[v43] Regression: Original Wiimotes no longer auto-connect to Dolphin on game launch

[javierbrea]

Batocera build version

Batocera 43.1 - 2026/05/30

Your architecture

x86_64 — Desktop Mini PC (Beelink SER5 MAX).

Your Graphic Processor Unit(s) (GPU)

AMD Radeon 680M (integrated GPU, part of AMD Ryzen 7 7735HS)

Issue description

Original Wiimotes no longer auto-connect to Dolphin standalone when a Wii game is launched from EmulationStation. This worked without any manual intervention in v42. Downgrading to v42 immediately restores the expected behaviour, confirming this is a v43 regression.

Detailed reproduction steps

1. Connect a USB Wii sensor bar.
2. From EmulationStation, launch any Wii game using Dolphin standalone.
3. Once Dolphin is running, press buttons on an original Wiimote to
   trigger auto-pairing via Bluetooth passthrough.
4. Wiimote does not connect. No pairing occurs. Controller is unresponsive.

Condition: only occurs on v43. Identical hardware and configuration works correctly on v42.

Details of any attempts to fix this yourself

Downgraded to v42 using batocera-upgrade command. Issue disappears entirely on v42, confirming the regression is version-specific.

Details of any modifications you have made to Batocera.

No modifications. Stock Batocera v43 installation, upgraded from v42 using the built-in batocera-upgrade command.

Logs and data

Downgrade to v42 was performed before a support file could be captured. Issue is fully reproducible by upgrading to v43 on the hardware described above.

[CineCinch]

Possibly related, different transport and failure mode, same version.

Batocera 43.1 (2026/05/29), x86_64 (Ryzen 5 PRO 6650H), Dolphin
standalone, Mayflash DolphinBar (Mode 4, USB) rather than BT
passthrough. Three genuine RVL-003 remotes: ONE always works; the
other two connect and are then dropped ~1s later with the OSD
message "Wii Remote disconnected by emulation software". Follows the
remote, not the slot: a failing remote connected first into slot 1
is dropped from slot 1.

Verified with direct measurement that the hardware is fine: all three
remotes stream core-button reports (0x30) over the bar's hidraw
channels; the bar exposes all four channels; sampling Dolphin's open
fds at 10 Hz shows it DOES open the failing remote's channel and hold
it ~7s while the emulated side drops it at ~1s. Not the gun-mode
grab (controllers.wiimote.mode=joystick), not BlueZ, not configgen
(reproduces when launching Dolphin from F1 > Applications).

Also worth flagging: Dolphin's file logging produces no dolphin.log
on 43 (Logger.ini WriteToFile=True, WIIMOTE/IOS_WIIMOTE enabled) and
its console output isn't captured in es_launch_*.log, which makes
this class of bug hard to diagnose.

Since #16012 reports v42 works, I'm going to test a v42 downgrade on
my setup and will report back whether it resolves mine too. Happy to
open a separate issue with full logs if this is a distinct bug.

[CineCinch]

I tried reverting to v42...still nothing...

[CineCinch]

SOLVED, and it was the dumbest possible thing: a FAULTY NUNCHUK.

One of my nunchuks was bad. Plugged into a Wii Remote, it made that remote connect to Dolphin and then get dropped ~1 second later with
"Wii Remote disconnected by emulation software" - every time, forever. The nunchuk was the problem, but the REMOTE looked broken, so I spent weeks blaming remotes (bought two more), the DolphinBar, Bluetooth dongles, Batocera versions, and Dolphin itself.

How I found it: mid-race in Mario Kart I swapped the nunchuks between remotes. The failure followed the NUNCHUK, not the remote. Unplugged it, and the "dead" remote connected instantly and has worked ever since. Two-player works perfectly now.

Why it's so hard to spot: a bad extension makes the remote endlessly announce extension connect/disconnect, so the console keeps re-initializing the controller and eventually gives up. The remote itself tests perfectly - it streams button data fine over the bar, reports valid calibration, good battery. Nothing about the remote looks wrong, because nothing about the remote IS wrong.

If you have ANY Wii Remote that connects and immediately drops: UNPLUG THE NUNCHUK FIRST. Before you buy anything.

[rmccune83]

I have the exact same issue as OP. Could be a coincidence, but I have the same exact hardware, except it's a Bosgame mini pc instead of Beelink. Same CPU and everything.

Downgrading back to v42 fixed it (all previous versions worked fine too). Definitely an issue in v43.

[joinski1]

@rmccune83 did you check your Nunchuk? As CineCinch mentioned, in his case it was down to a faulty Nunchuk.

[rmccune83]

@joinski1 Yeah, I don't even have the nunchuk connected. My issue is the same as @javierbrea .