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Steam Controller Thread | Comfy Couch Sold Separately

Unai

Member
So after reading this thread a bit and some other people talk about how they hold the Steam Controller, I started holding my controller differently the other day and it's starting to click with me. And I think I might actually even be liking the controller more now.

I used to hold it like I hold any other controller - With my index fingers moving from Bumper to Trigger during gameplay and the rest of my fingers holding the grip of the controller. But I recently moved my hand position. Now I have my index fingers kept on the bumpers, middle fingers kept on the triggers, and my other two fingers to grip the controller and use the paddles on the back. My hand seems to fit to the contour of the controller a bit more, allows me to use more actions quicker without having to change fingers, and lets my thumb have a better angle to access the trackpad easier. I think it felt more comfortable for gyro usage as well.

It is taking some time to adjust to actually use all my fingers while playing games though. I have to re-train my brain and muscle reflexes a bit. Maybe I have been holding controllers wrong all my life and am just now realizing the error of my ways. But thought I would share this tidbit.

That's how I hold the controller as well.
 
So after reading this thread a bit and some other people talk about how they hold the Steam Controller, I started holding my controller differently the other day and it's starting to click with me. And I think I might actually even be liking the controller more now.

I used to hold it like I hold any other controller - With my index fingers moving from Bumper to Trigger during gameplay and the rest of my fingers holding the grip of the controller. But I recently moved my hand position. Now I have my index fingers kept on the bumpers, middle fingers kept on the triggers, and my other two fingers to grip the controller and use the paddles on the back. My hand seems to fit to the contour of the controller a bit more, allows me to use more actions quicker without having to change fingers, and lets my thumb have a better angle to access the trackpad easier. I think it felt more comfortable for gyro usage as well.

It is taking some time to adjust to actually use all my fingers while playing games though. I have to re-train my brain and muscle reflexes a bit. Maybe I have been holding controllers wrong all my life and am just now realizing the error of my ways. But thought I would share this tidbit.
Hm. Do you have smaller hands? I've had the controller since launch, and don't struggle shifting my index fingers between bumpers and triggers, nor do I have issues getting on the trackpad. This sounds interesting, though! I'll have to give it a try sometime.
 

dangeROSS

Member
Hm. Do you have smaller hands? I've had the controller since launch, and don't struggle shifting my index fingers between bumpers and triggers, nor do I have issues getting on the trackpad. This sounds interesting, though! I'll have to give it a try sometime.

Not really. I had no trouble using the bumpers and triggers with just my index fingers, or using the trackpad before. But the new way I hold things allows me access to more buttons without having to shift my hands at all, and I feel like my thumb just has a easier time swiping around the trackpad now. Just little things that seem to add to a good experience.
 
Not really. I had no trouble using the bumpers and triggers with just my index fingers, or using the trackpad before. But the new way I hold things allows me access to more buttons without having to shift my hands at all, and I feel like my thumb just has a easier time swiping around the trackpad now. Just little things that seem to add to a good experience.
Ohh OK, I misunderstood you then. Personally, I've had trouble moving my middle fingers as precisely as my index fingers on controller triggers, but I guess that is probably something you have to work towards getting used to, like a lot of things on this controller.
 

kodecraft

Member
Playing through RE4, using the top config and I'm digging it. Love that this controller can emulate Wiimote + Nunchuk style setups.

Looking forward to play through impressions using the controller when Doom drops on Friday.
 

dsk1210

Member
Dark Souls could be a good one to train with given how it uses shoulder buttons for attacks. You'd probably be more inclined to keep the controller that way as a result.

Dark Souls actually ended up converting my custom control scheme for DMC and that was while still using a 360 pad at the time.I loved the idea of being able to do all my moves/actions while being able to maintain camera control at all times. It was the thing that excited me most about the steam controller.

I never expected to be able to use it in first person shooters like I do with gyro and mouse track pad, well not as accurate and the gyro was the big help for that. I still wish the movement could feel smoother though for cinematic panning.
 

Plagman

Neo Member
To set expectations, Doom will support Gamepad+Mouse so using a variant of the Gamepad+High Precision camera template will yield best results, but will have on-screen prompts flipping between KB/M and Gamepad. We're working with the developers to fix this in a post-release update.
 

Unai

Member
To set expectations, Doom will support Gamepad+Mouse so using a variant of the Gamepad+High Precision camera template will yield best results, but will have on-screen prompts flipping between KB/M and Gamepad. We're working with the developers to fix this in a post-release update.

That's really great to know.
 
To set expectations, Doom will support Gamepad+Mouse so using a variant of the Gamepad+High Precision camera template will yield best results, but will have on-screen prompts flipping between KB/M and Gamepad. We're working with the developers to fix this in a post-release update.
Noticed this during the beta, but it wasn't enough to detract from the experience. Glad to hear there's talk with id for a fix!
 

laxu

Member
The onscreen prompts flipping is a general problem that I want to see solved. But I guess it needs game specific fixing.

Yup. The bare minimum to fix it would be an "always use this icon set - Xbox/PS4/Kb+M" option in the menu as the developers generally do have those on multiplatform games. The more elaborate one probably isn't that much more difficult: just detect the Steam Controller and treat prompts as gamepad even when a mouse or keyboard is detected by the game.

I'm just glad that more games are starting to support gamepads simultaneously with a mouse or even the SC natively.
 

morningbus

Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
The onscreen prompts flipping is a general problem that I want to see solved. But I guess it needs game specific fixing.

That's going to be an issue that would unfortunately need game-specific or, best-case scenario, engine-specific injection to solve. It's not impossible, but it's also an amount of time and effort probably best spent elsewhere.

It will hopefully be less of a thing going forward as more developers just start natively supporting the controller.
 
To set expectations, Doom will support Gamepad+Mouse so using a variant of the Gamepad+High Precision camera template will yield best results, but will have on-screen prompts flipping between KB/M and Gamepad. We're working with the developers to fix this in a post-release update.
LOL, do you work for Valve on Steam Controller updates, because you sound important when you say "we're working with the dev."
 

Durante

Member
What do the grip buttons do in Dark Souls?
Like in every game with the Steam controller, they do exactly what you want them to do ;)
As someone who plays a pure caster I put switching spells on the left grip, which lets me move around and adjust the camera while also selecting a spell. It's a massive improvement for my play style.
 

Sophia

Member
Like in every game with the Steam controller, they do exactly what you want them to do ;)
As someone who plays a pure caster I put switching spells on the left grip, which lets me move around and adjust the camera while also selecting a spell. It's a massive improvement for my play style.

I did something similar in Phantasy Star Online 2. Left grip is used between switching from my primary set of abilities and my secondary set. It's great. <3
 

Anteater

Member
Playing portal 2, don't know what I did but it controls perfectly now, but it didn't feel right at first with the default config (too fast and twitchy), now I'm able to make quick 180 turns with just a small swipe and land perfectly where I wanted, still have one of those moments where I mess up when trying to make small quick adjustment but it's better the longer I use it.

Valve however is really weird how they only allow you to use the stick for movement for UIs though.

There are things I haven't messed around with like mode shift, too lazy to get into that right now, I imagine I will have to if I play games with multiple control scheme like vehicle controls.

And about the buttons being too far from the pad, I'm getting used to it I think, although I'm still playing games that don't use it much.

One of the hardest things to get used to is that I still have muscle memory with my dualshock controller, I noticed my thumb go where the stick used to be when shit happens, and I try to press the "buttons" where the face buttons used to be by reflex, since I've been playing with a dualshock (it's been years since I used a 360 pad).
 
We're working with the developers to fix this in a post-release update.
Another Dev that might need help is Code Mystics on Atari Vault. I bought this game and love it, but even with native Steam Controller support some things feel rushed or missing. For instance on the trackball enabled arcade games or even the paddle games you cannot set the intensity of haptic feedback. Right now it's whatever Code Mystics want it to be.
 

Plagman

Neo Member
Another Dev that might need help is Code Mystics on Atari Vault. I bought this game and love it, but even with native Steam Controller support some things feel rushed or missing. For instance on the trackball enabled arcade games or even the paddle games you cannot set the intensity of haptic feedback. Right now it's whatever Code Mystics want it to be.

We worked pretty closely with the Code Mystics team and their Steam Controller integration. I seem to be able to edit their configuration, go to eg. the "Centipede" action set, then edit the "Trakball" action on the right trackpad, then press Start to enter advanced mode to be able to edit haptics intensity and have it change in-game without issues. What's the problem you're experiencing?
 

dsk1210

Member
Doom is fantastic with the steam controller. Having tons of fun with it.

It would be almost impossible to play this game the proper way it should be with a normal controller imo.
 

Nzyme32

Member
Doom is fantastic with the steam controller. Having tons of fun with it.

It would be almost impossible to play this game the proper way it should be with a normal controller imo.

Awesome. I'm building my ITX system this week (finally), but unfortunately won't be able to play Doom with it since I'm stuck with a GTX 560 till the GTX 1070 is out, then I'll be able to give it a spin. Will give Wolfenstein a good go though - I hear that it plays very well with the controller as well.
 

Aru

Member
Still not used to playing FPS with the Steam Controller. I tried Wolfenstein the New Order, but had to edit one of the community binding because it was missing things. Enabling gyro when touching the right touchpad is difficult to get used to, but I can't find any other good setting for this.
 

Nabs

Member
Still not used to playing FPS with the Steam Controller. I tried Wolfenstein the New Order, but had to edit one of the community binding because it was missing things. Enabling gyro when touching the right touchpad is difficult to get used to, but I can't find any other good setting for this.

How about Left Trigger Soft Pull?
 
I really want to like the Steam controller, but it just doesn't feel right. I'm always hitting the right track pad when trying to hit the Y button. The face button locations should be under the right track pad, not next to it. The clicks of the buttons are too loud. The left stick would be better places like the xbox controllers.

I keep trying to think I'll get better at using it, but that's never the case. I only wish gamestop would buy it back and I could get another xbox one or 360 controller.
 

Nzyme32

Member
I really want to like the Steam controller, but it just doesn't feel right. I'm always hitting the right track pad when trying to hit the Y button. The face button locations should be under the right track pad, not next to it. The clicks of the buttons are too loud. The left stick would be better places like the xbox controllers.

I keep trying to think I'll get better at using it, but that's never the case. I only wish gamestop would buy it back and I could get another xbox one or 360 controller.

Pretty much disagree for the layout issues. The Y button issue and analogue position issue you describe are similar to what I had for the first few days perhaps. It clearly shows you either haven't got used to the layout or simply don't want to accept it / can't get used to it with enough time, which is a perfectly reasonable issue to have out of preference, but I don't think that makes the decision to lay the controller out that way a bad one by design. It may well be how you are holding it.

The layout itself works perfectly well for me and a lot of others. The only issue that consistently comes up is that people "struggle to reach the buttons", which I have found ridiculous for a while since I know I have very small hands yet can reach them perfectly. After discussing it here, the conclusion seems to be that people really do hold the controller in a way that is "wrong" considering it isn't shaped like a typical controller, and as such doesn't work well held that way (and indeed I can't reach the buttons holding it in a standard way) - which is an issue Valve should probably address somehow:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=201546354&postcount=6020
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=201549652&postcount=6027

I agree on the loudness of the controller. While I like the mechanical-like click, I do not like the noise at all.
 

shangolin

Banned
Yep the touch pads are way too clicky and take too much pressure to push in. I essentially never use the "dpad" for anything, thank goodness most games don't either. Another issue is that the pad is a bit finicky when using to to select weapons on a weapons wheel (FC3). Not sure if there's a way to fix or if turning down sensitivity would help, but it seems like I have to be way too precise with the area I'm touching in to select the weapon/item I want. I also think the bumpers take too much pressure to push/hold in, in the same awkward way they are for the Xbone controller. I wish everyone would copy the PS4 or 360 bumpers, they are best. Also, they need to patch the UI bug so the multiple phantom controllers stop spawning when I wake the PC up from rest/sleep mode.

Otherwise though, I love the controller and basically use it for everything. It really is great for a living room PC, and the popular custom profiles rarely let me down. The gamepad/mouse combo works really well for almost all 3rd and 1st person games, and I love the precision/speed it brings. Looking forward to trying out Doom with it!
 
We worked pretty closely with the Code Mystics team and their Steam Controller integration. I seem to be able to edit their configuration, go to eg. the "Centipede" action set, then edit the "Trakball" action on the right trackpad, then press Start to enter advanced mode to be able to edit haptics intensity and have it change in-game without issues. What's the problem you're experiencing?
Hi, I still get ghost controllers every time the computer wakes from sleep. Also, the first time I bring up the steam keyboard on the desktop it's twice as large as normal.
 

Unai

Member
Yep the touch pads are way too clicky and take too much pressure to push in. I essentially never use the "dpad" for anything, thank goodness most games don't either. Another issue is that the pad is a bit finicky when using to to select weapons on a weapons wheel (FC3). Not sure if there's a way to fix or if turning down sensitivity would help, but it seems like I have to be way too precise with the area I'm touching in to select the weapon/item I want. I also think the bumpers take too much pressure to push/hold in, in the same awkward way they are for the Xbone controller. I wish everyone would copy the PS4 or 360 bumpers, they are best. Also, they need to patch the UI bug so the multiple phantom controllers stop spawning when I wake the PC up from rest/sleep mode.

Otherwise though, I love the controller and basically use it for everything. It really is great for a living room PC, and the popular custom profiles rarely let me down. The gamepad/mouse combo works really well for almost all 3rd and 1st person games, and I love the precision/speed it brings. Looking forward to trying out Doom with it!

Trying setting it as "dpad without overlap", or whatever it is in the English version. I had that problem you are describing too before I found out about this option.
 

belmonkey

Member
Anyone know how to add World of Warcraft properly to make the Steam overlay work?

Nvm, just added WoW64.exe as a non-Steam game and it stopped going through the Battle.net launcher and actually worked with the overlay.

I'm liking WoW with the Steam controller so far, at least for nothing too intense.
 
We worked pretty closely with the Code Mystics team and their Steam Controller integration. I seem to be able to edit their configuration, go to eg. the "Centipede" action set, then edit the "Trakball" action on the right trackpad, then press Start to enter advanced mode to be able to edit haptics intensity and have it change in-game without issues. What's the problem you're experiencing?
I must have overlooked these steps. Sometimes I get confused on where to find everything, because there are so many customizations and options that it gets overwhelming on where to find things.

That's not a complaint btw. I love all the customization the Steam Controller offers and can't wait to see what other software updates you come up with.

I will get on later tonight and do what you are describing. Thanks for your quick response.

I am very excited to see what the next iteration of Steam Controller hardware will look like. I will be there to buy the next version on day one.
 

Anteater

Member
ooo using tap as another button is great, using it as "Use" in wolfenstein, gonna try double tap too for maybe reload.

one thing I don't like is that the buttons requires too much force to press, I've been using touch menu and stuff and surprisingly they're great

and looks like there's already some system shock 2 configs that look decent, this is dope
 

Saty

Member
Can somebody summarize the current state of the controller in working outside of Steam\ without it running?

Does it only work in Legacy mode if Steam isn't running?
Does Steam need to be running to bring up the special keyboard interface?
Do i need to add non-Steam games to the client to be able to use the controller to the fullest?

Thanks.
 

Sophia

Member
Can somebody summarize the current state of the controller in working outside of Steam\ without it running?

Does it only work in Legacy mode if Steam isn't running?
Does Steam need to be running to bring up the special keyboard interface?
Do i need to add non-Steam games to the client to be able to use the controller to the fullest?

Thanks.

Yes to all three, and it's unlikely the first two will ever change.
 
Fired up The Witcher (first one) over the weekend, picked the most popular config, and damn the game works well with a good controller setup.

First time I played through the game was with keyboard/mouse, and I've been wanting to replay it for ages but wanted to with a controller on the couch and the Steam Link/Steam Controller combo has worked a treat.

So after reading this thread a bit and some other people talk about how they hold the Steam Controller, I started holding my controller differently the other day and it's starting to click with me. And I think I might actually even be liking the controller more now.
This was exactly my problem early on (by holding it the way I held every other controller, I found the buttons hard to reach, and fatiguing around the muscles between my index finger and thumb). After changing how I hold the controller it instantly felt much more comfortable and usable.

The gyro is still far too twitchy for me - set high it's all over the place, set low it's rather pointless.
 

Sophia

Member
Trying to get used to holding it with four fingers on the shoulders and triggers. It's actually much nicer on my hands, but damn does muscle memory kick in, lol.
 
DOOM felt so right with the Steam Controller. Played all the way through using it, and had a blast. Though is it me, or is the weapon wheel bugged? I recall devs saying it'd work fine with the mouse, but it refused to work for me. I ended up mode-shifting the right pad into an analog stick to get around it though, so not too big of a deal.

I'm holding off on a second playthrough until the Vulkan patch, in hopes that it smooths out performance on my card a little more. 'Til then, I've started Metroid Prime through the Trilogy Collection, and I'm surprised at how fantastic it plays! I'm using mouse region on the trackpad, and feels so much better than I recall the pointer controls on Wii being.
 

Sophia

Member
DOOM felt so right with the Steam Controller. Played all the way through using it, and had a blast. Though is it me, or is the weapon wheel bugged? I recall devs saying it'd work fine with the mouse, but it refused to work for me. I ended up mode-shifting the right pad into an analog stick to get around it though, so not too big of a deal.

I'm holding off on a second playthrough until the Vulkan patch, in hopes that it smooths out performance on my card a little more. 'Til then, I've started Metroid Prime through the Trilogy Collection, and I'm surprised at how fantastic it plays! I'm using mouse region on the trackpad, and feels so much better than I recall the pointer controls on Wii being.

I didn't check in the beta, but can you do simultaneous KB/M and Gamepad inputs? If so, just bind the controller weapon wheel to it.
 
I didn't check in the beta, but can you do simultaneous KB/M and Gamepad inputs? If so, just bind the controller weapon wheel to it.
I tried binding the right bumper to Q (keyboard weapon wheel), and it was still a no-go. That would've prevented me from switching tabs in the menus anyways, so mode shifting the right pad into right analog stick input was the ideal solution in the end. I'm sure they'll patch it down the road, anyways. Again, no big deal.
 

Nzyme32

Member
In case anyone cares - I was having issues with the touchpads not registering their outer edges since launch. Turns out I never actually tried them on a different system, such as the one I just built. Everything is fine on the new machine. No idea what is wrong with the laptop that the issue has persisted over two controllers with it.
 

Nabs

Member
DOOM felt so right with the Steam Controller. Played all the way through using it, and had a blast. Though is it me, or is the weapon wheel bugged? I recall devs saying it'd work fine with the mouse, but it refused to work for me. I ended up mode-shifting the right pad into an analog stick to get around it though, so not too big of a deal.

I'm holding off on a second playthrough until the Vulkan patch, in hopes that it smooths out performance on my card a little more. 'Til then, I've started Metroid Prime through the Trilogy Collection, and I'm surprised at how fantastic it plays! I'm using mouse region on the trackpad, and feels so much better than I recall the pointer controls on Wii being.

Yeah, Doom feels so good. The default config was nearly perfect (it does exactly what you did to fix the weapon wheel). I just had to tweak the sensitivity to my liking, and swap out the melee button since I was pushing it in by accident. I'm having a really good time with it.
 

belmonkey

Member
I find it weird that I can be playing World of Warcraft with my mate whilst using a controller and finding it fairly comfortable. It's just leveling up in the last expansion area, but I feel like I comfortably have access to more skills than I do on a keyboard. It's just that mouse precision takes longer for me.
 
Yeah, Doom feels so good. The default config was nearly perfect (it does exactly what you did to fix the weapon wheel). I just had to tweak the sensitivity to my liking, and swap out the melee button since I was pushing it in by accident. I'm having a really good time with it.
I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one who pushes in the right pad in on accident! Happens to me a lot in shooters. Rebound melee to right grip, and it worked well enough.

I hardly ever use default bindings, only when there's native SC support, eheh. I guess they were aware of it if they have it in their recommended bindings, though I do hope they patch in better mouse+gamepad integration down the road!
 
That would've prevented me from switching tabs in the menus anyways
Isn't this what the "Action Set" functionality was designed for? You can have two completely different configurations and (somehow?) switch between them depending on context.

...not that it would help in your situation since the binding didn't work anyway.

Edit: You can assign a button to switch between Action Sets, or if the game has native support it can automatically switch depending on context (e.g. in menus, in and out of cars in GTA, etc). http://www.pcgamer.com/steam-controller-setup-guide/4/
 
Isn't this what the "Action Set" functionality was designed for? You can have two completely different configurations and (somehow?) switch between them depending on context.

...not that it would help in your situation since the binding didn't work anyway.

Edit: You can assign a button to switch between Action Sets, or if the game has native support it can automatically switch depending on context (e.g. in menus, in and out of cars in GTA, etc). http://www.pcgamer.com/steam-controller-setup-guide/4/
No worries, I'm aware about action sets. Ideally, yeah, that is a situation you would use it in. Takes up buttons, though. I tend to avoid it for that reason. That and yeah, Q didn't fix the issue. It's not like the mode shifting was a bad solution or anything, it worked perfectly, and I've gone through the entire game with it! And I don't think map controls are so vastly different that they warrant a new action set, I was just posting my solution in case anybody else got stuck with it, haha.
 

dsk1210

Member
DOOM felt so right with the Steam Controller. Played all the way through using it, and had a blast. Though is it me, or is the weapon wheel bugged? I recall devs saying it'd work fine with the mouse, but it refused to work for me. I ended up mode-shifting the right pad into an analog stick to get around it though, so not too big of a deal.

I'm holding off on a second playthrough until the Vulkan patch, in hopes that it smooths out performance on my card a little more. 'Til then, I've started Metroid Prime through the Trilogy Collection, and I'm surprised at how fantastic it plays! I'm using mouse region on the trackpad, and feels so much better than I recall the pointer controls on Wii being.

You can get round that by binding the right bumper RB and Q on the keyboard. I think it's Q anyway.
 

impact

Banned
LOL, do you work for Valve on Steam Controller updates, because you sound important when you say "we're working with the dev."

Yes he does. :)

Nintendo or Dualshock 2/3 style dpad in the revision, split the back paddle buttons into two making it four total.... and this thing is perfect. I've been avoiding 2D games (Salt and Sanctuary mostly) because of the terrible dpad on this thing and I don't have another pad.
 

Burny

Member
Nintendo or Dualshock 2/3 style dpad in the revision, split the back paddle buttons into two making it four total.... and this thing is perfect. I've been avoiding 2D games (Salt and Sanctuary mostly) because of the terrible dpad on this thing and I don't have another pad.

But your post implicates that you'd buy a Steamcontroller revision. ;) Wouldn't you be covered if you bought a controller with a suitable D-Pad right now?

I know, I know. More controllers flying around, still no four different backpedals. :p But you wouldn't have to hold off playing games. ^^
 
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