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Steam Controller hands-on impressions
- Thread starter ashecitism
- Start date
Bomber Bob
Banned
the looks
LostMyNarbles
Member
November is so far away. I want to buy one and try it out now!
Inferno313
Banned
Essentially, yeah. Probably done to match the UI in most xinput games.
Alex Connolly
Member
Also need to read some reports on how strategy games control with it.
On the couch. Which is the point.
Astral/H3X
Member
With current controllers, yeah, you're right.
That's why this was made. The controllers have grip paddles that could easily adjust sensivity.
Crayon
Member
When ut3 came out for ps3, i of course opted to use a mouse. I was hurt at how good people where with dualshocks. The best of them murdering the fuck out of me. And that game was no stop n pop shit, either. It was eye opening. I still say there is an advantage for mouse, but i dont picture the gap as wide as i once did. And thats with a traditional controller.
Veritigo_X
Member
Glossy finish is what immediately stands out to me. I absolutely hate that on controllers.
The coolest thing about the steam controller is how it works on the low level. It's not emulating a keyboard and mouse, it is a keyboard and mouse. As in, it gets recognized as such in it's default legacy mode. When you reconfigure these controllers in Steam and launch the game, there is no translation software going on, nothing driver level, nothing in between the controller and the game. The secret is in a reflashable firmware on the controller - every time you change the config and launch a game, the controller's firmware is flashed with your configuration. That means it's actually remapping the buttons on the controller itself, not in software.
Where this gets really cool is when you take this thing to a non-PC that isn't running steam: it still works. It's literally a keyboard and mouse. I've used my steam controller on a windows 98 PC - played System Shock 2 with it. I've used it on a playstation. I've used it on my mobile phone. I used it on my dreamcast. You can use it on anything that recognizes a keyboard or mouse, because it is a keyboard and mouse.
Very cool stuff.
Where this gets really cool is when you take this thing to a non-PC that isn't running steam: it still works. It's literally a keyboard and mouse. I've used my steam controller on a windows 98 PC - played System Shock 2 with it. I've used it on a playstation. I've used it on my mobile phone. I used it on my dreamcast. You can use it on anything that recognizes a keyboard or mouse, because it is a keyboard and mouse.
Very cool stuff.
NumberThree
Member
Yeah, not going to trust controller impressions from someone who has apparently never touched a Wii U controller.
TheSlySoul
Member
First post nails it. It will be something you just need to try out.
Denton
Member
That's cool as fuck. I want one, now.
Still bugs me, to be incredibly honest. I just honestly prefer to have it the other way around. Nothing that keeps me from using it, but I'm constantly scratching my head as to why it was done that way.
bodyboarder
Member
That sounds great.
Wonder if she's played the Wii U much? Because I didn't find this a big deal to adjust to on there, and I imagine it might even be a useful middle step in that you're still using a mostly familiar controller, just with the right stick above rather than below.
Then again the analog stick being below's probably also throwing people for a loop. The Wii U's at least consistent there in that you'd likely not use an analog stick heavily with a primarily D-Pad based game, and likewise the analog sticks are symmetrical, whereas here you could feasibly use either the track pad or analog stick for movement in a game while still using the right track pad for looking around.
I've used it as a flat-out replacement for my remote for my HTPC in a bind when I'm out of batteries. As a mouse, at the very least, it is every bit as competent as any trackball.
This is still my favorite "mouse" of all time:
I used to be so good at Quake 3 with this mouse. The steam controller feels just like this.
Gangxxter
Member
The final design looks really good, can't wait to get one.
But the engadget review is really stupid.
But the engadget review is really stupid.
Apparently, the reviewer has never played with the Wii U Pro controller, huh? There the positions of the sticks and face buttons are also switched and I've never heard any complaints about that.
diddykong13
Member
I had a go on a prototype steam controller early last year (A dev friend received a steam machine at the Steam dev days for those curious as to how).
It's really weird using the trackpad at first because the haptic feedback really does make it feel like a trackball is inside the controller. After a little while it starts to feel very natural - it felt just like a mouse and keyboard only in a gamepad format of comfort
My one complaint with the prototype was how noisy the haptic feedback actually was, it kind of sounded like a clicker form The Last Of Us every time you moved on the trackpad... so as long as that's been improved this will be a day 1 purchase for me!
I'm also excited to adapt the game I'm currently developing to support it, I think it will be a perfect fit given how well it played using the prototype.
It's really weird using the trackpad at first because the haptic feedback really does make it feel like a trackball is inside the controller. After a little while it starts to feel very natural - it felt just like a mouse and keyboard only in a gamepad format of comfort
My one complaint with the prototype was how noisy the haptic feedback actually was, it kind of sounded like a clicker form The Last Of Us every time you moved on the trackpad... so as long as that's been improved this will be a day 1 purchase for me!
I'm also excited to adapt the game I'm currently developing to support it, I think it will be a perfect fit given how well it played using the prototype.
Rodney McKay
Member
I don't completely blame them for that opinion. I know when I first got the Wii U there was a bit of an adjustment period for getting used to the buttons being under the d-pad.
It's definitely not something that takes long to get used it, it just feels off for a while from my experience. Plus with the Steam Controller it has extra buttons on the back, so it should be even less of a "problem" than the Wii U's controller since you wont need to take your thumb off the trackpad as much.
That complaint is literally "I'm used to the old controllers, this is different". It's something that will go away in 10 minutes,
That, and also sometime the tracking would go wonky in one pad. It is weird, the longer you leave it plugged in, the higher the chance the tracking will go off is. if I left it plugged in for, say, a week, eventually the mouse would start fidgiting on it's own. Unplugging and replugging the thing every now and then seemed to fix the problem.
Relating to your post, when the mouse would move on it's own while doing this, it would still click which, for a long while, drove my dog crazy haha.
I'm actually really interested in the point that the Engadget reviewer brought up, which is that the placement of the action buttons is awkward.
Did that reviewer ever get their hands on a WiiU Pro Controller? I wonder how they would contrast that experience with what the Steam Controller does and gives them.
Did that reviewer ever get their hands on a WiiU Pro Controller? I wonder how they would contrast that experience with what the Steam Controller does and gives them.
No, you don't. Attaching a keypad to it would make it too bulky.
Gangxxter
Member
Woah, that sounds sooooo cool!
So the Steam controller will support 3 different modes? Legacy mode, XInput mode and some kind of "native Steam controller" mode?
What about legacy DirectInput support? I've heard, XInput doesn't work so well with DirectInput (triggers mapped to one axis, no force feedback). That's the reason I love my Logitech F510 gamepad so much because with one flip of a button I can switch between native XInput and native DirectInput mode.
I'm willing to try one for awhile. Looks like it has potential.
How often and how loudly do we need to complain before companies cut out the glossy crap?
People complain about the stick/button position often. Go into any topic praising the Wii U Pro controller and a large number of people will do so. I fundamentally disagree with the criticism, but people absolutely do complain about it.
How often and how loudly do we need to complain before companies cut out the glossy crap?
People complain about the stick/button position often. Go into any topic praising the Wii U Pro controller and a large number of people will do so. I fundamentally disagree with the criticism, but people absolutely do complain about it.
Yup.
That would presumably be handled by the API itself. SDL 2.0, for example, forces any controller to behave like XInput natively (every controller becomes an Xbox 360 controller, actually).
thelastword
Banned
This would be a perfect fighting game controller for me if it had 6 face buttons, once that analog stick is a left stick I'm gold. The only thing left is ummm..that dpad. If it's great, amazing.
Lemonte
Member
Indeed. Those m&m buttons on 360 controller suck ass.
I sound like a broken record at this point, but the haptic touchpad apparently functions perfectly as a dpad. Which, I'd imagine, was the intent of placing the cross on that section of the controller.
TouchMyBox
Member
That's what the term means, yes.
I really really want to try this out. Haptic feed back has interest me since the Novint Falcon. This is on a much different scale, but it just may be what is needed to innovate upon the controller paradigm that has held still bar few variations for nearly 2 decades now.
I'd love to just play Civilization or TF2 reclined with a controller in had. If can be even a half-step forward in closing the disparity between controllers and m+kb for FPS games than I will be joyed.
I'd love to just play Civilization or TF2 reclined with a controller in had. If can be even a half-step forward in closing the disparity between controllers and m+kb for FPS games than I will be joyed.
cleveridea
Member
I'm confused how this fits with the existing status quo of steam where almost every action based game uses a pc 360 controller (or xbox one controller now)
if the pads have inertia like a trackball then how do games choose what to optimize for? I mean already most high budget PC games have console equivalents and therefore dual analog sticks are pretty much standard. without a right analog stick, a steam user would have to have both controllers handy.
if the pads have inertia like a trackball then how do games choose what to optimize for? I mean already most high budget PC games have console equivalents and therefore dual analog sticks are pretty much standard. without a right analog stick, a steam user would have to have both controllers handy.
Absolutely.
I'm sick of playing console shooters with dual analog sticks. I can't enjoy them. They're janky. Uncharted? Last of Us? Janky.
I would love for it to become a console standard, assuming it works.
Dr. Zoidberg
Member
I wonder how the battery life is? I could see it potentially being a problem here.
Not if it is like this
Just remove one haptic pad
www.hardwareheaven.com/reviewimages/xebec-htpc-wireless-keyboard/xebec-htpc-wireless-keyboard.jpg
Ive heard it plenty of times, hell there was a thread on it here at GAF just last week.
anyways, im fine with the placement, i only have trouble when i switch from playing one console to anotherf after a long time. Im anxious to try this controller though.
diddykong13
Member
Oh really? I never spent long enough with it to really notice the tracking going off at all. But thats strange that it just clicked on its own! I'd drive me crazy too haha!