wait for a second. Then the cursor will by itself go up.

Tried on both release and beta. On a 64 bits Gentoo. Tested with 3.14.9-gentoo and 3.12.13-gentoo kernels.

It is very difficult to do anything because every time you wait for a second, then Steam goes cuckoo.

The likely root of the problem

It seems that some HID devices provide spurious joystick devices. I do not know if this is a bug in the kernel that it shows up as joystick, but at least there is a useless device on the hardware, and this is not a bug from the kernel.

Workarounds

The only two workarounds I have found are:

• Unplugging both devices when I am in Big Picture. This is extremely annoying since I need to have a hub to be able to access the usb plugs.
• Filter the spurious input devices in the kernel based on vendor id, product id AND interface number.

Removing device files (both the event and the js one) did not work I am guessing that showing up in sysfs is enough for the problem to happen. Doing some udev tricks is likely not to work.

It could be argued that the Linux kernel should have the correct quirks for those devices. But there might be a lot more of those devices. Steam should be more tolerant to this. Enabling all the controllers found on the machine even if it cannot open the device file is a bad idea in my opinion. For the moment I have not seen any game having problems with this devices, they show up as detected, but they do not use them. Only the Steam Big Picture fails miserably on it.

Here is the ugly work-around for people who happen to have the same bug:

diff -ur linux-3.14.9-gentoo.old/drivers/hid/usbhid/hid-core.c linux-3.14.9-gentoo/drivers/hid/usbhid/hid-core.c
--- linux-3.14.9-gentoo.old/drivers/hid/usbhid/hid-core.c   2014-06-29 00:44:10.830712842 +0200
+++ linux-3.14.9-gentoo/drivers/hid/usbhid/hid-core.c   2014-06-29 00:30:13.043473836 +0200
@@ -1239,6 +1239,20 @@
    dbg_hid("HID probe called for ifnum %d\n",
            intf->altsetting->desc.bInterfaceNumber);

+   if ((dev->descriptor.idVendor == 0x09da)
+       && (dev->descriptor.idProduct == 0x054f)) {
+     if (intf->altsetting->desc.bInterfaceNumber != 1) {
+       return -ENODEV;
+     }
+   }
+
+   if ((dev->descriptor.idVendor == 0x045e)
+       && (dev->descriptor.idProduct == 0x0750)) {
+     if (intf->altsetting->desc.bInterfaceNumber != 0) {
+       return -ENODEV;
+     }
+   }
+
    for (n = 0; n < interface->desc.bNumEndpoints; n++)
        if (usb_endpoint_is_int_in(&interface->endpoint[n].desc))
            has_in++;

[xDShot]

I have the same issue. I have A4Tech Bloody R7 wireless mouse.

[Plaque-fcc]

There were troubles when I tried to Start Closure Game with A4Tech USB
HID G10 compound device's USB Dongle plugged in. Guess it's related.

[flo-at]

I have the same issue using 045e:0768 Microsoft Corp. Sidewinder X4.
Sometimes it keeps going left, other times it goes up.
Makes Big Picture Mode unusable while the Keyboard is plugged in.

[el-banan]

Same problem with 045e:0800 Microsoft Corp. (MS All in one media keyboard)

[tjaart]

Also having the same issue. I linked it here. This is the device I have

input: Microsoft Wired Keyboard 600 as /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:13.0/usb9/9-5/9-5:1.1/0003:045E:0750.0006/input/input20

[tjaart]

Relevant Kernel bug:

https://bugzilla.kernel.org/show_bug.cgi?id=28912

[ernstp]

Happens with the (wireless) Microsoft All-in-One Media Keyboard also.

CM Storm Mizar mouse triggers this too.

Merging bug #3943 with this one.

Do you know if this is a thing in SteamOS or if they did fix the kernel / underlying issue? Maybe Valve isn't interested in fixing distro specific issues before launch? I have Fedora and you have Gentoo so did anyone test with SteamOS?

Because like I wrote in my bug report: it's not only Big Picture - it's also some games. For me I cannot play Metro 2033 Redux because my Mizar mouse is making me turn left for ever. So If the issue is also in SteamOS then it is pretty much critical stuff.