Gamepad on PC inputs to launcher while main game application is open

w002exp · July 30

Started noticing this since the last patch. If the launcher is open while the game is running (as it usually is), it will accept gamepad inputs once the gamepad is active in the main application. In doing so, the player might inadvertently change settings in the launcher or use other features not intended from the launcher. Most common impact though is that the player inadvertently selects a news article or link and opens up a browser window, which pulls them out of the game. If the browser manages to open without pulling the player out, windows will continue to accumulate open until the PC becomes unstable. (100's of browser windows of the same ESO news or forums topic).

virtus753 · July 31

That sounds very frustrating. What kind of controller do you use? I wonder if it's related to the native support for PlayStation controllers they added recently.

In the meantime, I'd suggest not having the launcher running (not just to solve this but in general). The only time it's required is when the game needs to update. You can then close the launcher and run the game directly. Running the launcher while playing provides no benefit. From what you're seeing apparently the potential downsides are even worse than just some additional resource consumption.

krayphysh · August 7

I'm experiencing the same issue. Pressing the "A" button triggers my Google Chrome browser to open ESO's announcement page. This started about a week ago. At first, I didn't understand what was happening. The game became nearly unresponsive, with frame rates dropping to 15 fps and frequent temporary freezes regardless of my location.

It turns out that the game's launcher was utilizing the browser, and a new tab was being opened each time the "A" button was pressed. This browser bug was consuming a significant amount of resources. Although I'm not sure exactly how many resources this bug was using, it was enough to significantly effect my CPU, GPU, 32 GB of physical RAM, and SSD. The numerous tabs opened in Chrome were enough to make the game almost unplayable. After minimizing the game, I noticed that there were over a hundred tabs opened in Chrome. This happened a couple times after the last update, but it didn't take me long to find a workaround. I had to find a solution of some sort if I wanted to play.

I can't say this will work for everyone, but this is the solution that works for me: minimizing the launcher immediately after pressing play. This has prevented the launcher from interacting with my browser. If you're experiencing this issue and are using Windows, press the Windows button on your keyboard to minimize the game for a moment; check to see if your browser is opened. If so, expect to see a tab displaying ESO's announcement page for each time you've pressed "A" or whatever button is triggering this to happen on your gamepad.

*Apologies in advance for any typos or confusing sentences, lol. I've never been skilled at typing on any phones keyboard.