UB500 partial incompatibility with PSVR2 controllers
UB500 partial incompatibility with PSVR2 controllers
As you may be aware, Sony officially recommended (and continues to) the TP-LINK UB500 Bluetooth USB adapter for use with PSVR2 controllers on PC after the recent launch of their own PSVR2 PC adapter. It is one of very few Sony has recommended through its official channels for use with the PSVR2 on PC.
I don't need any personal support on this issue (though I also have it). I would just like to raise awareness and get someone from TP-LINK to kindly inform your internal technical teams about the matter. It would be even better if you were already looking into it and let us know.
Hundreds, possibly thousands, of new PSVR2 PC players have purchased the UB500 specifically for this case after the recent launch of the PSVR2 on PC adapter, mostly because Sony recommended it. So please excuse my unusual approach 🙂.
The PSVR2 community has collected a fair amount of data on this issue, which you can see on the public spreadsheet that has been setup to collect feedback. I can't link to that on this forum, but to see the data google "psvr2onpc Bluetooth Hardware Compatibility Survey". The issue has also been much discussed on various Reddit threads. I have added a snapshot of the relevant data from the sheet at the bottom of this post.
The above spreadsheet clearly shows that the issue is not related to range, outdated drivers, USB host, or anything of that sort. The issue manifests for many users, possibly all (many users don't notice this until later due to the nature of the issue).
It seems to pervade most Revision 2.0 and 1.0, but there could be more since there's a lack of data on other revisions currently.
The issue that manifests when using the UB500 with both PSVR2 controllers connected is pretty much unique to this specific dongle compared to the data on other products. When both PSVR2 controllers are paired, during gameplay, one controller (usually consistently the same one for each individual) will lose its positional tracking on the x,y, and z planes briefly every 5-10 minutes or so before returning. During this time, orientation data appears to continue being received. What is telling of a possible underlying problem here, is the consistency in the collected data regarding the UB500 specifically with an issue that appears like it is possibly unique to this dongle, and users having success with alternatives even with the same BT Class and Tx power. In fact, alternative lower power devices compared to the 13dBM the UB500 has often if not always seems to be working around the problem for the exact same users.
Possibly a driver patch is needed. The periodic nature of the problem makes me think its possibly a software issue. Between these periodic events, the dongle works perfectly. So I have hope this can be resolved.
Again, I just want to have someone here relay this to your internal engineering teams, as it's affecting hundreds of new TP-LINK customers at the exact same time, and the problem is magnified by the Sony recommendation.
Thank you kindly! I hope this data can prove useful to your team 🙂.
Data snapshot from r/psvr2onpc Bluetooth Hardware Compatibility Survey:
| Model | Issue Summary | Port | Driver Provider | Driver Version | Play Space Closest | Play Space Farthest | Obstructions | User provided notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V1) | 🟡 Drops out | USB 3.2 | 0m - 1m (~0 to ~3 ft) | 1m - 3m | 🧍My own body | |||
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V1) | 🟡 Drops out | USB 3.0 | Realtek Semiconductor Corp. | 1.9.1051.3009 | 0m - 1m (~0 to ~3 ft) | 1m - 3m | 🧍My own body | Left controller rotating in space sometimes |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V1) | 🟡 Drops out | USB 3.0 | Realtek Semiconductor Corp. | 1.9.1051.3009 | 0m - 1m (~0 to ~3 ft) | 1m - 3m | 🧍My own body | |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V2.0) | 🟡 Drops out, Delayed / Laggy | USB 2.0 | TP-LINK CORPORATION PTE. LTD | 1.9.1051.3012 | 1m - 3m (~3 to ~10 ft) | 5m - 7m | 🧍My own body, 🖥️ PC hardware itself (e.g. if using back ports, or antenna located behind PC) | |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V2.0) | 🟢 Stable | USB 2.0 | TP-LINK CORPORATION PTE. LTD | 1.9.1051.3012 | 0m - 1m (~0 to ~3 ft) | 3m - 5m | 🧍My own body | |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V2.0) | 🟡 Drops out | USB 2.0 | TP-LINK CORPORATION PTE. LTD. | 1.9.1051.3012 | 0m - 1m (~0 to ~3 ft) | 1m - 3m | 🧍My own body | |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V2.0) | 🟡 Drops out | Unsure | TP-Link Broadband USB Adapter | 1.9.1051.3012 | 0m - 1m (~0 to ~3 ft) | 3m - 5m | 🧍My own body | |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V2.0) | 🟢 Stable | USB 2.0 | Realtek Semiconductor Corp. | 1.9.1038.3015 | 0m - 1m (~0 to ~3 ft) | 5m - 7m | 🧍My own body | |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V2.0) | 🟡 Drops out | USB 3.1 Gen 2 | TP-LINK CORPORATION PTE. LTD. | 1.9.1051.3012 | 1m - 3m (~3 to ~10 ft) | 3m - 5m | 🧍My own body | connection stable, but regularly (every 2~5min) right controller position is stuck for a few seconds (but orientation/buttons are ok) |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V2.0) | 🟡 Drops out | USB 3.0 | TP-LINK CORPORATION PTE. LTD. | 1.9.1051.3012 | 1m - 3m (~3 to ~10 ft) | 5m - 7m | 🧍My own body, 🧱 Major obstruction, (e.g. wall) | Right hand controller stuck in air every now and again (5-10mins), but orientation oddly works during this time. |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V2.0) | 🟡 Drops out | USB 2.0 | Realtek Semiconductor Corp | 1.9.1038.3015 | 0m - 1m (~0 to ~3 ft) | 1m - 3m | 🧍My own body | Issue for me is during each session one of the controllers will consistently get stuck in position but aim/rotation is still tracked. In one session could be the left controller, the next session, the right. It's random |
| TP-Link UB500 (Revision V2.0) | 🟡 Drops out | USB 2.0 | TP-LINK CORPORATION PTE. LTD. | 1.9.1051.3012 | 0m - 1m (~0 to ~3 ft) | 1m - 3m | 🧍My own body | Tp link ub500 v2 caused one controller to freeze in one position white being able to rotate. Ive changed to a pcie card and work flawless now |
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@StevieJayDee This forum does not allow links but if you google my thread mentioned in the OP, that contains links to said solution.
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Hi
Thank you all for your valuable feedback. In response to reports of lag when using UB500 with Sony PSVR2, we have released a new driver version for you to test.
Direct Deload Driver
We encourage you to test this new driver and share your experience with us.
If you encounter any issues or notice any improvements while testing the new driver, please provide detailed feedback to help us further enhance its performance and compatibility.
Your input is crucial in our ongoing efforts to deliver the best possible user experience.
Warm regards.
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@Joseph-TP Hello. Please tell me, what exactly did you change in the drivers? What lines were added or adjusted and can you make the driver version so that it would reveal the potential of version 5.3? Because I see that your version number is not the latest.
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@Joseph-TP Amazing, thanks a lot! There's some early results that this it is working in some reddit comments. I will try myself tomorrow and report back.
Also, big credit to everyone involved at TP-LINK for putting in some effort to respond to this issue and address it. The whole experience since the issue was notified, some comms back and forth, to now having a new driver with a potential fix has been professional. A lot of manufacturers would have had no outlet to even raise it, never mind affirmatively responding and investing time and effort in such an esoteric issue! Especially in a situation where most likely unexpected pressure suddenly came from nowhere. So, sincerely, please pass on my thanks to all the support & technical/software folks behind the scenes who have been investigating this. Once its rolled out, this will inevitably save a lot of people from frustration. Sony should also thank you for this!
I have now linked your reply from the original reddit post. When I get a moment tomorrow I'm also going to take some time to highlight older UB500 rows in the spreadsheet itself with additional info about this, and also mention it in the form itself. As to provide an up-to-date assessment that does not unfairly reflect on the UB500 moving forward.
As mentioned above I'd also love to know what the issue turned out to be on a technical level just out of pure curiosity. Since the beginning I've been somewhat baffled by what led to orientation data working but x/y/z periodically breaking (implying there was always a BT connection, so the issue was at a higher abstraction); But that's my software engineer itch -- no worries if that's not possible :).
Thanks again.
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Firstly I wanted to thank you for your support. I'm from Brazil and many people here were complaining about this problem with the UB500. However, I installed this drive that you made available and my PSVR2 controller no longer had the freezing problem. Previously, the controller would freeze every minute, but after installing this drive I played for 2 hours without any problems. Please convey my thanks to the entire company team responsible for the solution. If I find a problem, I come here to report it. God bless you.
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Hi,
There is no science involved here.
If you look at the surveys that were mentioned earlier in this thread you can see that owners of the A**S USB-BT500, which utilizes the same Realtek chip as the TP-Link UB500, were reporting their devices as working "Stable". The driver A**S is offering for download on their official website is version 1.9.1038.3001.
What TP-Link did now is to provide the same "known good" driver version 1.9.1038.3001 as well.
Apparently, Realtek (the company who makes the Bluetooth chip and the drivers) must have made changes in later versions of the drivers that induce the issues that users have been reporting. Let's hope they can fix this in a future version of the driver so that we can enjoy a stable connection as well as Bluetooth 5.3 functionality.
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@woozle Thank you for your answer.
I wonder if there will be a final version of these drivers, otherwise I read somewhere on reddit they write that this is supposedly still a beta version.
And how can I contact Realtek to explain all this to them?
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I am not sure what would be the best way to contact them. Perhaps send an e-mail to one of their Technical Support addresses. https://www.realtek.com/Article/Index?menu_id=847&lang=en-GB
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@Joseph-TP
I downloaded and installed this driver. Checked on the device, I see version 1.9.1038.3001 for the driver, Realtek Semiconductor Corp.
But I still have a frozen left controller in Zero Caliber. Always the left one, rotation is working, but I can't move it to a different position. The adapter is on top of the PC, not far at all. No issue at all with the right hand. So it doesn't seem to solve the issue in my case :-(
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