Use this article after the X-Force Haptics Kit has been installed and something is not working as expected. If you are still doing the first installation, start here instead:

X-Force Haptics Kit Installation and Quickstart Guide

Start here: choose the symptom

Use the section that matches what you are seeing:

  • No power or board lights: go to "If the kit does not power on."
  • No sound, weak haptics, hum, buzz, or whine: go to "If sound or haptics do not feel right."
  • Quest / Pinball FX VR does not see the controls: go to "If Pinball FX VR does not respond."
  • VPX / Visual Pinball X does not see buttons, plunger, or nudge: go to "If VPX does not respond."
  • Plunger or nudge feels wrong: go to "If the plunger or nudge feels wrong."
  • You already received a replacement part and it did not solve the issue: go to "If it still does not work after these steps."

Before checking inside the unit, turn the kit off, unplug wall power, disconnect USB/audio cables, and wait a moment before touching internal connectors.

If the kit does not power on

Stop using the kit and contact support if you see smoke, smell burning, see heat damage, or see a visibly broken board, connector, or wire.

For a normal no-power check:

  1. Make sure the wall cord is connected to the power brick.
  2. Make sure the inline power switch is in the ON position.
  3. Push the 24V power plug firmly into the Haptics Kit power socket. It can feel seated before it is fully connected.
  4. Check whether the power brick light is on.
  5. Check whether the Haptics PCB or control-panel lights turn on.

Important: the light on the power brick only confirms that the brick is receiving wall power. It does not always prove that power is reaching the Haptics Kit.

If the kit still has no power, do not keep power-cycling it. Contact support with photos and a short video.

If sound or haptics do not feel right

The X-Force Haptics Kit is audio-driven. It uses the analog 3.5mm audio signal from your headset, PC, console, or other audio source.

First check the audio path:

  1. Make sure your device is outputting audio through the 3.5mm jack, not Bluetooth.
  2. Confirm the 3.5mm audio cable is fully inserted.
  3. Test with a known-good stereo 3.5mm cable.
  4. Test without any splitter first.
  5. If you also use external speakers or wired headphones, use a stereo TRS splitter, not a headset/microphone TRRS splitter.
  6. In the game audio settings, raise effects/physics audio and lower music if the game allows separate sliders.

For weak haptics, turn the headset/device volume up first, then adjust the Haptics Kit controls. The kit needs a strong enough audio signal to create vibration.

For hum, buzz, or high-pitched whine:

  1. Disconnect the 3.5mm audio cable and check whether the noise remains.
  2. Move audio cables away from power cables where possible.
  3. Try a different power outlet.
  4. If the noise only happens when connected to a PC or other audio source, a ground-loop isolator may help.
  5. If the noise continues with no audio cable connected, send support a short video for review.

Related article:

X-Force Haptics Kit: Use With External Speakers or Wired Headphones

If Pinball FX VR does not respond

For wireless Quest / Pinball FX VR play, the Arcade2TV-XR should be powered by USB-C wall power and the USB-B printer-style cable should be disconnected.

Check in this order:

  1. Disconnect the USB-B printer-style cable from the Arcade2TV-XR.
  2. Power the Arcade2TV-XR from the rear USB-C port using wall power.
  3. Plug the Gen2 dongle into the powered-on Quest headset.
  4. Pair the dongle.
  5. Set the required dongle mode before launching Pinball FX VR.
  6. Fully close and reopen Pinball FX VR after changing dongle mode.
  7. If the Quest menu sees input but Pinball FX VR does not, fully power off and restart the headset, then launch the game after the dongle is recognized.

If USB-B is connected during wireless play, the controller may stay in wired mode and the wireless dongle may not receive input correctly.

If VPX does not respond

For PC / VPX / Visual Pinball X, the controller input must go to the PC running the game.

If the Gen2 dongle is plugged into a Quest headset, it will not send Arcade2TV-XR input back to a separate PC through Steam Link, Virtual Desktop, Meta Remote Desktop, Wi-Fi, or Ethernet.

Check in this order:

  1. Connect the controller or Gen2 dongle to the PC running VPX.
  2. On Windows, press Windows key + R.
  3. Type joy.cpl and press Enter.
  4. Select the controller entry and click Properties.
  5. Test buttons, nudge, and plunger there.

If the controls work in joy.cpl but not in VPX, focus on VPX or JoyToKey mapping. If they do not work in joy.cpl, focus on connection mode, firmware, dongle mode, or internal connectors before changing VPX settings.

For keyboard-mode checks, use:

Online keyboard tester

If the plunger or nudge feels wrong

Start by checking whether this is a game behavior or a hardware/input issue.

On Windows, test with joy.cpl:

  1. Press Windows key + R.
  2. Type joy.cpl and press Enter.
  3. Select the controller entry and click Properties.
  4. Pull the plunger slowly and watch the input response.
  5. Move or nudge the unit and watch whether input appears.

If the plunger is smooth in joy.cpl, Pinball Classics VR, or Star Wars Pinball VR but moves in steps only in Pinball FX VR, the hardware may be working correctly. Pinball FX VR can process plunger input in stepped increments depending on the game/table.

If the plunger or nudge is not smooth in joy.cpl, check the current firmware guide:

Recommended firmware/remapping tool: Start with the Arcade2TV-XR Web Configurator for controller remapping and supported firmware upgrades for the Arcade2TV-XR controller, Gen2 wireless dongle, and Haptics PCB. It runs in a browser on Mac and Windows PC. If the web app is unavailable, use the downloadable software fallback from the main software and firmware guide. Always choose the firmware for the correct component; Gen1 dongles are not firmware-upgradable.

Arcade2TV-XR / Tankstick VR software and firmware usage guide

Use the firmware path that matches your symptom:

  • If you only have plunger, nudge, or notch calibration issues and the system is otherwise stable, review the Haptics PCB v1.6 path.
  • If you have USB disconnection or stability issues, use the full matched disconnection-fix firmware set from the official guide.
  • Do not mix controller, dongle, and Haptics PCB firmware versions unless the guide says they belong together.
  • Do not flash Gen2 dongle firmware onto a Gen1 dongle.

If the plunger is completely non-responsive after the current firmware checks, contact support.

If it still does not work after these steps

Contact support@xgaming.com with the details below. Please do not post order numbers, email addresses, phone numbers, shipping addresses, or tracking numbers publicly.

Include:

  • your order number
  • your existing ticket number, if you already have one
  • the symptom you are trying to fix
  • what steps from this article you already tried
  • whether the issue happens wired, wireless, or both
  • the headset, PC, console, or game you are using
  • Arcade2TV-XR firmware version, if known
  • Gen1 or Gen2 dongle, plus a photo if you are not sure
  • Haptics PCB firmware version, if known
  • photos of the Haptics PCB, power board, and wiring if the issue may be internal
  • a short video showing the exact symptom
  • whether any replacement parts were already received

If a replacement part was already sent and did not solve the issue, include which part arrived. That helps support confirm whether the next step should be a power adapter, control-panel PCB, main Haptics PCB, speaker, cable, plunger assembly, or another part.

Preorder or shipping questions

If your Haptics Kit order is a preorder, use the ship window shown on the product page and your order confirmation email as the source of truth.

If the current ship window has passed or tracking has not updated, contact support with your order number.