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Steam Controller overview and videos/impressions

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Milpool

Member
Finally got movement on my shipment, both my GLS and Parcelforce tracking are active and on my Parcelforce tracking page it says the shipment is 'express 24', looks like it started moving earlier today (14:00 - NL time I presume) so perhaps it will arrive tomorrow if it gets in the UK before midnight.

My GLS tracking updated recently with movement at 14:00 as well, but the date says the 14th not the 15th so I guess it was a day late in updating.
 
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Qassim

Member
My GLS tracking updated recently with movement at 14:00 as well, but the date says the 14th not the 15th so I guess it was a day late in updating.

Oh yeah, mine says the 14th too. That gives me maybe a little more hope that it'll come tomorrow.
 

mbmonk

Member
I called two different GS around me and was told 11/10 by both. Both said they were still taking preorders, but they don't know anything about releasing tomorrow. The first one I called the guy at first said he thought they were coming out tomorrow, then checked his computer and said that Steam Machines are launching tomorrow and that the controller/Steam Link were November 10th. So I guess I'll maybe try calling them again tomorrow to see if for some crazy reason they got stock, but I'm not counting on it.

You are probably correct. I asked a leading question when I called and the employee said he didn't have any shipment information. I was the one who mentioned tomorrow as the release date. So I might have setup the conversation and the person just ran with it.
 
I called two different GS around me and was told 11/10 by both. Both said they were still taking preorders, but they don't know anything about releasing tomorrow. The first one I called the guy at first said he thought they were coming out tomorrow, then checked his computer and said that Steam Machines are launching tomorrow and that the controller/Steam Link were November 10th. So I guess I'll maybe try calling them again tomorrow to see if for some crazy reason they got stock, but I'm not counting on it.

The official release is 11/10. However, those who preordered prior to 6/24/2015 should get their order tomorrow. So stores are definitely going to have them. I'm just wondering if the shipments coming in tomorrow are only for people who preordered (or preordered and then cancelled).... OR if ALL gamestop stores are getting stock tomorrow regardless of preorders. The problem is if you call and the associate doesn't know the situation, they'll just look it up in the computer which will just show the 11/10 release date.
 

Blizzard

Banned
It is not. Like it doesnt appear at all, anywhere. Not even the bios.
That's bizarre then and has to be hardware-related. I'm assuming you tried all the ports.

Do you happen to have a powered USB hub you can plug into the machine, and then plug the controller into that to check BIOS / "lsusb -v" again?
 

Krejlooc

Banned
That's bizarre then and has to be hardware-related. I'm assuming you tried all the ports.

Do you happen to have a powered USB hub you can plug into the machine, and then plug the controller into that to check BIOS / "lsusb -v" again?

It's more that the Xi3 just kind of sucks, lol. I'm having a bitch of a time getting my USB wifi network adapter going on it. And I need to use this to skype at a meeting in... 3 hours. So priorities lol.
 

AwesomeMeat

PossumMeat
Might want to check your tracking. Mine was just updated to "In Transit" and is due for arrival tomorrow!

Yeah my controller just got updated. The link hasn't yet so it looks like they just had everything well timed. People within about 500 miles of the facility are starting to roll now.
 

Nzyme32

Member
I'll be putting up the thread in around 12 hours I think. That should be around the time people get deliveries in Europe, but I don't many will be using them till after they finish work etc
 

Maiden Voyage

Gold™ Member
Mine is finally in transit and is due for arrival tomorrow. Just my luck, I have to work all weekend.

I'm most looking forward to the Link.
 

belmonkey

Member
I got around to going to a few Gamestops. The one that said they take pre-orders and would let me have a controller tomorrow turned out not to have any controllers at all and wouldn't until 11/10. Then I went to another nearby one that said the same thing over the phone and they let me pre-order for $5 before telling me that actually I probably would have to wait for it until 11/10 after all. They did say that they actually do expect a shipment of them tomorrow and if they have any free ones I might be getting a call to pick one up though. The previous Gamestop said that they hadn't ordered any because there was no pre-order demand for them there, so it kinda sounds like this Gamestop might only be getting enough to cover all those that pre-ordered, so I don't know if I should have much hope for being able to get a controller early :/
 

Red

Member
Mine arrived. Haptic motor is cool. The bumpers feel a little cheap and the buttons are a little too close to the analog stick for me. But functionally it's really cool. It works just like a mouse as soon as you turn it on.

The paddles are maybe the best thing after the touchpads.

I saw a lot of talk about how small the buttons were. I don't think they are especially small. They feel fine. But they are so close to the stick... If anyone remembers those Dualshock gifs of the dueling thumbs, that's how this kinda feels. The pad of the stick is convex and not as grippy as console controllers. But I don't mean to sound down on this thing. It is really fun to use.

Playing Borderlands on the couch using the hybrid scheme is nauseating. I may have to pass on FPS games with the Steam controller. Sniping is way better than with a game pad though.

Hitting the center button launches big picture mode. That's a nice touch.

I remember hearing about a built-in gyroscope. How do you enable this? I'd like to try Sonic All Stars using motion control.
 
I'll be putting up the thread in around 12 hours I think. That should be around the time people get deliveries in Europe, but I don't many will be using them till after they finish work etc

I think I'm also going to wait. Would be nice to have a couple of Link users till then.
 
I Supremely messed up my Early Bird order. Forgot in between June and now that my card would expire.
Oh well, 3 more weeks of hearing everyone talking about their controllers.
 
I hope we at least see some sort of rollout over the next month rather than NEEDING to wait until the 10th. Less than a month isn't an awful wait, but this thing was announced quite awhile ago too. :/

I got caught in a weird spot because I didn't having a gaming pc until I built one in August so I didn't know I'd even want a Steam controller until well after the initial preorder window

You are probably correct. I asked a leading question when I called and the employee said he didn't have any shipment information. I was the one who mentioned tomorrow as the release date. So I might have setup the conversation and the person just ran with it.

The official release is 11/10. However, those who preordered prior to 6/24/2015 should get their order tomorrow. So stores are definitely going to have them. I'm just wondering if the shipments coming in tomorrow are only for people who preordered (or preordered and then cancelled).... OR if ALL gamestop stores are getting stock tomorrow regardless of preorders. The problem is if you call and the associate doesn't know the situation, they'll just look it up in the computer which will just show the 11/10 release date.

My plan is to basically call the few GS that are within 10 miles tomorrow and see if they got any extra stock above and beyond what they need for the pre 6/24 preorders. Maybe I get lucky, I'm not counting on it though.
 

Red

Member
See the box under the middle of the controller in bpm when configuring the controller? That is the imu
That shit is slick. I didn't realize it detected vertical tilt. I was playing Sonic All Stars and discovered I could ascend and descend by tilting the controller forward and back. I need to see if I can configure horizontal shift to be aggressive and keep vertical shift linear.

(it does not look like it is possible to map vertical and horizontal tilt separately. bummer.)

How do you configure the paddles?
 

Krejlooc

Banned
That shit is slick. I didn't realize it detected vertical tilt. I was playing Sonic All Stars and discovered I could ascend and descend by tilting the controller forward and back. I need to see if I can configure horizontal shift to be aggressive and keep vertical shift linear.

They keep breaking it in updates, but iirc you can mode shift and set two different motion detection aggression.

I did pinball fx and mapped tilt to the gamepad and it's pretty crazy when it works.
 

Krejlooc

Banned
Ah I see. The lines don't extend to behind the controller so it was unclear what they were pointing to. Makes sense in context.

The config menu is unfinished. I have found it weird how the triggers are at top of the menu, when on the controller, the bumpers are at top.
 

Red

Member
I find I keep hitting B when I try to hit A. The size of the buttons doesn't bother me, but their position feels weird.
 
I Supremely messed up my Early Bird order. Forgot in between June and now that my card would expire.
Oh well, 3 more weeks of hearing everyone talking about their controllers.

Man it is still so upsetting, I've been so hype for this contro-

*New Email*

what?

*Sees Tracking Number*

h0FF369A8


GPDuGJf.png


giphy.gif
 
Wait what? It shows that they just got it today.... but it's scheduled to arrive tomorrow? That would be crazy.

Then again it's only one state over so.... I guess?
 

Red

Member
I thought I would like FPS games best with this thing, but not so. Everything else I tried was great. The effect produced by the hybrid input made me motion sick. May be something to do with jerky mouse movements at a distance. Couldn't play for more than a few minutes. A shame, because the pads allow far more granular control than joysticks.

Tried Borderlands, Sonic All Star Racing, Super Meat Boy, and Rocket League. Motion control in Sonic was pretty darn cool. It worked well and I won a couple of races. It was tough to control planes because of how aggressive the vertical tilt input was, but if a future update allows separate bindings for the x and y axes, this will be moot. Super Meat Boy was okay, but I was not as immediately good as I am with a 360 pad. Controls were serviceable and I'm sure i would improve given more time. Rocket League felt completely natural. I played several games and never really thought about what controller I was using.

I notice the controller is very loud. The haptic motor is loud even on the lowest setting, and all the buttons and bumpers and triggers clack like a mouse. It's not something you could get away with playing with someone nearby trying to sleep.

I heard the vibration motor is meant to follow your finger, but I didn't get much of that. Around the rim of the pad it feels like the rumble is right under your touch, but when you approach the center it is more of an everywhere rumble.
 

Veal

Member
I find I keep hitting B when I try to hit A. The size of the buttons doesn't bother me, but their position feels weird.
They really should have used the Nintendo layout as that makes way more sense considering where the buttons are in relation to the track pad. Stupid "convention" keeping the Xbox layout.
 

Eusis

Member
They really should have used the Nintendo layout as that makes way more sense considering where the buttons are in relation to the track pad. Stupid "convention" keeping the Xbox layout.
Kinda funny how people complained about Nintendo sticking with that on Wii U, though it really does make more sense for that kind of arrangement.
 

MaxiLive

Member
My Game delivery has just turned up! I'm at work so I won't be able to poke around with it until lunch.

So far though it feels pretty good, the trackpads are a little more clicky than I thought they were. I also like the little beep the controller makes when it turns on/off <3

No pre-order bonus though :( Time to contact customer support!
 

MNC

Member
Good news for all DHL shipments!

Big chance you are Dutch. That's okay! I'm dutch too.

http://www.dhl.nl/nl/express/traceren.html

Use this and select DHL Benelux for shipping type. It should show a history that isn't available (yet) in the regular Steam link. My package arrived today! (At the neighbours doorstep though)
 

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
I got mine.
Is it normal that I can't quite close the lid once I insert the batteries? That seems kinda weird.

How do you get the batteries in lol

Haha, I had the very same problem. That's a really weird design. You just need to push them in inside the handles. There are little buttons on each side if you want to get them out again.
 
I got mine.
Is it normal that I can't quite close the lid once I insert the batteries? That seems kinda weird.



Haha, I had the very same problem. That's a really weird design. You just need to push them in inside the handles. There are little buttons on each side if you want to get them out again.
Like, push push? :p I'm scared of breaking it after that guy earlier in the thread :p

Cus atm I like slot the battery in so the bottom is sticking out at like 30 degrees, do I push on the side of the battery and push horizontally or push on the bottom of the battery and push it down? :p

edit: got it. push down a bit then horizontal. Don't like it :p
 
My Game delivery has just turned up! I'm at work so I won't be able to poke around with it until lunch.

So far though it feels pretty good, the trackpads are a little more clicky than I thought they were. I also like the little beep the controller makes when it turns on/off <3

No pre-order bonus though :( Time to contact customer support!

Mine too.
Not turned anything on but am feels really solid and I really like the ergonomics of the pad. I don't find the abxy a stretch at all either but you do have to position your hand a bit diffently.

No preorder bonus for me either although it says something on the invoice about an email.
Please let me know what customer services says.
 

Fantastapotamus

Wrong about commas, wrong about everything
Like, push push? :p I'm scared of breaking it after that guy earlier in the thread :p

Cus atm I like slot the battery in so the bottom is sticking out at like 30 degrees, do I push on the side of the battery and push horizontally or push on the bottom of the battery and push it down? :p

edit: got it. push down a bit then horizontal. Don't like it :p

So, can you fully close the lid?
 
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