Im a total child in terms oft Linux distros. Since im sick of Microsoft i decided to switch my gaming completely to Linux (Xbox to Tower with bazzite, switch to steamdeck). Im quite happy that i installed the distro by my self and found the place where i was able to change the keyboard layout. Because i want to play in my livingroom form the couch i got a bluetooth keyboard. The mouse i already have connected perfectly the keyboard didnt. I tried finding a solution online but soon realised that i have to learn to read the Linux lingo.
Can please someone teach me or point me in the right direction were i can learn the basics. Treat me like i know nothing about distros (because i dont) and PC (because i barely do).
This is also to try the Linux community. Show me what you got.
Edit: First of all, im very happy how this turned out. You people are very kind. I did manage to connect everything and got it running. Now i need to find out why dota 2 isnt running smothly.
Does the keyboard need to be put into pair mode first? If so, how are you then trying to connect it or pair it with your machine?
Just FYI while I am here: https://docs.bazzite.gg/ is worth bookmarking.
You dont need to yse the terminal/command line for this. Just open the settings app and look for the Bluetooth section. Pairing your keyboard is pretty much the same process as on a phone ir tablet.
Btw, Bazzite has different versions. Which did you install?
Bazzite is pretty plug and play.
It will auto-update itself. So you don’t need to worry.
Install your apps from Bazaar.
I don’t think bazzite ships with Heroku, but I like it much better than Lutris for handling non-Steam games. I think you can download it from Bazaar. There are guides for how to get some apps running from it. So I’d search for those if you need to.
Your Windows games run on Linux due to a thing called Proton. It used to be a thing called Wine. Steam automagically does this for you in the background.
If you encounter issues with games in Steam, go to ProtonDB.com, search the game, and see if anyone else has run into it and provided a solution in the comments. They typically have.
One common solution is needing to change the version of Proton you’re using. You can right click on a game, go to Manage (I think that’s what it’s called), and select the Compatibility tab. Check the box and select a specific version of Proton. It might have to run some updates when you do that.
Don’t be afraid to Google whenever you encounter a program. Just type the error message in, the name of the game with problems, and you’ll probably be able to find someone else with the same problem and potential solution.
Something I haven’t seen anyone else here (that probably won’t matter if you’re just doing basic gaming) is that bazzite is what is called an atomic distro - meaning that key system files are immutable (they can’t be altered) and certain directories are also read only.
It means that installing packages with a package manager can be a little bit trickier. Setting up a dev environment can be tricky. And certain other things can be more difficult.
There’s a huge chance this won’t matter at all to you, but in the event you run into issues like “this directory is read only” or something along those lines, that’ll be why.
Again, may never matter but something to keep in mind.
A lot of guides can get overly technical but keyboards usually have a pretty standardised BT connection and all keyboards I’ve used have worked. Did you look up the manual and see if you need to put it into pairing mode/make it discoverable/reset it to connect to another device?
If yes, you should provide the keyboard model so people here can help you with it.
Long shot to try when all the other suggestions failed. If you’re dual booting, you may need to disable hibernation on the windows side so that when it shuts down it actually shuts down and releases hardware attachments. Ive have network, Bluetooth, and USB issues when windows wasn’t configured correctly to work in a dual booting setup.
Congrats on switching to Linux! There’s a lot to learn, but this also means you get control. Furthermore, what you learn is very likely to be useful for a very long time. If you still feel intimidated by the Unix command line I strongly recommend addressing that asap. It’s where the magic happens when things go wrong. It can become a super power as well in terms of automating tasks and customization. Look for guides in the format you prefer and most importantly play around with what you learn.
As for your immediate need with the Bluetooth keyboard… OK for real I’m writing this right now from a living room TV Linux (Mint) PC and I’ve ditched my previous Bluetooth keyboard for a keyboard with a 2.4ghz USB dongle. I’ve had sporadic issues with Bluetooth on Windows in the past, I’ve had less (but not none) on Linux, and I just feel keyboard/mouse are devices that are too critical to pass through Bluetooth. Wireless USB is just so much more stable. Furthermore if/when you’ll want to log into you UEFI/BIOS it’ll be really awkward because such a basic environment has no Bluetooth. I understand this may be of little help if you’ve got a keyboard you love.
How did you connect the mouse? Do same think for kb.
Also for the life of me I don’t get how beginners like you decide to go with these kinds of distros. I for one never heard of it but I also don’t game.
I use endeavor with kde on my laptop and it just works.