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Steam Machines/Controller/Link - Reviews Thread

I

Interceptor

Banned
Wrestlemania said:
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.
Click to expand...

Aren´t gyros and touch controls labeled as "gimmicky" around here?
 
K

Karanlos

Member
The Steam Link is working really really great. I tried out streaming Dues Ex Human rev. to another computer on my network a month ago and it was latency ridden and the fps was low compared to what the host was displaying.
Having it on ethernet it I dont really notice any problems. Sometimes there's a small stutter but nothing game breaking.

Wii U Pro controller also works flawlessly with it. Connect to it via bluetooth and go. Button config is correct and I've had no issues with it. Setting up the pro controller on pc is a real hassel so it's really nice that's it's just plug and play here.
 
W

Wrestlemania

Banned
Necromanti said:
All I want is a controller that will let me play PC games (like, say, Legend of Grimrock of 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.
Click to expand...

That's actually where I've been most pleasantly surprised by how good the Steam controller is. Mouse-like aiming on the trackpad is far quick and more accurate than using a stick, particularly when coupled with gyro aiming.
Then you get the added flexibility of mapping buttons to the grips, mode shifting, setting up custom touch menus. That doesn't matter for most games, but for things like X-Com or Fallout 4 which have perfectly good native controller support but hide some things in menus which can be immediately used through keyboard buttons it can make them even better.
I think people's experience with the controller is going to be based entirely on the games they play, their willingness to spend a little time setting things up (this process speeds up immensely once you've done it a few times) and their actual need for it.
 
G

gafneo

Banned
The more games I use the Steam controller on, the more buggy it seems. I find moments where a game will let me edit keys, which allow only a few buttons on the controller to be remapped. Meanwhile, the xbox controller is fully supported. Steam controller on the first Rainbow 6 plays desently, but some buttons are not mappable which make it impossible to complete. If a game is not on Steam and is on GOG, there is a problem with the rotation. All games on Steam by default need a rotation adjustment to play with persision. There needs to be updates like crazy for this thing. They need a stand alone app that lets you map without going into big picture mode.
 
Interfectum

Interfectum

Member
After spending awhile with both the Steam Link and Steam Controller I'm doing to say it's pretty much a dud for me so far. The controller is nice but it seems like whenever I'm using that controller the experience is more about the controller than it is the game... if that makes sense. It's pretty telling for me that I've gone back to my old 360 controller for most games now. =/
 
The Elite

The Elite

BOSS
Interfectum said:
After spending awhile with both the Steam Link and Steam Controller I'm doing to say it's pretty much a dud for me so far. The controller is nice but it seems like whenever I'm using that controller the experience is more about the controller than it is the game... if that makes sense. It's pretty telling for me that I've gone back to my old 360 controller for most games now. =/
Click to expand...

I am feeling much the same way right now. I think I am going to leave it sitting for a while until Steam upgrades its profile system to offer rankings and recommendations.

The Steam Link works though. Not perfect but if they can sort out some bugs it's going to be a gem of a product for any PC owner.
 
G

grandwizard

Member
inm8num2 said:
Steam Link review from Super Bunnyhop
Click to expand...

I feel like he focused a bit too much on esoteric stuff in this review that people would know and expect to have some setup issues with like emulators and outside-of-steam games. I got my Link recently and used it to setup a couch play session and knew ahead of time what games would be suitable which is basically any console ports and the local multiplayer Steam games that have been coming out in recent years. I was pretty impressed by the entire thing, everything worked right and I didn't have any issues with controllers and the lag was a non-issue.
 
R

Rathorial

Member
Too many of the reviews of the Steam Controller have come from the perspective of limited first impressions geared towards plug and play. Only a portion of the tech-focused sites have really dug into it, and found out what it can really do.

The Steam Controller right now out of the box with default control templates isn't very good, as usually the haptic pad sensitivity is bad, and the gyro assistance isn't even on.

If you get used to the pad, bother to either tweak or try community templates, the thing can easily beat out an analog stick for aiming. Then add in the dual-stage triggers, back paddles, and just the crazy amount of inputs you can bind to the pads...you end up with games where you don't EVER have to lift your thumbs off to hit anything.

Only thing is that it doesn't measure up to the precision of a good mouse, but it's the closest a pad has ever come, and also natively acts as a mouse for games that don't read xinput commands in main menus for some PC games.
 
E

ekim

Member
Rathorial said:
Too many of the reviews of the Steam Controller have come from the perspective of limited first impressions geared towards plug and play. Only a portion of the tech-focused sites have really dug into it, and found out what it can really do.

The Steam Controller right now out of the box with default control templates isn't very good, as usually the haptic pad sensitivity is bad, and the gyro assistance isn't even on.

If you get used to the pad, bother to either tweak or try community templates, the thing can easily beat out an analog stick for aiming. Then add in the dual-stage triggers, back paddles, and just the crazy amount of inputs you can bind to the pads...you end up with games where you don't EVER have to lift your thumbs off to hit anything.

Only thing is that it doesn't measure up to the precision of a good mouse, but it's the closest a pad has ever come, and also natively acts as a mouse for games that don't read xinput commands in main menus for some PC games.
Click to expand...

Is there any online walkthrough or some best practices guide? My controller just arrived and I want to be prepared when I get home tonight and try it :)

edit: and where can I see a list of all supported games for the controller / all user schemes?
 
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