Game keeps switching to Razer Nostromo

Hi there,
I'm playing on Windows 10 and have a XBox Elite controller via Wireless adapter, as well as a Razer Nostromo connected to my PC. I use the Nostromo for WoW and the XBox controller for FFXIV.

The problem is, that FFXIV keeps automatically switching the input to the Nostromo even though I am not using it at the moment. I don't have a problem with switching the input method at the beginning after starting the game, the problem is that it switches in the middle of playing. I had it happen to me during a trial, which is a big problem. I am not touching the Nostromo, so it cannot be because there's an input or anything. It happens at random times and I don't know how to fix it. Anyone has an idea?

Good morning and thank you for posting on the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

We would like to recommend disconnecting the Razer Nostromo controller and playing FINAL FANTASY XIV with only the Xbox Elite controller connected.

Thank you for visiting the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

Not SquareEnix support here, but... out of morbid curiosity, are you running the game through Steam or not? Because the way controllers work in games can be vastly different between the two, and if you're running through Steam I have a suspicion about what's happening.

Namely, running through Steam, Steam will take over recognized game controllers, and export virtual versions of them (which you can remap in Steam's controller configuration, so that you can flip buttons around or whatever). However, sometimes FFXIV's controller support code and Steam's get into a little bit of a war about Who Owns What. If FFXIV has the controller and then Steam goes "OH HEY CONTROLLER I SHOULD HAVE THAT" and steals it, FFXIV thinks the controller has been disconnected. Normally this can just cause a brief 'hiccup' until a controller is available again (whether via Steam or FFXIV managing to grab the controller directly), but if there's a second option available, in my experience FFXIV then "helpfully" swaps to that (presumably on the assumption that, hey, maybe your first controller ran out of batteries and that's why there's a second one here).

If Steam grabbed the Elite controller (causing FFXIV to see it as though the controller had been unplugged) and the Nostromo was still connected, FFXIV would most likely drop down to using the Nostromo instead... and with that now being the controller in use, I suspect it wouldn't go back to the Elite controller when it saw it again.

Which is annoying.

The practical upshot of this, though, is that if you go into the Steam controller settings (which, bewilderingly, seem only to be available from in the Big Picture interface) and uncheck the Xbox Controller Support box, Steam will stop trying to grab the Elite controller and export a virtual version that can be remapped. Then the quarrel over who exactly controls the controller should end, as there'll just be the actual real Elite controller, rather than the virtual software mirror of it Steam exports.

If you're not using Steam, though... well, then I have nothing to offer, save sympathy.

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Originally Posted by Rhaervis

Good morning and thank you for posting on the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

We would like to recommend disconnecting the Razer Nostromo controller and playing FINAL FANTASY XIV with only the Xbox Elite controller connected.

Thank you for visiting the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

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That's your solution? :D
I am well aware of that option. I am posting here because I do not want to do this everytime I switch games. FFXIV shouldn't just randomly switch inputs...

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Originally Posted by Packetdancer

Not SquareEnix support here, but... out of morbid curiosity, are you running the game through Steam or not? Because the way controllers work in games can be vastly different between the two, and if you're running through Steam I have a suspicion about what's happening. (...)

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Thank you, that's at least more helpful than what support wrote. I'm not playing through Steam, though... I will check if Steam is running in the background however, next time I boot the game up. Might still be the issue!

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Originally Posted by ideamonster

That's your solution? :D
I am well aware of that option. I am posting here because I do not want to do this everytime I switch games. FFXIV shouldn't just randomly switch inputs...





Thank you, that's at least more helpful than what support wrote. I'm not playing through Steam, though... I will check if Steam is running in the background however, next time I boot the game up. Might still be the issue!

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Don't be so hard on support, they're gonna focus on XIV and Windows issues, not every piece of third party software that every random player uses. Were you aware about the connection issues the Elite controller has on PC? I'm not sure it's resolved yet. In this case if the Elite is disconnecting even for a split second XIV is going to grab the next available input device.

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Originally Posted by Arrhin

Don't be so hard on support, they're gonna focus on XIV and Windows issues, not every piece of third party software that every random player uses. Were you aware about the connection issues the Elite controller has on PC? I'm not sure it's resolved yet. In this case if the Elite is disconnecting even for a split second XIV is going to grab the next available input device.

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Hm. I actually thought the Elite controller issues were fixed earlier this year; I remember actually having to update some stuff on a Linux-enabled project I work on specifically to make it function properly with the Elite Series 2 after their firmware updates. And I haven't seen any disconnects with the Elite or Elite Series 2 recently. But I will admit I haven't used the controller in a month or so, and it's quite possible I was just lucky. (Or, given there's multiple revisions of the wireless adapter, mine isn't one affected.)

To ideamonster, Arrhin is absolutely correct; if there is a disconnect issue still affecting the Elite controller, that would have the same behavior as I described above. Namely, if the controller disconnected while the Nostromo was still connected, the Nostromo would (however briefly) become the only controller, and thus FFXIV would fallback to using it. It would just be the controller having a flaky connection rather than the Steam conflict I described.

To narrow it down, if it is the Elite controller getting connection hiccups, plugging in via the USB cable (at least for a while) would eliminate that issue. So you can try using it wired for the moment and see if the issue still happens? If the issue goes away while the controller is wired, then the issue is unfortunately with the controller (or, more specifically, the wireless adapter); if the issue remains, the problem is either with some other software stealing the Elite controller (Steam or otherwise), or hypothetically with FFXIV itself.

(Though in all honesty, I don't think this one's an FFXIV problem; falling back to the Nostromo is exactly the behavior I'd expect if the Elite controller went away for any reason.)

Thank you for posting in the Final Fantasy XIV Technical Support Forums.

Due to no response from the original poster, this thread will be moved to 'Closed Concerns.' If anyone is still having this particular problem, please create a new thread and we will assist you in any way we can.

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