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Steam Machines/Controller/Link - Reviews Thread
- Thread starter ashecitism
- Start date
Hero Prinny
Member
Fuck man, i contacted amazon about my order last week since it had no estimated delivery date and they told me they'd deliver it nov10, and now i check the steam controller over there and it says temporary out of stock. Really upset, just going to cancel my order.
Have you held it or are you basing it off looks?
TyrantGuardian
Member
Got my controller yesterday and have been using it for about 6 hours playing Torchlight, Dota 2 and CSGO. It has a crazy hard learning curve and does indeed feel "alien". I understand some people not willing to go through learning a new input method after all these years with m/kb + traditional gamepad, but anyone who doesn't see the potential of this is a fool. Let's just say that with only 2h of practice and changing settings I was landing shots I would normally miss in CSGO (on DMG rank) in a way that shocked me.
There is a magnifier function in the works, but there is no real telling of how good it will be as a solution. It's the only real annoying thing about lounge PC gaming. If a game doesn't have UI scaling, you have to rely on mods or resolution changes, which is not ideal at all. Having said that, if you are entirely PC based as I am, it's still pretty nice and really great to see things progressing in the right direction
robertlebrone
Member
I was thinking about the controller, but the reviews just confirm what I was thinking. The controller is kinda pointless. Not as good as a standard controller where it's useable and not as good as a m+kb where they are useable.
Indeed. It's a shame it's being written off by a lot of people because its so different. It really is a game changer when you put in the time to customize it and get used to the way it works. I'm hanging with M/KB players in Cod and Insurgency, something that would never happen using dual analog sticks.
For my money, I'd go with a Wii U Pro controller and a Steam Controller for the couch. Both have ~80 hours of battery life, which can't be beaten.
I love the Steam Controller for games that support both KB/M and controller at the same time. Don't see the point in using it for games where an Xbox controller works just fine. And yes, I've tried the Joystick Mouse mode or whatever it's called.
I love the Steam Controller for games that support both KB/M and controller at the same time. Don't see the point in using it for games where an Xbox controller works just fine. And yes, I've tried the Joystick Mouse mode or whatever it's called.
I wouldn't put much stock into subjective reviews in the OP. Its been demonstrated multiple times with a bit of tinkering and learning the Steam Controller can be almost as good as a M/KB and a million times better than a dual analog setup, check out Woodside's channel, he gives a great run down of what it's capable of:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvSOKZVB5vo
Vinterbird
Member
The time sink it is to customise the controller is my main issue. They need better presets and something that works for general people.
I just want to play a game, not spend an hour tinkering with sensitivity and button mapping.
family_guy
Member
I think I would have preferred something along the lines of a more compact Wii U gamepad controller. Using a stylus as a mouse might work.
Seemingly, helpfully the cheapest way of buying it is spensing at least £60 on a "bundle". Can get it from the steam store but it will take a month to deliver it. Ridiculous.
Phat Michael
Banned
The XB1 controller gets firmware updates for sure. It used to be via usb now it is done wirelessly. For titanfall they changed the dead zone of the left thumbstick for example.
Personally I enjoy it, though I have always enjoyed tinkering with PC settings.
But its a valid criticism, however, when Steam first launched it was widely hated and look how far its come now. The controller has barely been out in the wild for a few months and has had multiple firmware updates, improving its functionality. In the coming months I think we will see some amazing features, be it via the community or via Valve themselves. It will get more user friendly over time.
I'm in two minds for this. "Defaults" are not good enough per game, and likely wouldn't have led to the discovery of all these interesting combinations available now. On top of that the new features Valve has added over the past few weeks are hugely important and quite fantastic in a variety of situations - but then you now have to change all these supposed "defaults" to take advantage of some of these features that are massively better options.
At the same time, the most infuriating thing is when you just want to sit and play, but can't see a good set of bindings. I had this issue with HL2 when I got the controller and kept putting it off, until last week, when I decided to sit down for 15 mins and setup my own using the new features, and it's fucking amazing. However this is something I was well prepared for and expecting, yet even I have moments of frustration since at times I do just want to jump in. The controller bindings are still not in that state, and Valve needs to work on ways to organise that better, since right now it is just based on highest usage, which is often people that were messing with something early and then moved on to other games and didn't improve the setup. Often, the best bindings are right at the bottom to the middle of the pile, as they came later and are gradually getting noticed.
For most people wanting a purely casual, pick-up-and-go experience, they will need to wait a few more months, but there is no doubt in my mind that the controller is functionally and comfortably up to the task for PC gaming, even over traditional controllers.
argh so many conflicting opinions!
Im writing off the "it feels cheap", "the shape" and "learning curve" complaints. I guess the thing that is putting me off is the non pick up and play factor.
Though tbh as PC gamers we are all used to tinkering so that shouldnt really be too much of an issue.
I really feel I want to give this thing a chance and think I will. Its too easy to write this controller off.
Im writing off the "it feels cheap", "the shape" and "learning curve" complaints. I guess the thing that is putting me off is the non pick up and play factor.
Though tbh as PC gamers we are all used to tinkering so that shouldnt really be too much of an issue.
I really feel I want to give this thing a chance and think I will. Its too easy to write this controller off.
The Elite
BOSS
The concept is great. Maybe it just needs time or a version 2.0 to get it right. We will see.
I may end up just grabbing it anyway. I have nothing else I want to use the store credit towards.
nephilimdj
Member
removed, dont want a argument
They aren't stopping razer or logitech doing their own steam controllers.
Impressions like these are what cooled my cautious optimism months ago. IMO, they'd have made a better controller if they spent 2 years on R&D perfecting a controller with a trackball replacing the right analog stick. Between all of the cursor inputs for PC's, trackballs are the most natural to use with a thumb. That being said, as a single-player HTPC gamer, this was never going to replace a standard controller in games that are also on consoles. However, for RTS's and RPG's with no controller support, this still seems like a good option, and it's likely the only way I'd ever play these games.
ashecitism
Member
That was the prototype before they switched to trackpads. They said it worked great, but the mechanical footprints were big and expensive, the ideal trackball size was huge, thus heavy and fatiguing and it always needed to be cleaned. So they switched to trackpads with haptics where they could emulate a trackball.
zephervack
Member
I love my Steam Controller but to be fair, it took a bit of tinkering, understanding and knowing how to set up Gyro controls for it to click, I finished Mass Effect 3 and Wolfenstein The New Blood with it, and had to fall back to a DS4 for Max Payne 3 as using the Steam Controller would hard crash the Steam client.
Definetly not a plug and play deal but once you "get it" its hard to come back, looking forward to playing Fallout 4 with it.
Also you still need a traditional control around, for example, as hard as I tried, I couldnt get used to it for Rocket League
Definetly not a plug and play deal but once you "get it" its hard to come back, looking forward to playing Fallout 4 with it.
Also you still need a traditional control around, for example, as hard as I tried, I couldnt get used to it for Rocket League
Maneauleau
Member
This one is really cool, thanks for sharing!
My opinion on it so far:
- It looks cheap
- It *feels* cheap - creaky plastic all over
- I wasn't able to find out how to make it work as a 'standard' Xinput controller for stuff outside of Steam (like emulators). I'm not going to add all of my emulators as non-Steam applications just to use the controller with them.
- I couldn't do any configuration of it unless I was in Big Picture mode. I don't want to use Big Picture mode
- My default finger position on the right touchpad seems to be just below center. I was playing with Fallout 3, and while moving my finger even the slightest bit down sent the camera straight to the floor, it took a hell of a slide upward to make the camera move up even a little bit. I'm sure that if I wanted to tweak dead zones and other settings that I could make it work, but I figured that user-created mappings would come to the rescue for these types of things. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a pre-defined mapping for it, as far as I could tell.
The haptic feedback on the right pad is pretty cool, and the left pad/stick/buttons are nice, but the whole thing still feels pretty half-baked at this point.
- It looks cheap
- It *feels* cheap - creaky plastic all over
- I wasn't able to find out how to make it work as a 'standard' Xinput controller for stuff outside of Steam (like emulators). I'm not going to add all of my emulators as non-Steam applications just to use the controller with them.
- I couldn't do any configuration of it unless I was in Big Picture mode. I don't want to use Big Picture mode
- My default finger position on the right touchpad seems to be just below center. I was playing with Fallout 3, and while moving my finger even the slightest bit down sent the camera straight to the floor, it took a hell of a slide upward to make the camera move up even a little bit. I'm sure that if I wanted to tweak dead zones and other settings that I could make it work, but I figured that user-created mappings would come to the rescue for these types of things. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be a pre-defined mapping for it, as far as I could tell.
The haptic feedback on the right pad is pretty cool, and the left pad/stick/buttons are nice, but the whole thing still feels pretty half-baked at this point.
Seems a LOT of people returned them or sold them. Saw a lot of opened/used ones on sale across ebay/online and even here on Gaf not long after people had a chance to try them out.
Netherscourge
Banned
zephervack
Member
The criticisms on the Link are funny, if you find yourself needing one and dont like it, what are your options???
nVidia Shield (a device 3, 4 times more expensive than the link that wont provide a better experience at streaming PC games if the problem is your setup)
As someone that actually needs one and has tried all other alternatives, it truly is the best on its category, the $100 Intel sticks wont do, the nVidia Shield is too expensive and only accepts its own controller.
If your answer is "just buy a budget PC" then you dont need the link.
nVidia Shield (a device 3, 4 times more expensive than the link that wont provide a better experience at streaming PC games if the problem is your setup)
As someone that actually needs one and has tried all other alternatives, it truly is the best on its category, the $100 Intel sticks wont do, the nVidia Shield is too expensive and only accepts its own controller.
If your answer is "just buy a budget PC" then you dont need the link.
The Elite
BOSS
It's reasonably priced as well. Something better will come along but it does seem like the best option right now besides buying another PC or using a long HDMI cable.
Ultimately I would rather it be an app on other set top devices and game consoles. I don't think we are there yet though.
Coffee Dog
Banned
What does a standard controller do better than the steam controller? "It just works"?
If standard controller is the 360/one controller then "it just works" is true in very few cases if you take all games sold through steam.
internetwolf
Banned
the controller feels way too cheap for me to replace another controller, but I like playing games with the trackpads.
Cave Johnson
Member
Anybody knows if the future will allow us to bind hotkeys in trackpads with customized sections that aren't limited to an emulated D-pad? It would be a tremendous waste of potential if it didn't. For one, I'd like to bind keys 1-6 seperated by quadrant pieces on the rims of the trackpad so I only need to slide my finger accordingly. Useful for games with multiple items like OG Thief.
You can already do that, it's called "touch menu". It only came in the last week, but is ridiculously useful.
I just did something similar for HL2, all the weapons are on the left pad. You can do up to 12 or 15 slices, can't remember
zephervack
Member
Standard controllers dont just work, the other day I was able to play Mass Effect 3 on my couch and it literally just worked, I stopped playing this game completely because I didnt want to play on my desk anymore.
I know there is a mod out there to add controller support for ME3 but again, I didnt feel like playing around with mods, just wanted to play and the Steam Controller allowed me to do it right away using a Keyboard+Mouse profile.
Honestly speaking though, If i could only have 1 controller, it would be the DS4... Im glad Im in the position where I can own both though, when the Steam Controller shines, its so much better than the DS4, but the DS4 works on more situations without tinkering.
TyrantGuardian
Member
I just spent several hours playing Guild Wars 2. I now completely laugh in the face of anyone stating this controller is useless. There is afaik no other way to play an MMO with a gamepad and have it feel completely natural. If people don't want to bother configuring stuff then fine, but it literally took me 10 minutes to set it up perfectly for GW2 and it all feels just as good as m/kb if not better. The only downside is chat, obviously, but I'm sure I can learn to type fast enough with the on-screen keyboard when needed, and there's voice chat for anything more intense communication-wise.
No, the Steam Controller won't replace my arcade stick or my DS3, but it sure as hell can do things neither of those can. I haven't even plugged my PC into my living room TV yet and it just feels good to recline back in my chair and play instead of keeping my arms stretched out of m/kb.
I also have no idea what people are talking about when they cite how "cheap" it feels. Wut? It feels way more solid than a Dual Shock 3, a lot less creaky and way smoother finish and edges. I haven't tried the XBone Elite yet but that's an unfair comparison to make considering price and versatility. The analog stick feels amazing, the triggers are damn good and the face buttons are fine, albeit on the small side, but I mostly use those for single press abilities and such.
No, the Steam Controller won't replace my arcade stick or my DS3, but it sure as hell can do things neither of those can. I haven't even plugged my PC into my living room TV yet and it just feels good to recline back in my chair and play instead of keeping my arms stretched out of m/kb.
I also have no idea what people are talking about when they cite how "cheap" it feels. Wut? It feels way more solid than a Dual Shock 3, a lot less creaky and way smoother finish and edges. I haven't tried the XBone Elite yet but that's an unfair comparison to make considering price and versatility. The analog stick feels amazing, the triggers are damn good and the face buttons are fine, albeit on the small side, but I mostly use those for single press abilities and such.
It's pretty awful, but it makes playing GalCiv 3 on my TV possible. So 5/5.
I remember that article and I never bought that reasoning. If this could be made with the 360 controller and function reasonably well, then I don't see how Valve couldn't make a smaller trackball feel comfortable on a controller and still be affordable with 2+ years of R&D. That would have been a controller that could have replaced an Xbox or PS controller. IMO, something like the controller in that link should have been their starting point, but instead they started from a position of making a radically different controller from anything people were currently using, even with trackballs. They then switched to trackpads and went pretty far down the road , and then worked their way back to what has been proven to work, like a left analog stick and face buttons. I've seen posts where people are discussing how well gyro works for aiming, and to me that's a failure of the trackpads.That being said, I haven't tried it personally, so I can't say the Steam controller definitively isn't for me, but none of the impressions or videos make me want to pick up one to test it out.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
I'd love to try one
If they ever let me buy it in Australia
If they ever let me buy it in Australia
Yeah. Been trying it at home for a while now and it just doesn't feel right. Very disappointed. Don't think I'll ever get around to using it
Quoting myself. I take it back. Played a little more today and it's growing on me. This thing has tons of potential. I hope somebody (if not valve) makes a better quality build down the line as it feels cheap as fuck and isn't the most comfortable to hold.
Pretty much. The first and last point is something that has been said for a while. Give it 6 months and I might pick up link.
In regards to your comment about adding emulators to steam. Look up ICE for steam. One of the coolest apps I've seen. Basically you specify the folders your emulators are in, run it, and then it gets art and adds your emulators to steam, even categorizes them by console, so you will have them all in big picture mode
Wrestlemania
Banned
Surprised that there isn't one review that reflects my experience of the controller over the last few weeks. I can honestly say it's been a revelation for me. I wish every controller from now on had at least one trackpad and gyro controls.
Actually, Engadget gets it.
Actually, Engadget gets it.
Necromanti
Member
All I want is a controller that will let me play PC games (like, say, Legend of Grimrock or Vampire: The Masquerade) on my couch without the need of a keyboard and mouse. That's it. If a game already had controller support, then I'd rather just use my 360 controller. I still feel like I'm getting mixed messages. I didn't expect the hardware to feel that early, though, if some of those reviews are accurate.