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Valve announces Steam Controller

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Xater

Member
Well, I mean... what we have does already work. The current controller design is probably quite close to optimal for controlling the specific subsets of games it's meant to tackle -- easily accessible analog and digital motion, about as many buttons as one can reasonably expect to physically and cognitively use with a single hand, and effective use of the first three fingers on each hand. People stopped innovating on this shape because it's evolved in tandem with many of the games being made, to the point that it's hard to actually improve much on the design for purposes of playing said games.

I don't think it's actually unreasonable to judge that this controller would be a terrible replacement for the 360-style pads we use now. It's when you view it as a supplemental tool for solving a different problem that it gets interesting.

Exactly. That's the application I can see, as a controller for games that usually not work with it. Not as a replacement for what we have. If I can play EUIV with this then more power to it!
 

Firehead

Member
Huh... Controller itself looks... far out. However, after reading the specs on the page, I feel confident that Valve will be able to pull this off. Will be buying one.

Unfortunate that it doesn't seem like it'll be decent for fighting games though. :(
 

SeriousApes

Member
Looks interesting... I can't wait to try it out, but I dunno how well suited it'd be for some genres, with the layout of the face buttons. I'd like to see how well it functions with traditionally M/Kb controlled games too. Very interesting...
 
I think it looks really interesting, I would rather Valve take a risk with a different design than for them to just release a Xbox 360 controller clone. I'm quite excited and optimistic, and I look forward to trying it.
 

Mudkips

Banned
A touchpad is fundamentally different from a stick in that the stick is a relative control mechanism while the touchpad is absolute. Like a mouse, you can tell a touchpad to turn as fast as you can physically move. You say "go to there", whereas with a stick it's "go that way".

An analog stick can do the exact same thing. It's just a software mapping between x and y coordinates. You're just used to sticks mapping to acceleration instead of position.
 

Grief.exe

Member
Could be neat if this can be used for just regular ass desktop and media functions as well, without needing a bunch of random programs and xpadder-esque workarounds. Then I could retire this, haha:

logitech-k400-touch-wireless-kablosuz-klavye-480-1.jpg


Maybe text input could be done on the touch screen as well for those situations?

Big Picture, and by extension SteamOS, already has a pretty good system for text input with a controller

i78Bf64V410Zi.png
 

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
Well, I mean... what we have does already work. The current controller design is probably quite close to optimal for controlling the specific subsets of games it's meant to tackle -- easily accessible analog and digital motion, about as many buttons as one can reasonably expect to physically and cognitively use with a single hand, and effective use of the first three fingers on each hand. People stopped innovating on this shape because it's evolved in tandem with many of the games being made, to the point that it's hard to actually improve much on the design for purposes of playing said games.

I don't think it's actually unreasonable to judge that this controller would be a terrible replacement for the 360-style pads we use now. It's when you view it as a supplemental tool for solving a different problem that it gets interesting.
I dispute the idea that what we have already works. There are entire genres of games that just don't work on the "standard" controller.

Hell, even for shooters, dual analog is the third or fourth best option at this point behind KBM, Wii remote and possibly move controller.
 

Orayn

Member
So did I, I'm still not seeing where the number six is coming from. I don't see evidence of anything more than left trigger, right trigger, left grip, right grip as far as inputs on the back of the controller.

Right trigger
Right bumper
Right grip
Left trigger
Left bumper
Left grip

4BBpQ.png
 

Trouble

Banned
Color me cautiously optimistic. Whether it succeeds or fails, I'm glad they are trying something new. The last thing we needed was another clone of existing console controllers.
 

Deadstar

Member
1) The design is completely alien which by default for a lot of people will be very offputting
2) This is Valve's solution to bringing the KB+M into the living room, it's very creative but unfortunately...
3) We won't know how this performs until we hold it in our hands. This is one of those extreme controllers that will either be amazing or terrible, not much room for middle ground with this thing.

If it didn't perform well Valve wouldn't have announced it. According to them it's as precise as a mouse. This sounds ridiculous but without trying it no one can say for sure.
 

Lupin3

Targeting terrorists with a D-Pad
All I wanted was a great controller for all the indie platformers. Guess I'll just have to keep waiting...
 

dorn.

Member
Good on them for doing something innovative and lol at everybody saying saying this will be touchscreen-like. Analog sticks are imprecise as fuck I bet these things will be a huge improvement.
 

imBask

Banned
I´m just worried about the X and Y buttons. Trying to figure out how to play FIFA with it. But maybe the two back buttons will fix that. WOuld be a good idea to replace the two shoulder buttons with two wheel shoulder buttons. Would be great for scrolling.

my exact concern, the thing looks comfy and cool, but X and Y requires you to move your thumb away from the left pad...
 

bidguy

Banned
damn that looks ugly as fuck
its just some prototype right ?
my brother is a total steam fanboy so i think he'll be all over this
 

Grief.exe

Member
That looks amazing. can't wait to retire the 360 pad.

This system would probably compliment the pad quite well.

This is meant to be all encompassing on the PC, but some genres would be much better played on a 360 pad.

Right trigger
Right bumper
Right grip
Left trigger
Left bumper
Left grip

4BBpQ.png

Counting and reading is hard stuff apparently.

maybe I should adjust that picture to reflect the problems with algebra as well.
 

Tempy

don't ask me for codes
Painful to read throught the first few pages of this thread from people who've never even heard of Haptics technology; assuming it's just 2 trackpads. In theory you could change the right pad to feel like it has 2, 3, 4 buttons, or whatever shape or number of buttons you'd like.
 
So seems that Valve has quitted the idea that in FPS movements have the same importance of aiming.

Can't wait for Team Fortress 3 "Meet the limped Scout" and "Meet the Solly without rocket jump". Yay.

Your conclusion and the statement you're quoting have absolutely no connection.
 
I'm thinking it could give a little jolt of rumble whenever a digital direction is engaged. Might actually work of the feedback is precise enough.

Using digital controls effectively has to involve getting physical feedback (i.e. the shape of the controls) underneath your thumb before you press anything, though. Traditional haptic feedback (like you get on Android phone screen buttons) comes after you engage, to tell you that your press worked.

I could strain to imagine a really impressive system giving tiny clicks as you pass over inputs, with a full feedback burst when you engage, but that's definitely I'll-believe-it-when-I-touch-it territory.
 

Wallach

Member
Controller's different enough that just looking at it isn't going to really help. Interested to try it though. Particularly want to check out how well haptics are implemented.
 

VanWinkle

Member
Man this thing looks weird. But I have to give them props for trying something different. I used two trackpads as analog sticks on the Xperia Play and I HATED IT, but maybe this will be better.
 

Symphonic

Member
looks horrible, if this was a different company people would make fun of it, valve gets a free pass

Sick of comments like these. Assuming a company's product is going to be good based on said company's past history is perfectly fine.

If Microsoft or Sony made this people would be weary because their past with controller experimentation has generally been harmful for GAF's community. (Kinect, move)

This is Valve's first foray in hardware and they are known for successful innovations that are geared towards consumer desire.

So please. Stop with this shit.
 

Cheddahz

Banned
This looks bad. I can't wait for Valve to learn that they aren't as big as they think they are and just stick to be a PC gaming platform
 

BNGames

Member
WAY too many apologists in this thread.

While I do want to try it, the obvious downsides of this design are clear for many existing games. The other matter of fact is that you can't take 30 years of controller design and throw most of it out of a window and expect a positive reaction. Younger generations may grow up with this design and except it, but for those of us who grew up with a D-Pad and Analog Controls, this will not work for most of us.

That on top of the fact that this is NOT what I wanted from Valve.
 
colour me very intrigued and cautiously optimistic. more mouse like controls from a couch would be worth a lot to me, if indeed this works well.
 

RM8

Member
There are pads for that already, with newer versions coming soon. They all work on the PC. I don't know why people expected Valve would simply make another console controller.
Because a universal solution for these kind of games would have been awesome :( And no, please don't suggest a 360 controller for fighters.
 
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