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[pretty done]

I used it for a year and it's ok, if a bit awkward to get used to. I pretty much stopped using it entirely once I got a PS4 controller though. For shooters/aiming it's horrible compared to m/kb and for pad games it's inferior to a regular pad. Back paddle buttons are really useful in certain games (Souls!) but not so useful that I'm down for everything else being worse.

I don't regret buying it but yea, I don't think removing the dpad when 2D games are so popular on PC was a great idea. I think the trackpad can emulate and analog stick way better than a dpad but they threw a really shitty analog stick on there anyway and axed the dpad. I'm no genius but that doesn't seem smart.

 

[Vash63]

I use it with my Steam link simply because I haven't been bothered to hook anything else up to it.

It's functional enough but sucks for games that play best with dual analog and its approximation of a mouse isn't great either, making it kind of a kludgy solution for most mouse driven games.

My daughter makes the most hilarious faces while using it, though. She hates the thing.

I will agree that it's bad for dual analog games, luckily there aren't all that many of those. I wouldn't play a top down shooter like Nex Machina for it, that's for sure.

Great for FPS or mouse-driven games though, just make sure it's configured as 'mouse' and not 'mouse-like joystick'.

 

[jyoung188]

Borrowed my friends for about a week or two a while ago. Tried to use it for the Witcher 3 but could never get used to it. Then I got an elite xbone controller and never looked back.

 

[dsk1210]

Steam controller is awesome for first person shooters, but it really needs a redesign.

It feels cheap and bloated in the hand but the gyro and paddles are game changers. It seems to have the most accurate gyro out of all the controllers I have tried.

The gyro on the ps4 controller when I last tried it had way too much drift.

 

[Nabs]

Steam controller is awesome for first person shooters, but it really needs a redesign.

It feels cheap and bloated in the hand but the gyro and paddles are game changers. It seems to have the most accurate gyro out of all the controllers I have tried.

The gyro on the ps4 controller when I last tried it had way too much drift.

There's a new beta update today that improves the PS gyro a bunch.

 

[Gren]

Had a similar experience as the OP. Tried my own configs, tried other people's ones, yet it never clicked for me. Felt a whole lot more uncomfortable than a controller, and only slightly more accurate. I sent mine back.

 

[WaterAstro]

Not with the great PS4 controller support this gen. Why buy another controller just for PC?

 

[yansolo]

totally forgot about the steam controller, I don't even think it exists here in Australia, never seen it anywhere.

 

[dsk1210]

There's a new beta update today that improves the PS gyro a bunch.

I will check that out Nabs.

Cheers.

 

[Bl@de]

Have it but don't use it. It's too uncomfortable for my hands :-( I prefer the Xbox One controller

 

[Big_Al]

Bought one and sold it eventually, love the idea of it but I never found it that comfortable to hold so eventually admitted defeat and sold it on. I prefer to use either m/kb or my xbox 360/xbox one pads

 

[Crazy Diamond]

Wasn't a huge fan. Better than nothing. Glad I tried it, but there's a reason they strap a 40%-off coupon to it and bundle it with any new game that goes up for preorder on Steam.

 

[Arklite]

I bought one and it's definitely an impressive piece, tech wise and configuration wise. I don't really use it though, as binding new games properly is annoying and the button layout needs work. I'm surprised they haven't released a redesign.

 

[Professor Beef]

Used it for a bit. Hated it, never looked back. Awkward to hold, face buttons aren't comfortable to press in the slightest and have a bad layout, dpad is a joke. Cant really comment on the mousepad feature since I don't play a lot of games with heavy mouse use.

 

[bede-x]

Bought one, but almost never use it. Never felt natural in anything and I don't like the layout, where I have to stretch to reach some buttons. The trackpads are also very hard to get used to. IMO one of the worst controllers I've ever tried from a major company.

 

[Oreoleo]

It has completely replaced dual analog controllers for me and I never want to go back.

 

[daninthemix]

I used it to play through Dragon Age Origins. Other than that no, I use a DS4.

 

[Remachinate]

The initial pain of config setup has been outweighed by the improved controls for every game I use it with. I can't go back to playing first-person games without grip buttons for sprint and jump.

I guess the Xbox Elite is trying to do the same thing for three times the price? I'm sure that controller is sturdier, but I've had no issues with the durability or feel of the Steam controller.

 

[Yudoken]

A friend of mine bought one and I was able to borrow it for a few months (he wasn't interested after a short while). It's a very innovative and completely new pad and I had a lot of fun trying it out.
I really love Big picture and the continuous support with firmware upgrades and many improvements in software. They're really listening and changing stuff.

Sadly a few things are kinda annoying and I decided not to buy one for myself:

1. Games that can't use mouse and pad inputs at the same time are not that great because emulation of the keyboard is bad especially for driving (especially MGS V). Also games that changes the inputs immediately change between inputs shown in mk/pad (little annoying but still bad).

2. The build quality is a step down in comparison to the Xbone/360/DS4 pad.

My biggest gripes with the design is the location for the right touchpad.

To make much more games accessible the main 4 buttons need to be more on the right and the touchpad need to be adjusted a bit more differently.

This pad is a very innovative gamepad but it needs a new revision because in it's current form a DS4 is a better device.

Kinda weird that they're not announcing one for this year to keep the momentum going.

 

[Arulan]

It's the best controller available. With exception to games that use a D-Pad primarily, I can't see myself using anything else. The track pad is significantly better than an (right) analog stick. I've been playing NieR:Automata with it lately.

 

[Veal]

Use mine everyday for everything. Could definitely use some tweaks though. Those bumpers are atrocious, and the d pad is middling to poor. I'd love a revision with those things addressed. Maybe an actual d pad but with a capacitive surface?

 

[Triforce141]

I owned one, lack of a real D-Pad turned me off from it after awhile

 

[Sad Affleck]

Love it, use it for everything. Currently I'm going through Company of Heroes using the Steam Controller with my own custom configuration which I will upload.

 

[OmegaTreeFish]

Hated it for FPS games. Wasn't responsive enough for RTS games. However there was a very specific few games I loved it for.

Sunless sea, Darkest dungeon, xcom 2 and invisible inc.

Basically mouse controlled games that dont require fast reactions. As someone who suffers from back pain that is worsened when playing games with M&K it was great for those.

However I havn't used it in ages.

 

[Leeroy605]

Bought one at launch and love the idea of it, sadly its only used to control my desktop nowadays, not for games.

I have limited time for gaming and felt like I was constantly tweaking the settings instead of playing. Not to mention the software back then was most definitely beta and was slow, lost bindings regularly and was generally a pig to use.

I appreciate they have made great strides in this area but now use a Roccat Sova and Xbox one pad combo for gamepad games.

That said I'd strangely still be interested in an updated model with 4 paddles at the back, a more premium feel and some button tweaks.

 

[Yokai]

It's my preference when playing Dark Souls games. Will use it again whenever I get to The Witcher 3

 

[sirap]

It's the only way I play PC games now. Amazing controller and I wish I could play every console game with it. Trackball + gyro aiming is a blessing from the gods.

 

[Anno]

Yeah it's great. It's the only controller I use, or even own at this point. And every once in awhile a new patch hits and it gets even more stuff added.

 

[laxu]

I use my Steam Controller for the majority of games I play. For some first person shooters I opt for keyboard and mouse and for fighting games and platformers prefer using the DualShock 4 because of a proper D-pad.

In general I love the Steam Controller though. It's not perfect but it's definitely the best gamepad on the market right now. I've been able to make it work great for nearly all the games I play. If they release an updated version with more grip buttons, I'll buy one instantly.

It's really best used in games where you need mouselike view control (gyro aiming is so good too) but also analog movement control.

 

[Baleoce]

Loved it at first, and the freedom of customization it brought. But I just stopped using it after a while.

 

[bee]

takes a while to get used to but is much better than a standard controller when you do, it's not suited to all types of games though

 

[Yohane]

Bought one out of curiosity last Christmas. It's really bad

 

[ProgenitorCastle]

takes a while to get used to but is much better than a standard controller when you do, it's not suited to all types of games though

For the most part, I agree.

 

[FrozenCell]

I'm from D-pad era so I use Dualshock 4 during most of my SteamOS time with the exception of a few genres, kids however like and frequently play with Steam Controller

 

[Robottiimu2000]

I can't cope anymore without those extra paddle buttons for gripping fingers. Using it for rocket league all the time.

The only alternative seems to be XBOX elite, but no need to change.

Ergonomics could be a tad better, but a really solid controller.

 

[Maintenance]

I use it for all my games except GTA V, which gets completely fucked up even with different profiles.

I like it, took me a long while to adjust but now it feels good. Problem is I'm mostly playing GTA nowadays so it stays in the closet.

 

[KainXVIII]

I wanted it, but its too damn expensive.

 

[Baleoce]

I can't cope anymore without those extra paddle buttons for gripping fingers. Using it for rocket league all the time.

The only alternative seems to be XBOX elite, but no need to change.

Ergonomics could be a tad better, but a really solid controller.

I think that's probably my biggest gripe. I just didn't enjoy holding it. That, and I missed having a traditional d-pad. But I do love its near limitless customisation, and camera control from that right haptic pad is awesome. I had a great time using it with Redout as well because of the right pad.

 

[Gluka]

I tried pads only for a few weeks and really wanted to love it. The accuracy of the pads for aiming just isn't much better than tilt controls while seeming way harder to learn. I would also completely lose track of my fingers on the left pad so they seemed pretty terrible for moving characters in most games as well.

I feel like I gave it a fair shake and either I'm missing something or it just isn't for me.

 

[laxu]

I use it for all my games except GTA V, which gets completely fucked up even with different profiles.

I like it, took me a long while to adjust but now it feels good. Problem is I'm mostly playing GTA nowadays so it stays in the closet.

But it works pretty great for that game? I have mine set up for gamepad with mouse aim and gyro and the only issue I'm having is that sometimes when reversing in a car it will try to aim with the gun. Seems to have something to do with mixed mouse and gamepad controls.

 

[laxu]

I tried pads only for a few weeks and really wanted to love it. The accuracy of the pads for aiming just isn't much better than tilt controls while seeming way harder to learn. I would also completely lose track of my fingers on the left pad so they seemed pretty terrible for moving characters in most games as well.

I feel like I gave it a fair shake and either I'm missing something or it just isn't for me.

The best setup for me is usually trackball mode in right pad combined with gyro for fine aiming. Gyro can be activated either by having your finger on the right pad or for example aiming only when pulling the left trigger.

 

[Sad Affleck]

I wanted it, but its too damn expensive.

Keep an eye out for it when the Steam Summer sale starts. It always goes on sale for at least 40% off.

 

[120v]

i could never bring to myself to bite the bullet on these things. i'll start to buy one but then decide to just get another xbox controller

would probably work wonders if my living room PC was my main though

 

[JCH!]

I use mine all the time. It's by far my favourite controller to use on PC.

Girlfriend is currently playing The Witcher 3 with it and couldn't be happier.

 

[red731]

I've never hold it in my life, that said, after some time with it I would either like it to exhange my DS4 or keep using that.

 

[Mr.Deadshot]

Bought this and Steamlink at launch. I fiddled around with both a lot. Played a good chunk of Pillars of Eternity and several other games with it on my TV.

But to be honest. It was kinda shit. Both are now rotting on my shelf and I play at my desktop with mouse and keyboard again.

 

[Omikaru]

It depends on the game for me. Since my PC is connected to my TV, I obviously I use it with keyboard and mouse only games, but I find that if the game supports a traditional controller I tend to fall into using my Xbox One Elite controller instead.

But I do think the Steam Controller is an amazing thing. I just wish more developers gave it consideration when developing their UI (for example, auto-switching from keyboard to controller on-screen prompts and back again while using the controller is actually kind of annoying).

My girlfriend, however, hates it. She finds her hands are too small to use it comfortably, even though she is fine with both Xbox and PS4 controllers.

 

[B_Signal]

I quite like it, I just don't get to use it as much anymore

At the minute I'm playing Wolfenstein, which I'm sat at my desk for anyway so it's better to use mouse and keyboard.

I used to use it with Witcher 3 but I can't get it to work with my GOG Galaxy version anymore.

When I go back and do a violent play through of Dishonored 2 I'll probably use it

 

[codswallop]

Been using it exclusively since November 2015. Still love it.

 

[SandTorso]

I use it whenever I'm streaming to my TV. So maybe once a week. It takes quite a while to get used to, but I prefer it for shooters/aiming over dual analog controllers. Remember the first time you went from KB/M to sticks or the other way around? Yeah, same sort of deal here. Just takes time.