So what is the final verdict on this? Is it simply inferior to the already decent DS4 and Xbone controllers? Is there any reason at all to get one of these over the aforementioned?
I got one of the first batch and have tried it with a bunch of games in a bunch of genres.
It's better than M+KB for some games.
A M+KB is better than it for some games.
It's better than a traditional twin stick controller for some games.
A traditional twin stick controller is better than it for some games.
For Big Picture couch gaming there is nothing better.
It's not the end-all-be-all of controllers, but it's a very nice option to have. Also props to Valve for consistently pushing updates for it adding a bunch of nice features and refining things.
bump...
>>322050560
The customization of literally every button is a nice touch, including autofires and toggle modes, and the back triggers are surprisingly useful.and it makes cute sounds when you power it on/off
That said, the sound of the haptics can be irritating, and the trackpads require a lot of manual tweaking to get right. The controller itself feels a bit cheap, the batteries are a bit hard to eject, and the gyro is finicky.
Overall, if you like tweaking every little detail and don't mind learning a new control method from stick, it's not bad.
>>322051103
>>322051630
Thanks, I've been thinking about getting one for a while now, think I might actually do it now.
How is the haptic feedback on the touchpads? Is it useful? Is the left touchpad in any way a good substitute for d-pads?
>>322052173
the feedback on everything about this controller is amazing. very on the spot.
Except if you're fucking 3 feet away from the computer it shits itself
>>322051103
This. It won't replace KB+M or 360 controllers but it will fill the void between the 2 for comfy gaming
>>322051875
It comes with a wireless extender, but it might be in your interest to pick up a Micro USB Cable. It does have manual and auto shut offs, the latter of which is modifiable.
>>322052173
It's okay. You can adjust the strength of the haptics.
Honestly, the D-Pad functionality of the pad is a bit annoying for me, but there are options that I haven't tested (cross-gate, disallow diagonals) and there is an on-screen overlay that you can toggle via the Overlay.
That's the other problem with it; to customize or update anything, you have to be in the shitty Big Picture mode. Once you have an optimal set up, you can run it in desktop mode, but the first launch with any game will likely require it.
>>322052173
The haptic feedback is strange but actually pretty nice. It's great for trackball mode, it accurately portrays the momentum and "spin down" of a trackball.
The leftpad works as a dpad alright, but honestly I don't like it much. Imo it would have been better to put the stick up there and have a smaller normal dpad below.
Basically the left half of a Wii U Pro controller plus the right side and back from the Steam Controller would be perfect for me.
>>322052556
So you feel a small vibration where your finger is rather than just the entire controller shaking?
>>322052739
It's not rumble if that's what you're asking.
It feels more like a "texture" than anything else. In trackball mode if you swipe really hard you can feel the "ball" spin faster and eventually slow. It's hard to explain but does what it's supposed to, although the noise is kind of annoying.
>>322052739
small vibration.
Now that I think about it, it vibrates a lot. with the gyro it kinda vibrates, when you use the track pad it vibrates. It's a weird kinda vibrate. not rumble, but the best comparison I think of is that it sounds like an HDD when it "vibrates"
I have one. I'm not quite used to it, but I like it. I feel like once I get used to it I'll like it better.
It's like a halfway point between a regular controller and M+KB.
It's VERY customizable which is my favourite part about it.
Also the triggers are neat, you have analog triggers like normal, but also a digital click if you continue pushing it, which can be bound to another function. So you can have left trigger bound to aim, and have the left trigger digital click bound to focus. So if you pull the trigger normally you aim, if you continue to pull it and click it, you hold your breath/zoom in the screen or whatever
Can I use it as a standard Windows game controller?
>>322053494
Right now all the drivers run through Steam. You CAN make it work for a non-steam application, as long as you launch it via a steam shortcut.
Basically, as of right now, it requires the Steam overlay to work.
>>322053494
Of course.
You can use it to control your entire OS if you want. I've been using it to browse the web and shitpost from my couch. It's pretty nice.
>>322051630
speaking of the sounds, valve recently put extra on/off sounds, is there anyway to do some midi conversion to make it play custom noises? I know it uses the motors to play tones instead of an actual speaker, but I wouldn't know where to start with any of it
>>322053494
Yeah, one shitty thing they did at explaining is that with this controller it kinda removes the need of xpadder, sorta comes with that in steam big picture. so worse comes to worse, if the game you play simply does not support steam, non-steam game controller config (like Origin games) you can config the "desktop" settings. which is the ability to navigate your OS with the controller. That's a huge plus with the controller for me.
It's good for games that need both analog controls and precise aiming
>>322053634
Oh.
>>322053640
>>322053843
I guess I missed that
Can I play emulator games with it?
>analog above abxy
>still uses cancerous xbox order
>>322054240
Only if you run the emulator through Big Picture
Or configure the emulator using keyboard keys
>>322051103
which types of games is the Steam controller good with?
>>322054429
In my opinion it's superior for any first or third person game. The right trackpad is flat out better for camera movement than a stick. A popular setup people have been using that works very well is using the trackpad for large camera movements (ie quickly turning 90 degrees to look at something) and the gyroscope for fine movements (ie lining up headshots).
>>322054429
It excels at what it was designed for, PC games that weren't really designed for a gamepad, and games that while playable with a gamepad benefit from mouse input.
You probably wouldn't want to use it for traditional gamepad titles like fighting games, or platformers.
Had it since october 14th I think it was. It's nice that they've been adding onto it every x updates on steam, more options are great.
to be honest, at this point I rather use it than any other controller when configured properly, be it presets, premade controls by the community or my own configuration.
I still rather use mouse and keyboard for games but when playing on steam link with m8s its a good alternative.
I enjoy mine, I haven't gone back to the 360 controller since. My girlfriend and I have been playing Portal 2 co-op with the two controllers (steam and 360) and the differences is night-and-day, it's just like playing with a mouse.
Now, I wouldn't say it's for fine accuracy like online shooters... but normal single player third-person games? Totally awesome.
>>322053648
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r1dWJ2fPL1U
>>322055392
I find if you set the dpad to work without pressing it works fine for those games
>>322054954
fps? really? I've heard many people say that's the worst genere to play with the controller because of how awkward it is to aim, especially when playing competitive games.
>>322056320
I think so.
It sucks compared to a mouse but is infinitely better than a traditional joystick. It's much more responsive and accurate.
>>322056513
I see, thanks
>>322056320
It takes a little getting used to, but once you've gotten proficient with it you'll have trouble going back to a traditional gamepad for them.
>>322057860
I'll piggyback on his post to add that you can use both the gyroscopic sensors for big movements and use the haptic touchpad for precision aiming, which makes it fucking ridiculously good for a controller. Also works in desktop mode and controlling your PC from your couch is amazing
This thing plus xpadder right? Or just a damn ps3 or 4 controller plus xpadder right?
>>322050560
What is the best controller for indies and emulation?
I'm fed up of having my DS3 fuck up on me every time I load up any PS2 game.
>>322059471
I like the Logitech F310, its cheap, sturdy, and I haven't had any problems with it.
I used it for an afternoon then never touched it again. What a mistake.
>>322061197
Why didn't you just return it?
>>322061197
It took me a while practicing with it to get the hang of it in FPS games. Give the thing a chance, analog sticks and mice in FPS games were a new thing once as well.
>>322062989
I still like the idea of the trackpad, but the overall feel of the controller and the size of the face buttons is just horrible.
>>322051875
If you're a nintendrone and game on pc, but don't want to touch evil Sony's PS4 controller or give rich big daddy M$ more money, then it's the best controller out there.
Besides the Xbone controller which is slightly better than the DS4 controller.
