Analyzing Sudden USB and Bluetooth Connectivity Failures During Gaming Sessions on New ROG Strix G18
Encountering Hardware Connectivity Interruptions While Gaming
Recently, I acquired a new ASUS ROG Strix G18 gaming laptop featuring an RTX 5080 graphics card. Within the first week of use, I began experiencing a perplexing issue during gameplay: all USB and Bluetooth devices suddenly cease functioning simultaneously.
This incident occurs primarily when playing demanding titles like God of War Ragnarok. Even with direct connection to the laptop—bypassing any docking peripherals—the disconnection persists. Notably, the problem affects not only Bluetooth controllers but also wired peripherals such as keyboards, mice, and headsets. Additionally, both the built-in trackpad and keyboard become unresponsive, requiring a full system reboot to restore functionality.
Initial Troubleshooting Steps and Observations
Temperature concerns were my first consideration; however, during instances of the failure, CPU and GPU temperatures remain around 85°C, which is within typical operating ranges for gaming laptops. This suggests thermal throttling is unlikely to be the cause.
Additionally, I examined the Windows Event Log for clues, where I encountered the following entries:
- GameInput Service Termination
The GameInput Service service terminated with the following error: The compound file GameInput Service was produced with a newer version of storage.
This message indicates potential issues with game input management services, possibly due to software or driver inconsistencies.
- Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) Error
Source: HAL
The IOMMU has detected an error.
Device: 0x80A4
FaultInformation: 0xFEF0F000
FaultReason: 0x6
ExtendedData: 0x0
The IOMMU (Input-Output Memory Management Unit) error suggests a deeper hardware or driver-level issue related to device memory access and device virtualization. Such errors can cause peripheral failures or system instability during high-demand operations like gaming.
Potential Causes and Recommendations
The combination of these log entries points toward possible driver conflicts, firmware issues, or hardware vulnerabilities. The sudden disconnection of multiple peripherals hints at the possibility of:
- Driver conflicts or outdated drivers for the Bluetooth module, USB controllers, or graphics hardware.
- Firmware mismatches between device components and system BIOS.
- Hardware anomalies related to the IOMMU
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