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Steam Controller Thread | Comfy Couch Sold Separately

Soodanim

Gold Member
Messing with Vanquish and the Steam Controller. I actually couldn't find or adjust a setup that felt good enough until I just simply went full Mouse and Keyboard. Pretty much the only way I can play since I can't stand the aiming with mouse joystick since I can't get precise enough. There must be a sweet spot somewhere for that within the in game sensitivity and max values for which the mouse joystick works.

Meanwhile the normal mouse is spot on as always - just won't work the same time as gamepad controls, but thankfully it was easy to just arrange it how I wanted, pretty much the same as the gamepad with some changes to reduce button pad usage.

Also Bayonetta is pretty great as just gamepad with mouse-joystick
Someone recommended I try incorporating gyro aiming, and they were 100% right. Use the pad for larger movements then the gyro for precision aiming.

Just got a link + controller.

Wow, this is bizarre. The right trackpad was was kinda like a touchpad and a trackball. I did not expect the "rrr" when swiping. I'm still trying to get used to the layout because my finger keeps going to the touchpad instead of the face buttons. The controller is weird and cool at the same time. The touchpad is definitely a preferable setup over analog sticks when mouse input is required. What do you even call those grip buttons behind? It was a welcome surprise.

As for the Link, setup didn't go too smooth because I bought them used. I had to reset it and plug the ethernet to download the update that fixes the bug that prevented it from connecting to my router. After everything was reset and updated, setup went very smoothly. I had issues with playback but that was because of AMD ReLive. I guess Steam Link and ReLive were fighting over the stream encoders somehow? Turned it off and the stream was smooth as silk on 5GHz. The network test said 7ms with 1ms variance which is pretty much nothing.
It definitely takes a bit of getting used to. I turn off the haptic feedback for the entire controller. It's noisy and just serves to distract rather thing give feedback (my feedback is results of my inputs on screen). I'm not saying there's an option to turn off that feature globally solely because of me, but a Steam rep popped in the thread and asked for features we'd like to see and that's what I asked for, so it was definitely solely because of me.

You're spot on with the grips. Steam refers to them in the UI as LG and RG - left and right grip. Rather useful buttons, if a bit stiff.

No one asked for this opinion but I'm going to give it anyway: I'd love a version of the SC that had no clicky shoulder buttons and easier to press non-clicky grips. It would make the controller more viable for me, as in a game that's heavy on them (Dark Souls, especially with roll on a grip) I'm just clanking away with those buttons non-stop. Like I said above, the feedback is the results of my input on screen. It's why DS4 is my preferred controller right now.
 

Lister

Banned
Just got a link + controller.

Wow, this is bizarre. The right trackpad was was kinda like a touchpad and a trackball. I did not expect the "rrr" when swiping. I'm still trying to get used to the layout because my finger keeps going to the touchpad instead of the face buttons. The controller is weird and cool at the same time. The touchpad is definitely a preferable setup over analog sticks when mouse input is required. What do you even call those grip buttons behind? It was a welcome surprise.

As for the Link, setup didn't go too smooth because I bought them used. I had to reset it and plug the ethernet to download the update that fixes the bug that prevented it from connecting to my router. After everything was reset and updated, setup went very smoothly. I had issues with playback but that was because of AMD ReLive. I guess Steam Link and ReLive were fighting over the stream encoders somehow? Turned it off and the stream was smooth as silk on 5GHz. The network test said 7ms with 1ms variance which is pretty much nothing.

The facebuttons definitely take the most getting used to, but once you do, it's as natural as using your Xbone gamepad.

I tend to favor configurations where I don't use them for anythign that might require use while moving - something you typically can't do on consoles wher eremapping of buttons is limited and where you can't use things like toggling input modes via another button. Allowing me to be in full control of the camera and movement, while being able to use abilities because my thumbs never leave the left joystick and right happad during combat. Face buttons then get used for actions outside combat or tense moments, like opening the map or inventory,e tc.
 

Sophia

Member
The facebuttons definitely take the most getting used to, but once you do, it's as natural as using your Xbone gamepad.

I tend to favor configurations where I don't use them for anythign that might require use while moving - something you typically can't do on consoles wher eremapping of buttons is limited and where you can't use things like toggling input modes via another button. Allowing me to be in full control of the camera and movement, while being able to use abilities because my thumbs never leave the left joystick and right happad during combat. Face buttons then get used for actions outside combat or tense moments, like opening the map or inventory,e tc.

This is my preferred philosophy for designing actions too. Treat the face buttons as secondary functions as much as possible, basically.
 

Nabs

Member
GloSC has finally been updated to work with the latest Steam Client: https://github.com/Alia5/GloSC/releases/tag/1.2.2

"GloSC allows you to use your SteamController as a systemwide XInput-controller alongside a systemwide (borderless window) Steam overlay. All complete with per application bindings and working rumble emulation."

It's great for adding UWP apps to your Steam list. I can finally play Killer Instinct with a non-Xbox arcade stick, or play Forza with a proper gyro config.
 

Sophia

Member
I really dislike the fact that a lot of games on Steam have poor defaults. Take Starbound's default:

20170603155723_1zxyuh.jpg

There's so much wrong with this default setup, I don't know where to begin. There's almost no labels, the few labels that are there are incorrect, it's violates a few basic design tenants like keeping the primary action keys on the shoulder/grip buttons, etc.

I really wish Valve would get like a small volunteer group to go around and make better default configurations for these games. This is what I did with ten minutes of my time:


And it's SO much better to use. ><;
 
I started having a weird issue where the Big Picture Overlay doesn't appear overtop my game when I hit the Steam button on the Steam Controller. The overlay is still there and I can navigate it, I just can't see it. I tried disabling Game DVR, but that didn't help. Has anyone else had this issue?
 
So has anyone else encountered an issue where the back paddles become less responsive after a long period of extended use? I think I kinda messed the right side of mine up by spamming the regular attack button in Berserk Musou, and now I have to press it in a certain way to make it work properly or hold it down for an extended period to make it work more reliably. I think the next revision needs to have the 'paddles' made into proper buttons next time, I think.
 
Yeah, happened to my last SC. It's a design flaw; there are buttons hidden behind the battery area, but the cover is made out of fairly fragile material, and prone to wear. You're right, they should be straight-up buttons next time, because it's really easy to damage if you're unaware.

I make an effort to be careful with my paddle buttons nowadays, and they're lasting. I'd recommend trying to get a replacement from Valve, they obliged without any trouble when I explained the situation. Though I do hope they start working on the revision they've mentioned soon.
 

coopolon

Member
It takes so long to save a config it's insane. And you can't exit the process. I've been waiting around 4 minutes and think I'm going to at + F4 out. This happened to me the other night as well. Assed it was a one off then but now several days later it's doing it again. Guess I should only ever save locally and NEVER upload.
 
Ordering mine on Friday after I get my paycheck. I'm honestly stoked for it, since it seems like the best way to play Kotor on the PC with a controller. Same with point-and-clicks and Dead Space due to the dual-stage triggers.
 
It takes so long to save a config it's insane. And you can't exit the process. I've been waiting around 4 minutes and think I'm going to at + F4 out. This happened to me the other night as well. Assed it was a one off then but now several days later it's doing it again. Guess I should only ever save locally and NEVER upload.

It's only really happening right now since the Config are also stored on the same servers the Steam Store is on, so Steam Sale destroying steam = Configs don't work

Might as well not even try to upload until after the sale ends.
 

Nzyme32

Member
Ordering mine on Friday after I get my paycheck. I'm honestly stoked for it, since it seems like the best way to play Kotor on the PC with a controller. Same with point-and-clicks and Dead Space due to the dual-stage triggers.

I replayed KOTOR and going to start KOTOR 2 with the missing content stuff. It is a total joy to play with the SC. If I recall correctly I used mouse regions for the two tool bars, one on each grip, which worked wonderfully. I also did something specific so the racer mini games worked well. Will have a look for my bindings
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
I've had a strange issue where a configuration won't take/stick for Hyper Light Drifter. I can load a configuration (user or default, doesn't matter) and it will stick, but I can't make any changes. Whatever I change is lost as soon as I leave the configuration screen, whether that be by pressing the Steam button to return to game or even by backing out of the configuration screen. It's fine in other games I've tried, just that one.

I decided to have a Steam controller day the other day, and I scrolled through my games list. I found myself struggling to find anything I wanted to use the controller for, because I still see FPS as off limits for the most part, any 2D game I'd rather use anything else for, and anything that uses the shoulder buttons I feel the same way about. I want to use it, but I almost can't because it's a master of a very specific thing but inferior for quite a bit of my current library. I will however endeavour to make it work well for KOTOR, as it seems ideal for that.
 
I've had a strange issue where a configuration won't take/stick for Hyper Light Drifter. I can load a configuration (user or default, doesn't matter) and it will stick, but I can't make any changes. Whatever I change is lost as soon as I leave the configuration screen, whether that be by pressing the Steam button to return to game or even by backing out of the configuration screen. It's fine in other games I've tried, just that one.
I have this problem occasionally with tons of games. I don't know why it does it or how to prevent it, but it's really annoying.
 

Sophia

Member
Anyone use this with FF XIV? If so how is it?

I do. I use it in FFXIV's gamepad mode, but with a slightly non-standard twist to it.

Instead of a right analog stick, I use the mouse cursor. The grips are left click and right click. This gives me all the functionality of a controller, but the ability to quickly select stuff with a mouse. I can also use mouseover macros this way when healing.

Also, instead of using the analog stick to move, I use it as a D-Pad. I move with the trackpads. I found doing it the other way resulted in accidental inputs. The trackpad is fantastic for precise moments anyhow.

Lastly, I add a mode shift to the left trackpad so I can control the scroll wheel. This replaces functionality that was originally achieved by holding down L1 and moving the right analog stick up and down, allowing you to zoom the camera in and out.

A picture of the setup:

 
I replayed KOTOR and going to start KOTOR 2 with the missing content stuff. It is a total joy to play with the SC. If I recall correctly I used mouse regions for the two tool bars, one on each grip, which worked wonderfully. I also did something specific so the racer mini games worked well. Will have a look for my bindings

Tried using my DS4 for both games, and it just didn't work out how I wanted it to, even after messing with the bindings. I was especially disappointed by the mouse-like joystick, which was inadequate.
 

Honey Bunny

Member
I do. I use it in FFXIV's gamepad mode, but with a slightly non-standard twist to it.

Instead of a right analog stick, I use the mouse cursor. The grips are left click and right click. This gives me all the functionality of a controller, but the ability to quickly select stuff with a mouse. I can also use mouseover macros this way when healing.

Also, instead of using the analog stick to move, I use it as a D-Pad. I move with the trackpads. I found doing it the other way resulted in accidental inputs. The trackpad is fantastic for precise moments anyhow.

Lastly, I add a mode shift to the left trackpad so I can control the scroll wheel. This replaces functionality that was originally achieved by holding down L1 and moving the right analog stick up and down, allowing you to zoom the camera in and out.

A picture of the setup:

Thanks very much, I'll save this for when I eventually dive in.
 

sleepnaught

Member
Anyone else's trackpad unresponsive for the first 20-30 seconds or when you power the controller on? I'm thinking my controller may be defective
 

Nzyme32

Member
Tried using my DS4 for both games, and it just didn't work out how I wanted it to, even after messing with the bindings. I was especially disappointed by the mouse-like joystick, which was inadequate.

I'm not sure how that is even possible - KOTOR has no controller support, so mouse-like joystick is impossible and shouldn't work as there is no analogue stick input to act upon
 
With how many devices can a single Steam Controller sync? I currently have one synced with a Steam Link, and a PC via dongle, but have been considering buying a second Steam Link.
For anyone interested, you can definitely have a single Steam Controller paired with at least two Steam Links and a single dongle. Possibly more, I guess.
 
I'm not sure how that is even possible - KOTOR has no controller support, so mouse-like joystick is impossible and shouldn't work as there is no analogue stick input to act upon

I meant joystick-like mouse, sorry. I always get those two mixed up. But yeah, joystick-like mouse is terrible, and I dont want to turn off mouse lock because controlling the cursor would be awful on joysticks.
 

Nzyme32

Member
I meant joystick-like mouse, sorry. I always get those two mixed up. But yeah, joystick-like mouse is terrible, and I dont want to turn off mouse lock because controlling the cursor would be awful on joysticks.

Ah yeah, tried this with some games for a laugh. Simply not even close to bearable, but then again I don't know of a solution that could do joystick to mouse in a reasonably good way. Good as a very quick solution to deal with the odd pop-up window if you are using standard controllers. Mouse-like joystick for the trackpads can be a joy for the games lacking in complete SC / simultaneous mouse / gamepad usage support - so long as the sensitivity within the game and response curve are somewhat flexible enough
 
Been using my controller for ~2 days now. First day with Portal 2 was awkward, but my time with Half Life 2 has been better, and gotten me more attuned with it. And guiding the rocket launcher with the touchpad...

 
Apparently, there's a force KB+M prompt option in Overwatch's settings, which is pretty helpful if you want analog movement + trackpad aim without UI flickering! Not sure how long it's been there, but it works. Just felt like posting about it, since I've never seen it mentioned here before. Though I do wish there was a way to force gamepad prompts as well; I prefer button prompts being in-line with the controller buttons, and force-feedback would be nice.

EDIT:
Suddenly getting the "connectivity issues" prompt repeatedly during games and I'm not sure anything changed (no new phone, dongle in the same spot, etc.

Changing batteries made no difference. I'm worried something's up :(
This happened to me at one point, as well. Though it wasn't just the warnings; my inputs would get lost frequently. I asked Valve support about it, and they replaced mines without much trouble. I'd recommend doing the same, especially if you've owned it for a while.
 
Suddenly getting the "connectivity issues" prompt repeatedly during games and I'm not sure anything changed (no new phone, dongle in the same spot, etc.

Changing batteries made no difference. I'm worried something's up :(
 

Sophia

Member
Apparently, there's a force KB+M prompt option in Overwatch's settings, which is pretty helpful if you want analog movement + trackpad aim without UI flickering! Not sure how long it's been there, but it works. Just felt like posting about it, since I've never seen it mentioned here before. Though I do wish there was a way to force gamepad prompts as well; I prefer button prompts being in-line with the controller buttons, and force-feedback would be nice.

That has to be pretty recent, I think? I haven't played Overwatch in awhile (a few months at least) but it wasn't there the last time I played.

Either way, extremely useful because Overwatch didn't just flicker the button prompts, but re-scaled the UI as well.
 
Has anyone compared launch units with current build units? Like if there is a difference in haptics or build(quality)?

I bought a second controller like ~8 months after launch. The new one had a better (although visually identical) battery ejection mechanism. Other than that it feels the same.
 
Suddenly getting the "connectivity issues" prompt repeatedly during games and I'm not sure anything changed (no new phone, dongle in the same spot, etc.

Changing batteries made no difference. I'm worried something's up :(

Removing and reseating the dongle worked for me when I has issues.
 
Just gotta say, I am loving using this for Stardew Valley. Honestly though, I wish I could set the mouse to always center around my character, that way I could always quickly water/plant within the 1 block radius. It also seems to be an odd failing on the part of Stardew that if your mouse is near your character, they always act in the direction of the mouse.
 

Nabs

Member
Stardew is great with the controller. It plays nicely with a mixed config (controller+mouse/shortcuts), which keeps the rumble for when you're doing things like fishing.

I took the top config, replaced wasd with joystick move, and replaced the Touch Menu with an invisible Radial Menu (activation: always). It's nice.
 
Has anyone compared launch units with current build units? Like if there is a difference in haptics or build(quality)?
Pretty sure there's a video about it on Youtube. As far as the community has checked, there is virtually no difference. That said, recent Knuckles VR controller impressions popping up make me wish we'd hear anything about a Steam Controller revision.

That has to be pretty recent, I think? I haven't played Overwatch in awhile (a few months at least) but it wasn't there the last time I played.
Yeah, I only jump in for events, or when a friend asks me to join. Even then, I hardly check the options menu, so it's news to me!

Either way, extremely useful because Overwatch didn't just flicker the button prompts, but re-scaled the UI as well.
Mhm, it's pretty obnoxious. &#128551;
 

Echoplx

Member
Has anyone found a way to get Wolfenstein (2009) working with the Steam overlay/controller?

It launches through a .bat file and trying to add or run the executable directly just gives an error.

EDIT: Downloading a no cd crack and adding that as a shortcut works.
 

coopolon

Member
2 questions. I want to play dragon age origins. I own it on origin.

1. Anyone have experience playing this game with the SC, any tips, good configurations?
2. Is there anyway to get steam configurations for an origin game?

Edit: Answered question 2 myself. Turns out if you change the name of the "non-steam game" to the AppID of the game in Steam (can find on steamdb) then you can browse the community configs. Pretty cool! There is one popular one for DA:O that looks promising. Still happy to hear other's experiences with this game though if anyone's done it.
 

Paragon

Member
2 questions. I want to play dragon age origins. I own it on origin.

1. Anyone have experience playing this game with the SC, any tips, good configurations?
2. Is there anyway to get steam configurations for an origin game?

Edit: Answered question 2 myself. Turns out if you change the name of the "non-steam game" to the AppID of the game in Steam (can find on steamdb) then you can browse the community configs. Pretty cool! There is one popular one for DA:O that looks promising. Still happy to hear other's experiences with this game though if anyone's done it.
Well I see you've updated your post now.
I haven't tried to play it with a Steam Controller, but did just download it off Origin and it worked without any trouble when launched via Steam.
Leaving the shortcut name as "Dragon Age Origins" brought up community profiles for me too, though changing it to the Steam ID would bring up profiles for the Steam version of it.
I'm disappointed that Origin doesn't seem to have pulled cloud saves for the game to my new machine though. Hopefully I still have a local copy somewhere.

So far, it's mainly Uplay games that have given me problems with the Steam Controller.
Uplay insists on running with admin privileges, which means that Steam running as a user process, cannot inject the overlay.
Uplay also complains every time you try to launch a game with their overlay disabled.
 

coopolon

Member
Well I see you've updated your post now.
I haven't tried to play it with a Steam Controller, but did just download it off Origin and it worked without any trouble when launched via Steam.
Leaving the shortcut name as "Dragon Age Origins" brought up community profiles for me too, though changing it to the Steam ID would bring up profiles for the Steam version of it.
I'm disappointed that Origin doesn't seem to have pulled cloud saves for the game to my new machine though. Hopefully I still have a local copy somewhere.

So far, it's mainly Uplay games that have given me problems with the Steam Controller.
Uplay insists on running with admin privileges, which means that Steam running as a user process, cannot inject the overlay.
Uplay also complains every time you try to launch a game with their overlay disabled.

Hmm, that's interesting. Are they separate sets of profiles I wonder? Will rename it later and see if different profiles come up.

Edit: Just tried it, they are not the same profiles. There are a lot less with the Dragon Age Origins name and the top ranked one doesn't look all that great either.
 
I believe the current implementation is based on the name - but if multiple people in the past used the same number (being AppID) as their shortcut name it makes sense you'd see multiple configs for that name.

Personally I search for the game on the store and use the name that comes up (just above the video) in the hope that I'll see configs from people who bought the Steam store version.
 

Nabs

Member
The appid gets you the bindings by people who own the game on Steam. The name gets you the bindings by people who don't.

The new beta update adds this: Fixed a class of games with no Overlay not working with the Steam Controller.

I'm not 100% sure what they fixed, but I tested Chaos Theory and Tomb Raider 2 and both play nicely with the SC now.
 

Echoplx

Member
Hmm, that's interesting. Are they separate sets of profiles I wonder? Will rename it later and see if different profiles come up.

Edit: Just tried it, they are not the same profiles. There are a lot less with the Dragon Age Origins name and the top ranked one doesn't look all that great either.

I think most of the configs would be under the name "Dragon Age: Origins - Ultimate Edition"
 
I've been playing Starbound, and setting the trackpad to mouse region to resemble a twin-stick setup works surprisingly well! I have tried it before on Terraria using a dual-stick controller, and it was near impossible to do more precise tasks, like mining. However, the trackpad is big enough to let you target individual blocks comfortably. Works pretty good in combat as well, as it keeps you from losing your cursor too far to the left/right side of the screen. I still have a free mouse toggle for menu shortcuts/inventory management, but I really prefer the former in the overworld. I also never realized action sets are a good way of circumventing the limits of mode-shifting. I'm really surprised at the depth of the SC configurator, especially if you compare it between now and at launch.

The new beta update adds this: Fixed a class of games with no Overlay not working with the Steam Controller.
Does this mean games that dont work with the overlay? I need to try Noitu Love again, if that's the case.
 
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