DS5_Bridge

DS5 Bridge

DS5 Bridge 2.0 is live.
A redesigned, translated companion app, Wake-on-LAN from the controller, firmware updates confirmed on the controller, and a steadier connection.

DS5 Bridge lets you use a real Sony DualSense or DualSense Edge controller wirelessly on a Windows PC through a Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W or a Waveshare RP2350B-Plus-W. The controller pairs to the board over Bluetooth, and the board plugs into your PC over USB.

The companion app gives you a clean place to adjust audio, haptics, trigger strength, lighting, button remaps, shortcuts, firmware tools, and other controller behavior without rebuilding firmware.

Quick Start

1. Download the firmware for your board and the Windows companion installer from Releases: DS5-Bridge-Firmware-v….uf2 for a Pico 2 W, or DS5-Bridge-Firmware-Waveshare-v….uf2 for a Waveshare RP2350B-Plus-W.
2. With the Pico 2 W unplugged, hold BOOTSEL, then connect it to your PC.
3. Copy the .uf2 file onto the Pico drive that appears in Windows.
4. Briefly press BOOTSEL once, then wait about one second for the Pico to open its controller pairing window.
5. Put the DualSense controller into Bluetooth pairing mode by holding Create and PS until the lightbar rapidly blinks blue.
6. Wait for the controller to pair to the Pico, not directly to Windows.
7. Install and open DS5 Bridge. The Overview page should show the connected bridge and firmware version.

Once the controller connects to the Pico, Windows sees it as a normal DualSense-compatible USB controller.

BOOTSEL Button Gestures

After DS5 Bridge firmware is installed, the Pico’s BOOTSEL button controls controller connections and firmware maintenance:

Gesture	Action
One brief press	If no controller is connected, open the controller pairing window. If a controller is connected, disconnect it while preserving its saved pairing.
Two brief presses	Reboot the Pico normally.
Three brief presses	Reboot into USB firmware flashing mode. The Pico appears as a drive so you can copy a .uf2 file onto it.
Hold for about 1.5 seconds	Forget all saved controller pairings, disconnect the current controller, and open a fresh pairing window.

A one- or two-press gesture is performed after the Pico waits about one second to make sure another press is not coming. For a new controller, briefly press BOOTSEL once, wait for the pairing window to open, then hold Create and PS on the controller until its lightbar rapidly blinks blue.

Features

• Use a DualSense or DualSense Edge wirelessly through a Pico 2 W or a Waveshare RP2350B-Plus-W.
• Use the controller speaker, headset jack, microphone, and audio-driven haptics.
• Tune audio, haptics, adaptive triggers, and lighting from the Windows app.
• Use Audio Haptics to turn system or app audio into controller feedback.
• Save controller setups as profiles.
• Remap buttons, set stick deadzones, and assign chord shortcuts.
• See the current and last controllers on the Devices page, and pair or forget controllers from there.
• Use more than one bridge and switch between them from the sidebar; each keeps its own settings.
• Switch the host persona between DualSense, DualSense Edge, DualShock 4, and Xbox modes.
• See Bluetooth signal quality at a glance.
• Wake a sleeping or shut-down PC by turning on the controller (Wake-on-LAN).
• Mount, flash, or nuke Pico firmware from Settings, confirmed with a button sequence on the controller.
• Use the app in several languages.

Wake PC (Wake-on-LAN)

When your PC sleeps or shuts down, turning on the controller can wake it. The bridge first tries a normal USB wake, then joins your Wi-Fi and sends a Wake-on-LAN packet to the PC’s Ethernet adapter. The companion app does not need to be running.

1. In Windows Device Manager, open your Ethernet adapter’s properties and enable Wake on Magic Packet (and, if listed, Wake on magic packet from power off state). The PC must be wired to the same network.
2. Turn off the controller, then open Settings > Wake PC in DS5 Bridge.
3. Enter your Wi-Fi name and password (WPA2), choose your country and the Ethernet adapter, and select Test and save. The bridge joins the network once to check it; the password stays on the bridge and is never shown again.

Only a controller already paired with the bridge can wake the PC; a new pairing never does. While the bridge uses Wi-Fi, it pauses the controller for a few seconds.

Firmware Updates From the App

Mount, Flash, and Nuke ask you to press a short sequence of face buttons on the connected controller before the Pico enters USB flashing mode, so no other program on the PC can reflash the bridge. The first time, the app pairs this PC with the bridge the same way. Three brief BOOTSEL presses, or holding BOOTSEL while plugging in the Pico, still work without the app.

Kitsune Input: Out Now

Kitsune Input is a separate Windows app from the developer of DS5 Bridge, for the bridge you already own. DS5 Bridge stays complete, free, and open source; Kitsune Input adds:

• Auto-switching per-game profiles
• Shift layers
• Gyro aim and flick stick
• Touchpad gestures
• Multi-actions
• Stick and trigger tuning
• Xbox Series X mode
• Game Bar overlay and keyboard
• Support for DualShock 4 and Switch Pro Controller too

$7.99, a one-time purchase on Ko-fi. Your purchase supports the developer of DS5 Bridge.

Get Kitsune Input · Learn more

Companion App Tour

The companion app is where you check the bridge, adjust the controller, and save the setup you actually want to play with.

The sidebar groups the pages: Overview, Controller (Devices, DualSense), Input (Stick Deadzones, Button Remapping, Chords), and Tools (Audio Haptics, Trigger Lab, System), with Settings at the bottom. The bridge picker under the controller card switches between bridges.

Overview

See connection health, firmware version, battery, audio route, Bluetooth signal quality, and the controls most likely to matter during play. Quick Actions switch the host persona between DualSense, DualSense Edge, DualShock 4, and Xbox, or put the controller to sleep.

Devices

See the current and last controllers with their address, pairing, and battery. Pair a new controller or forget saved ones.

DualSense

One page with a tab for each part of the controller.

Audio: the controller speaker, headphone-jack route, microphone level, speaker gain, and buffer length.

Haptics: HD haptics, classic rumble, and feedback boost, with a test to feel it before opening a game.

Adaptive Triggers: trigger strength and test effects.

Lighting: lightbar brightness and color, or let the app manage the lightbar.

Stick Deadzones

Remove center drift with an independent radial deadzone for each stick, with a live view of the raw and adjusted position.

Button Remapping

Change what each controller button does; changes are saved as you go, and can be kept as named profiles.

Chords

Create reusable keyboard, media, and controller actions, then assign them to PS, LFN, or RFN plus a button.

DualSense Edge reserves LFN/RFN plus the face buttons for onboard profile switching. Enable Block Edge Profile Switching in Settings > Shortcuts to use those combinations as DS5 Bridge chords; turning it off keeps the assignments saved but inactive.

Audio Haptics

Turn system audio or an app session into controller haptic feedback.

Trigger Lab

Build and preview adaptive trigger effects for each trigger before applying them to the controller.

System

Manage controller profiles, mute button behavior, polling rate, host persona, diagnostics, and device repair.

Settings

Set language, theme, scale, tray and startup behavior, notifications, connection and power, lights, shortcuts, Wake PC, and bridge firmware. Search finds any setting by name.

Wake PC sets up waking the PC from the controller, over USB or Wake-on-LAN.

Troubleshooting

• Use the companion app and firmware from the same release when possible.
• For first-time flashing, hold BOOTSEL before plugging the Pico 2 W into the PC. The Pico should appear as a USB drive.
• Pair the controller to the Pico, not Windows. Hold Create and PS until the lightbar rapidly blinks blue. If the Pico is not already searching, briefly press BOOTSEL once and wait about one second first.
• If audio, mic, haptics, or flashing behave oddly, try a direct USB port and a data-capable micro-USB cable before using a hub.
• If controller audio sounds doubled, distorted, or too loud, restart your PC, reopen DS5 Bridge, and run the speaker test again.
• If Windows keeps stale or duplicate controller/audio devices, use Windows device cleanup or System > Emergency Device Repair.
• Battery level may be inaccurate while the controller is charging.
• If Wake PC does not wake the computer, check that the PC is wired by Ethernet, that Wake on Magic Packet is enabled for that adapter, and that Windows Fast Startup is off if the PC was shut down rather than asleep. The bridge only joins 2.4 GHz WPA2 networks.

Requirements

• Raspberry Pi Pico 2 W or Waveshare RP2350B-Plus-W.
• Sony DualSense or DualSense Edge controller.
• Data-capable USB cable that fits your board (micro-USB on the Pico 2 W).
• Windows for the companion app.

For Developers

See docs/development.md for local build requirements, firmware build commands, companion app setup, audio helper notes, and packaging steps.

Project Layout

Path	Purpose
src/main.cpp	Pico startup, watchdog handling, USB task loop, and HID report bridge.
src/bt.cpp	Bluetooth inquiry, pairing, L2CAP HID channels, and report queueing.
src/audio.cpp	USB audio ingestion, haptic resampling, Opus speaker encoding, and audio packet assembly.
src/companion.cpp	Vendor HID companion protocol, status reports, command ACKs, and runtime setting dispatch.
src/usb.cpp	TinyUSB audio control callbacks and runtime settings fallback.
src/usb_descriptors.c	USB device, configuration, HID report, audio, and string descriptors.
src/wake_on_lan*.{h,cpp}	Wake-on-LAN engine, flash store, and the CYW43 Wi-Fi adapter that sends the magic packet.
src/bootloader_*.{h,cpp}	Controller-confirmed, HMAC-authorized entry into USB flashing mode.
companion/	Electron companion app source, protocol parser, HID service, assets, and UI.
companion/native/AudioHelper/	Windows audio helper used by the companion app for audio sessions, haptics mirroring, endpoint setup, and media integrations.
.github/workflows	CI and release builds.

Development Notes

• The bridge presents itself to the host as a standard DualSense-compatible USB controller for compatibility.
• The companion app requires firmware built with the companion HID interface enabled.
• The project controls runtime behavior through the bridge and does not write controller-side profiles.
• Battery level is not reported accurately while the controller is charging.
• During development, Windows may keep stale controller or audio endpoint records after descriptor testing. Use docs/windows-device-cleanup.md only if you run into device or endpoint issues while testing.

License

This repository is distributed as AGPL-3.0-only. See LICENSE.

This project is derived from awalol/DS5Dongle, which is credited in NOTICE. Third-party submodules and package dependencies retain their own license terms.

DualSense controller overlay artwork is adapted from AL2009man/Gamepad-Asset-Pack and credited in NOTICE.

References

• awalol/DS5Dongle, the foundation for this project.
• rafaelvaloto/Pico_W-Dualsense for project inspiration.
• egormanga/SAxense for Bluetooth haptics proof-of-concept work.
• Sony DualSense controller documentation for report structure notes.
• Paliverse/DualSenseX for speaker report packet references.
• Alex Smith of The Cynic Project for the speaker test sound, “Crystal Cave” (song18).