Use more than one PS4 Dualshock controller over bluetooth
I've so far been unable to use 2 PS4 Dualshock controllers over Bluetooth with my 2016 Macbook Pro running Mojave.
Pairing either one with my mac would make the other unable to pair. Renaming the Wireless Controller connection to something more decent did not help.
What helped somewhat was upgrading to the dreaded Catalina - I was able to pair both controllers BUT couldn't play any games with them. The games didn't consistently receive commands from either controller, I was unable to move any of the controlled characters more than a couple pixels on the screen, it was a nightmare. I assumed this was because the controllers kept interfering with one another
What totally helped was replacing one of the PS4 controllers with an XBOX One wireless controller. This worked & fixed all issues, we got no more interferences, and the response time was fine.
Note: all tested controllers were connected wirelessly via BT, games used were Cuphead and Knights & Bikes running on Steam.
I successfully managed to connect up to 4 DualShock 4 v2 on my Mac mini 2012 running High Sierra 10.13.6 using an external Bluetooth Dongle (not with the builtin Mac mini BT controller).
Multiple gamepads could not be connected simultaneously as described in the question.
I purchased Mac-compatible Bluetooth USB dongles:
- Belkin F8T065bf (https://www.amazon.fr/gp/product/B009IQB3US)
- Sena UD100-G03 (recommended for better BT range coverage - my Mac is enclosed in a locker.
I highly recommend Sena UD100-G03 as I had issues with limited range coverage with the tiny Belkin F8T065bf. I also added an extension antenna to my Sena UD100-G03.
Both of the aforementioned dongles run on my Mac without any drivers needed: 100% plug and play!
Recommendations:
- Delete all BT devices paired from Mac
- Make sure Mac picked up the BT dongle as controller vs builtin one (ALT-click on BT icon and check for MAC address change).
- Reconnect / pair BT devices
- I had to reset one of my DualShock (https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-reset-ps4-controller-4174025)