HP Windows Mixed Reality Controllers TPC-Q044 Troubleshooting

The controllers will not pair with the headset.

Check to see if your laptop already has a device paired to it. If so, disconnect that device and try to pair the controllers again. Having a device already paired to your laptop will prevent you from pairing a new one.

To pair the device, open the Mixed Reality Portal on your laptop. Go to the sidebar and select “pair controllers”. Open the battery cover and hold down the small button below the battery for two seconds. The controllers should appear on your laptop screen, select pair.

If the controllers aren’t pairing to the headset, attempt to replace the batteries. To check the battery level, turn the controllers over to see the battery icon. If the icon is red, go ahead and replace the batteries and wait about 30 seconds before repairing. A battery replacement guide can be found here.

The controllers do not track motion accurately or cannot track at all.

Try blocking direct sunlight coming from your windows. Clearing your play area of other sources of disorienting light can help as well. If tracking is still presenting issues, you may need to re-sync your controllers or reestablish your Bluetooth connections.

To repair the device, open the Mixed Reality Portal on your laptop. Go to the sidebar and select “pair controllers”. Open the battery cover and hold down the small button below the battery for two seconds. The controllers should appear on your laptop screen, select pair.

Make sure the application is not competing with other programs for computing resources. Close unneeded programs to free up memory and GPU. Reducing detail settings in the application and Windows Mixed Reality settings can alleviate stress on the CPU and GPU.

Make sure the latest graphics drivers are installed. These can be found on the websites for your GPU or PC manufacturer.

The controller(s) does not power on when the whole system is powered up.

Remove the panel under the handle by sliding it in the direction of the arrow. This will reveal the battery compartment. Check to see if batteries are inserted. If not, insert the AA batteries the device needs.

Check that the batteries are oriented correctly. The positive end of the battery should be in contact with the positive terminal (the side with the ‘+’ sign) and the negative end should be in contact with the negative terminal (the side with the ‘-’ sign).

If batteries are inserted correctly and the device still won’t power on, try replacing the batteries with new ones, for which a guide can be found here.

In some cases, replacing the batteries still does not fix the issue. Check to see if corrosion has occurred in the terminals. White, green, or yellow deposits can indicate current is unable to flow freely. Clean the terminals with a cotton swab and a small amount of white vinegar. Repeat as necessary until all white residue is removed.

The trigger button, located on the top left of the controller, is not responding and doesn’t bounce back.

In order to fix this problem, follow the following instructions to open up the WMR controller and tighten the button:

Pull the joystick up until it and the controller’s top panel separate. Once both are off, unscrew the screw located at the joystick well. Unscrew the four screws in the battery compartment. The top and bottom halves of the controller should separate easily. Locate the trigger button on the top of the controller and pull it out. Move the spring (beneath the trigger button) around so that the latch will bend further and tighten the button to prevent it from getting caught in the controller. Test the button without putting the pieces together first. Once the button is secure, screw everything back into place.

If additional help is needed, check the trigger button replacement guide here.

A few of Microsoft’s older updates have caused the trigger button and joystick to not respond in SteamVR. A simple way to fix this problem, one provided by Steam support, is to close Steam and delete the steamvr.vrsettings file. By default, the file will be located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config.

The joysticks on the controllers are not responding to actions by the user.

A few of Microsoft’s older updates have caused the trigger button and joysticks to not respond in SteamVR. A simple way to fix this problem, provided by Steam support, is to close Steam and delete the steamvr.vrsettings file. By default, the file will be located in C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\config.

As with the trigger button, pull by the joystick until the top panel and joystick separate from the controller. Underneath, there should be a screw located at the top of the joystick well. After unscrewing it, locate the battery compartment at the bottom of the controller and unscrew the four screws located inside. This should separate the top and bottom half.

A common solution associated with this joystick problem is to take a small dry tissue or towel and clean the parts of the controller to ensure there is no debris limiting the joystick’s range of motion. If that doesn’t work, move the shaft underneath the joystick around to see how fluid it is. If the shaft is the problem, the joystick component must be replaced and the guide for that can be found here.