A week ago, we reported that macOS Monterey 12.3 was bricking some MacBook Pro laptops that had their logic boards replaced previously, and it appears that there may be even more problems with the latest version of macOS. Users report issues with external monitors and gaming controllers after updating to macOS Monterey 12.3.

Display problems

Several users reported (via MacRumors) issues on the Apple forums, claiming that their Mac can no longer display video using USB-C. The issue so far appears only to affect third-party monitors from BenQ and LG, and it doesn’t appear to be relevant to the launch of Apple Studio Display monitor.

Some users claimed that they were unable to connect their Mac mini on macOS 12.3 via USB-C, while others claimed that the HDMI connection was also not recognized. According to a user on the MacRumors Forums, the issue is that macOS doesn’t recognize the DisplayPort protocol version, which can be resolved by changing the version to an older one, resulting in a lower image quality output.

“I've solved this problem (on 2022-03-15). On my monitor (LG LCD 27 27UN880-B IPS) I've went into settings, and I've lowered the DisplayPortVersion from the default v1.4 to v1.2. As soon as I've lowered the monitor's DisplayPortVersion, my Mac with OS X 12.3 has started recognizing the second display correctly. It seems that the new OS X update has issues with a DisplayPortVersion 1.4 protocol (has faster data rate, faster refresh, and stream compression). Hope this helps.”

Some users suggested that unplugging the external display for a short period, plugging it in to the Mac, and then plugging the display back into the power outlet could yield success and fix the issue.

Controller problems

Some users are reporting that they are unable to use their PlayStation, Xbox, and other third-party controllers over Bluetooth. The issue happened after updating to macOS 12.3, and many users reported problems on the Apple Developers Forums and Reddit.

The vast majority of the people who are affected claim that they are unable to connect their controllers to play either Apple Arcade games, and other non-App Store games on their machines. The issue appears to affect most games, although it’s currently a mystery on what’s causing the problem, as it seems to work in some games, for a few people.

“Same problems here. My controller is working in some games, but not everywhere:

  • macOS: 12.3 (21E230)
  • Xbox Wireless Controller:
  • Manufacture ID: 0x045E
  • Product ID: 0x02FD
  • Firmware: 9.0.3
  • Additional type: Gamepad

Working in apps:

  • Steam
  • Pac-Man Party
  • The Pathless

NOT working in apps:

  • Sonic racing
  • Asphalt 8+
  • Agent Intercept“

Users are currently encouraged to try to remove and reconnect the controllers using the Bluetooth settings, but that isn’t currently known to be a solution to fix the problem. Apple hasn’t acknowledged the problem yet, but we expect to see an update soon to resolve the newly introduced problems in macOS Monterey 12.3.