As someone that really doesn't like clucky shoulder buttons, I went back to DS4 for Souls. I also miss an actual analogue stick for the camera, too. It's smoother than mouse look or emulated stick.
Don't worry, it's not really a newbie thing, haha. I've owned the thing since the early batch last October, and I've never transitioned to the left pad for movement. It can work when given the chance, but there's no true advantage either way, so no shame if you don't end up switching over. Plus, the analog on the SC feels fantastic. On the subject of the left pad, I think the d-pad groves accent the scroll wheel function, especially when set to vertical/horizontal. It also feels really good as a selectional d-pad.
Thanks! I'll check it out.
Worth mentioning that the game has an option in the config files to lock the prompts to controller buttons too, which is great.
I feel you. I'm honestly not with the sentiment that the PC platform should rely on Steam, but the Steam Controller has definitely made me a lot more dependent on it. The worst part is the controller is currently in a niche state; I'd really like for it to take off. In particular, a trackpad controller on consoles would be amazing.
Valve said:
Try right clicking on the .exe and tell it to disable/ignore GUI scaling, I think. Something along those lines, forget the exact name but it's probably under compatibility.
Go to the controller settings in Big Picture Mode and select the "support" option for your controller to test it and see that it's working correctly.
Some games do not allow simultaneous mouse+gamepad. Wish it wasn't the case, but it's something you'll come to terms with over time. Those that allow it are amazing, though. Those that don't you'll want to either make a KB+M config for it, or use something else to play. I'd also recommend getting accustomed to making your own configs; relying solely on community bindings is asking for trouble. I know, it's not plug and play, which is really annoying at first, but it is worth giving yourself time to adapt to it.
You will, trust me. The face buttons are great as auxiliary bindings once you get used to their position. I love mapping underused, but important inputs to them. B and Y in particular are really handy. My only issue with them is in games that are reliant on face buttons for primary actions like, say, beat-em-ups. It's really awkward to pivot around them since they're at a weird angle. Having played Dark Souls with the SC, I wish more games with melee combat would map primary attacks to the bumpers and triggers. They feel a lot more natural, and make it easier to jump from move to move than the face buttons since you've got two fingers focusing on them instead of just your thumb.
The touchpad is awful. There's a lot of drift on it compared to the SC because it generalizes the center of your thumb more. I honestly don't even use it for mouse movement, I just stick with the thumbsticks when I use the DS4. Which is nowhere as good as the SC pads, but if you're OK with using analog sticks for mouse control, then you should be fine. From what I used of the gyro, it also feels a bit off compared to the SC, even with smoothing disabled. Floaty would be the best word to describe it.
It sucks to have to charge it at the end of the day, but I'm surprised that it lasts me an entire day! I have the lightbar disabled, which probably helps to a degree. The SC is definitely more efficient; I swap batteries once a month on it, which is awesome.
...high haptics, I guess? I tend to use it for pretty much everything I play, so there's that too. Maybe a month isn't accurate, I'd say like a month and a half usually? 2 if I don't play many games during the month. Regardless, I use rechargeable batteries, so swapping them so often(?) is not a big deal to me. And yeah, the Pro Controller's battery life is equally deserving of praise. I'd have probably gone for two more of those instead if 1) they had been supported by BPM at the time and 2) they weren't so expensive.
