It wasn't a massive flop - Valve was sued by Corsair on behalf of SCUF (this was after their acquisition) solely just being patent trolls as the lawsuit was only over the rear paddle buttons. Valve was ordered to fork over essentially all earnings to Corsair, cease future production, and hand over 50% of all further stock sales of the Steam Controller to Corsair; So Valve liquidated it's supply for $5/controller as a middle finger to Corsair.
@@thatzaliasguy I wouldn't personally mind abloshing Corsair, but it's pretty common for a subsidiary to go down while the parent group stays up. And tbh, it's the more reasonable take. Scuf sells 10x~20x the price of Chinese gamepads with only 1/8th~1/4th the quality upgrade.
@@mazcatza because it shouldn't have been Scuf's patent to begin with. Steam Controller came out in late 2015, yet Scuf's patent was submitted in 2017. Your question is like asking "what's wrong with protection money? I'd still pay good money for it".
Gyro aiming is by far the best input method for anything that needs aiming on console, with the benefits that a controller have over keyboard (gradual sticks/triggers vs boolean buttons). Any game that have guns and cars should have gyro aiming option by default, even on PC.
I just don’t get why the steam deck is the on,y device I know of that has capacitive sticks. Using the gyro aiming on the steam deck feels so much better then with any other controller I’ve used so far.
@@tanvir.m85it is actually good competitively, because you can rebind right joystick to snap look in different directions so you can turn 180°, or any other direction, instantly
Gyro aiming was a game changer for me as a console person ever since it clicked with me back in 2019. It was one of the biggest reasons why I got a Steam Deck was because I knew about the capabilities of steam input. I also never had problems aiming with trackpad on my deck, but I think that was because I also had a history of playing mobile shooters.
I've been stanning the Steam Controller since it launched. Its WAY underrated. I have videos on my channel showcasing it being used in ways most people would think impossible. Specifically for fps' though, here are my top tips; Right Trackpad: I use it to whip the camera around. - set it to "as mouse" - first setting to adjust is "rotation". the goal is to get it so that what feels like a horizontal swipe to you actually is a horizontal swipe in game. basically, your thumb naturally swipes across the pad at an angle, this setting accounts for that angle - next setting is the vertical sensitivity scale. set it to 0 for now, to make the next part easier - crank the trackpad sensitivity really high and lower the in game sensitivity (this gives a smoother end result). then find a static game object, and make a swipe to see how far the camera rotates on an edge to edge swipe of the trackpad. most steam controller users like a full swipe to equal a 180 degree turn in game. Myself and a handful of others are crazy enough to push it to a full 360 on a swipe. I'd say 1-90 is considered "low" sensitivity, 91-180 is "medium", 181-270 is "high", 271-360 is "very high", 361 and above is "madman" - once you've dialed in the edge-to-edge swipe sensitivity to the desired degrees of camera rotation, bring the vertical sensitivity scale back up. I set it to 50, which means if my horizontal full swipe is 360 degrees then my vertical full swipe is 180 degrees. - other settings can be adjusted to taste, but the above is really key to get it responding very well. Gyro: for actual aiming - set it to "gyro to mouse [beta]" - go to mouse-sensitivity . com and calculate the 360 degree counts for your game (I have a video on my channel about how). plug that into the dots per 360. - the "gyro degree sensitivity" is now what the gyro community calls a "real world sensitivity"; in a nut shell, how many degrees does the in game camera turn for every degree you physically turn the controller. 1-3 is considered "low", 4-6 is "medium", 7-9 is "high", 10-12 is "very high", 13 and above is "madman" - set the speed deadzone to 0 - set the precision speed to max - 3dof to 2d conversion style... honestly for beginners leave it on "yaw". I have been working on a video to fully explain this beast of a setting, as its surprisingly complicated. There are optimizations that can be made here for your play style, but I'd be typing another novel in this already long comment. - other settings to taste. With those dialed in, the Steam Controller is an absolute beast for fps games. You can get similar performance (the dualsense is technically rocking a better gyro), but the combination of the trackpad - which retains intentional vertical control for recentering that flickstick lacks - at a high sensitivity for whipping the camera around and the gyro for aiming is a very freeing experience that has no comparison. Not even the Deck really compares, because the trackpads on the Deck arent ergonomically positioned like on the Steam Controller (better than the sony trackpad location, still not as good as the steam controller). The Steam Controller really was ahead of its time, it just requires tinkering with and it was unfortunately marketed to couch gamers - the gamers who mostly just want plug and play comfort.
I feel like this video does the same thing other youtubers are doing in 2024 reviewing the Steam Controller and barely (if at all touching the highly customizable settings for the controller) scratching the surface. Mode shifts and touch inputs can in some cases set it up so your thumbs never even have to leave either the left or right trackpads. Everyone wants to use the left joystick to move but if you use the left track more movement without click it becomes very natural very quickly.
@jsp6867 yeah I use left trackpad move a LOT. Its so comfortable once you get used to it. I just didnt want to overload the main comment with even more stuff
@@simonarthur499 I do jump bound to right grip, run bound to outer edge (no double tap, just regular), left pad click bound to some other movement action (usually crouch if the game has it)
The "Chelle" prototype Steam Controller was literally this. Two track pads, and 8 face buttons (left side face buttons were separated-directionals like the dpad on the Switch joycons)
I agree Made the mistake of playing a fighting game with my brother. He trounced me because he had a proper D pad. If valve ever wants to make a Steam deck lite, they could cut the joysticks and put the shoulder buttons and triggers inline as opposed to the stacked configuration. Like the original Wii Classic controller. It would look like a Steam deck tablet. Way more portable.
Half-Life 2, Portal 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 all had default layouts created by Valve using native Steam Input integration to use gyro and both pads. Portal 2 default layout uses the left touchpad for movement, and the analogue stick is used for rotary context menus on a release-press. Even CDPR got in on the action utilizing native SIAPI in the Steam version of The Witcher 3 that had an AMAZING layout for the controller. Prey (2017) and Dishonored 2 from Arkane Studios even had awesome and unique SIAPI configs for it. Wolfenstein The New Order and The Old Blood games also had gyro for their Steam Controller layout, going even further with the dual-stage triggers, setting up aiming and firing on the same right trigger (analogue press for aim, then click the digital button of the trigger at the bottom to fire.) Hip firing was also still possible by simply pushing the trigger all the way to the base and hitting the button, sort of like a hair trigger method. I highly recommend you check out some of the titles where developers took the time to natively integrate SIAPI into their games and created some truly awesome and intuitive default control schemes with the Steam Controller.
Fantastic comment. I didn’t realize how many games had unique layouts for the Steam Controller! Now I know what to recommend when people ask how they should learn the controller.
@@TechMaestro01 What you should give then instead is an advice to google "Steam Deck Controller Guide - A Visual Introduction" 99.9% of Steam Deck users aren't even aware of the possibilities and they just use basic controller layout. Nobody really ventures into experimentation, maybe few % of owners actually do use custom community setups and fraction of % makes their own. To hold such power and be so clueless and, quite frankly, willfully ignorant makes my blood boil - this is why we can't have nice things and why the industry is stuck 20 years in the past. Console controllers shouldn't be as medieval as they are.
The Last of Us Part 1 on steam has a steam controller in the settings- seeing the icon to shake the steam controller to charge your flashlight feels good man
The Steam controller is also amazing for arcade racing games. The two-stage triggers are great for mapping boost to the button press at the end of a full pull. In Rocket League, I was able to set up every controll on the two touch pads and the two-stage triggers. It's a lot of fun to play that way.
Pro tip for making the trackpads useable: Set the rotation. It’s annoying cause you have to set it for each game but once you get the rotation dialed in the trackpads feel WAY better. The issue is the default rotation is not perfect for every hand size and it doesn’t take into account the angle your thumb will be relative to the pad. If you try to swipe side to side naturally you will be swiping at an angle and if you try to account for that in your thumb movement everything will just feel awkward.
one thing i love about my steam controller that you didn't cover - you can simulate a trackball with the trackpad + haptics. In elden ring i can flick and catch a camera that keeps going with momentum, i can hold the "ball" and do fine control or just whip it around.
This by far is the most underrated part of the touchpad input options on both the steam controller and steam deck. I used this alot when I first got my steam controller. I combined the trackball with the gyro and it was super nice in games like L4D2.
@@AninoNiKugi Basically you'll set a zone from the outer diameter inwards (you set the size of it)... when you place thumb on that zone the camera view will start to rotate the direction where you placed the finger at constant speed. The more you move your thumb to the edge the more the camera rotation speed will accelerate (if you set it so)... middle section will remain as mouse input/trackball.
The Steam Controller was never a controller replacement. It was a TV keyboard & mouse adaptor. You can play Xcom on that thing, for example. Numbers 1-9 on a virtual dial-pad on the right touch pad.
Old big picture mode (pre steam deck) had a better control scheme UI. I'm still annoyed that they removed the ability to modify the big picture mode control scheme; I liked being able to use the steam controller trackpads to navigate without any physical buttons presses.
for anyone use to touch screen controls, like myself, will enjoy this controller. It took me about 2 days tweaking the haptics and playtesting it, but I actually really enjoy it and feel it's much more accurate then a traditional controller.
I'm still searching for the Steam controller in my country; it's quite rare these days. Sometimes, I think about giving up and just looking for a regular joystick that people use. I used to have a Steam controller, and it was pretty awesome, especially for playing FPS games.
I was strictly a PC gamer. Never even touched a console or controller. I was part of the PC Master Race. But when Valve released this controller I bought one because I wanted to support them. I patiently tweaked it until I perfected all the bells and whistles that this controller offers, especially the gyro aiming which is probably 98% as accurate as a mouse. I still use this thing -- I love it
Having both an original Steam Controller and Steam Deck, I can confirm that the Steam Deck is a step above the Steam Controller in every way. The trackpads are more sensitive to light touches and smoother, along with the pressure sensing and haptics being more flexible. This makes them more accurate than the original Steam Controller, which struggles to keep tracking my thumb frequently. One weak point of the Steam Deck are the sloppy sticks, the single stick of the Steam Controller is better. But as it misses a right stick, Flick Stick isn't an option on it, though this use-case still works with the Deck's sloppier sticks and benefits from it's capacitive tops. The Deck's back buttons being an improvement too, especially when figuring out that they work the best when pushing up, towards the screen. Usually the Deck used over Steam Link is my favourite controller, before I got a G29 wheel racing games were my exception as here the sloppier sticks get in the way the most. Agreed on the duel-trackpad typing being great, this is how I can use my Steam Deck as a Linux tablet, my Steam Controller has become a remote for a media PC as it beats linking my phone. I respect the old Steam Controller hardware and continue to use it, but the Deck is where it was perfected. Here's hoping Valve turns that into a dedicated controller.
I too use the Steam Deck as my main input device for my gaming PC. I used the built-in remote play to connect to my PC after lowering the visual quality settings since I'm not using the video stream but the TV in front of me instead. I usually get around a millisecond or less of additional latency for the inputs. After exclusively gaming with the Steam Controller since its release, the Steam Deck is an almost perfect upgrade. Obviously its size is not ideal, but there are some added benefits with having a huge screen built into your controller, such as editing my controller configs right on the Steam Deck is awesome. I use the touchpads for movement and mouse and I have an always-on gyro that suspends when you touch the right joystick. I was worried that the gyro might suffer since it's being remotely streamed, but it feels like an improvement over using the Steam Controller's gyro. >Here's hoping Valve turns that into a dedicated controller. Yes, please! One thing I miss every day are the Steam Controller's dual stage triggers, though.
The best mouse replacement has to be the Joycons of Nintendo, well at least the concept of joycons. And the best game to see this is actually Splatoon 3. With Joycons of brands like Mobapad and using Gyro I have not seen any other game including overwatch utilize the power it has as good as Splatoon 3 does. The accuracy the speed and the way you can move around just like with a mouse and keyboard is so underrated and even the game itself is such a underrated game. I wish more people would really play the game and appreciate the effort they put in making gyro feel so good.
You didn't mention it explicitly, so I thought I'd ask: Did you try the trackball setting? I found that great for first person mouse. Fling the trackpad for big movements, then "catch" and slide for fine adjustment. Granted, I suck at FPS and it's been a few years since I've used my Stam Controller, so maybe it's not as precise as I think.
I’ve fully switched to gyro for my PC games, I genuinely believe it has the potential to elevate my aim skills over every other input method including expensive mice
There Steam controller is subjectively the GOAT. If valve can release a Steam deck controller 2 that has the exact same buttons and layout as the deck with the similar form factor as the og Steam controller then it's game over. GOAT FULL STOP.
I never enjoyed how it felt while playing games, but I often joke how this is the best wireless keyboard+mouse combo I've ever used. I genuinely still use it to this day whenever I want to control my PC from my bed.
i don't recommend aiming with the trackpad like how you were. you set the sensitivity horrendously low, so much so that you needed to swipe 3 times to change the angle by only 90 degrees, and didn't use a trackball, which i recommend because it allows you to basically "keep aiming" while you're picking up your finger and repositioning it back onto the trackpad, rather than the choppy motions you were making. that may not be necessary for you if you just increase the sensitivity a bit, but if you choose not to increase the sensitivity, i think it's crazy to not use the ball because you're going to be rapidly picking up your finger over and over and it will definitely save you some swipes.
I haven't seen anyone else say this before, and have a feeling few would agree. But replace the analog stick with a Track Point (the "eraser mouse" found on Lenovo laptops in the middle of the keyboard) with an "analog click" on a harder press. The same size as those modules, but with a pad that's as wide as an analog stick. Now, the reason I say this... • Analog input • No moving parts (may last as long as a button) • Near zero travel distance (as quick, or possibly quicker strafing than wasd with practice)
The touch pad is a thing, its litteraly touch screen of the mobile device, but as a gamepad part. That thing litteraly makes you better camera control for shooters. Much easier too aim with it cause its mechanical feels like a mouse, you definetly know how much to swipe to at a position you want
I collect controls. I have 8 Steam controllers and I have really worn my first one. It's a fantastic controller that is incredibly versatile. I'd say part of it's problem is it does everything ok but not much perfect. The steam deck is definitely an improved implementation as you get all the functionality of a controller and the added versatility of gryo, track pads, four fully featured back buttons, and capacitive thumb sticks. For the original steam controller I find it perfect to use for strategy games designed for a mouse and keyboard. It's very fun to use for games similar to Civilization, X-Com, Dwarf Fortress, Rimworld, or Factorio as these games often have very long play sessions, you can sit back, relax, and manage your empire from your easy chair. It also works fine with most things made for a controller that don't need a d-pad, but since I also have multiple controllers to choose from I usually don't have much reason to reach for the Steam Controller for those.
Valve got fucked by a patent troll because they used BACK PADDLES and not BUTTONS. I still run this gamepad whenever i can. IT'S SO DAMN TIME FOR A v2.
I use my steam controller since its launch and can't come back to classic analog sticks. you talk about aiming, but I encourage you to try using the left track pad as a left joystick (and the analog joystick as a D-pad) using left trackpad for movement takes a bit of time to get used to, but in the end I find it far more precise than an analog stick, you put your thumb at the center and can really control speed and direction of your character with ease. walking with an analog stick you have to push not to far but still keep the stick in the right position to keep the speed and orientation (the stick want to come back to its center position) with a trackpad you just have to let your thumb at the right position and forget about it. I find it really pleasant for movement especially in 3D platform games. In my opinion valve try to innovate with the steam controller but should not have left an analog stick. it made people believe there was one stick missing, where in my opinion there was one too many. I really hope we will have one day a steam controller 2 with improved trackpads (and hope the'll still be circular, i'm not a fan of the square trackpad of the steam deck) I really enjoyed your video, thank you :)
The thing I like most about the steamdeck trackpads in the ability to play games that either don't have native controller support or just aren't designed for controllers, like FTL or Rimworld or Civ 6. I'd love to have a controller with a trackpad on the right side, if only for games like that.
There's some bits off about the history of this controller. It actually performed fairly well and it's reception was good. It ONLY stopped production and sold off it's inventory because of the law suit (which they went on to win on appeal)
What I use on my steam controller is right track pad in trackball mode with low friction for fast flinging the mouse, with touching the right pad set to gyro aim. It feels great in games like doom eternal. I am glad to see xbox and playstation slowly adopting steam controller tech, and I'd love a re-release of the steam controller as is, I love the thing.
Why does everybody say trackpad aiming is bad? I agree is not as good as mouse or even gyro, but what is this about precision issues and comfort? where is it uncomfortable or imprecise, compared to a joystick? Might not be good enough for profesional shooters, but joysticks aren't either, that's why you pair them with gyro, but that doesn't mean it is okay to say trackpads are bad. When one of the most important features of the Steam Controllers is regarded as bad just because is different it hurts for the future of a feature that could be on so many more controllers.
Played CSGO gungame with this. Once mixture of settings and muscle memory kicked it it was quite satisfying and good. And then they changed whole setup that made my config unusable. Also tried Starcraft 2 for fun and it wasn't half bad. Some actions were faster without the need to remember shortcuts. Biggest problem i hadn't solved was quick swiping around map in more precise way. Fun device to make by yourself control gimmicks at home and for mixing up a bit from time to time
Meanwhile, I've already used this Steam Controller since 2016, afterward in last year I just bought DualShock 4, and now my Steam Controller never gets out of the pouch anymore 😂
I have my steam controller since 2016 and still use it as my main controller. It is not the best thing for every game but, at least for me, nothing beaten that wide spectrum of possibilities yet. If and when second generation came out, I will be buying it for sure.
I played the entirety of Cyberpunk 2077 with Stem Controller + flick stick when it came out. It was a very positive experience. Player the heck out of that controller though with many games its been rather frustrating. My left shoulder button ended up breaking. I´m eagerly awaiting for a Steam Controller 2.
I became a trackpad user against my wishes because I don't have space for a mouse (and my early trackball experience was pretty bad) trackpad quality is VERY important. going from a windows plastic trackpad to the external magic trackpad is the difference between unplayable and playable (somehow it works wired on my windows machine with gestures and everything? I have no clue what enabled this) I know a good glass trackpad would make these controllers even more expensive, but it might be worth a try for a company someday
I use both Xbox controllers and Steam controllers on my PC depending on what I'm playing. One of the best examples I can provide for using the Steam controller is when I play American Truck Simulator or it's Euro counterpart. It's easier to look around with the right track pad while driving using the left thumb stick compared to using the two thumb sticks on the Xbox controller. It's even easier that using a steering wheel because I have to one hand the wheel while using my other hand to mouse look. A Tobi tracker would be great but without those options the Steam controller actually works better than other combinations. And there are a few others like that as well, especially on PC games that don't support a controller natively where the Steam controller still works for them.
I've been a keyboard/mouse player pretty much my whole life, only past few years having used controllers for the handful of games that are strictly designed around them and even though i don't really play platformers or racing games and the like, i still find them more fun to play with a keyboard. The analogue function of joysticks to me feels less responsive and accurate (likely due to inexperience) than simply tapping keys at different speeds to achieve a more or less similar effect. Hell, i'd even go as far as to say i found more fun playing games like codm with touchscreen controls rather than a controller, again to an extent because of the lack of experience, but i just found touchscreen aiming to be much closer to mouse aim. Touchpads are basically the ideal middle between both, only made even better with gyro.
WHY HAVE THEY NOT MADE A NEW VERSION OF THIS? The Steam Deck proves that the control scheme CAN work, but they just didn't do it quite right. With some tweaking and fine tuning they could absolutely make a Steam Controller 2.0 and it could do really well.
I always wanted to mix the precission of mouse control and the versatility of the left joystick for moving my character, and I never felt quite there with mouse and keyboard combo or a gamepad, but this controller has done it for me. I finally can be competent at shooters, I can play Doom 2016 and earn tons of headshots and the gyro is someting that every single controller should implement (I'm looking at you, Microsoft). Also this controller allows me to p lay my PC games on the couch with Steamlink on my Apple TV and play games that would be impossible to manage correctly with a console version due to the limits of the standard controller, and the touchpads nail this task. Don't get me wrong, there are games that work better with a standard controller, like Dark Souls or Tomb Raider, but for games that actually need you to move fast and point quick, THIS is a fantastic controller, and it's absolutely amazing in competitive fps games. Edit: I got mine on Wallapop for 5€ and it's one of the best deals of my life for sure.
I highly recommend checking out ramble can. He has some interesting layouts that really utilize the unique features of the controller. The left pad can work really well as movement, and the track pads can even act as your face buttons. It's immensely versatile. If the prototypes were anything to go by, the joystick and face buttons were really only added in for familiarity more than actual need. The ergonomics heavily favor the pads. Also try adjusting the axis of the right pad. Try to find the natural angle that your thumb swipes at. Mine is around 30 degrees. Then turn down your vertical sensitivity a bit. Your trackpad should easily act as a viable alternative for flick stick. It will do your large camera movements like doing a 180 degree turn in a swipe. For gyro, I would use somewhere around 4x your real movements, and put your vertical sensitivity a little lower. Something around 60% of your horizontal sensitivity is usually good. Last but not least, rest your controller on your lap or on a desk for added stability.
I have well over 20,000 hours using Steam Controllers. I can confidently say that with enough playing with configurations, and practice, you can get your aim in shooters on par with a mouse. I only really use mice for work, but with any aim trainers I have used recently, I score much higher with the Steam controller than with my gaming mice. They break easily, the build quality feels cheap, and dialing in a config for a new game can be frustrating, but I would never go back to using a mouse in any game. I want my Steam Controller, or I'd rather just go outside and not game haha.
Once you build some muscle memory on the trackpad, it preformes similarly to a mouse. Although I doubt one could ever surpass the precision of a mouse.
Some games work really well with joystick and touchpad on Steam Deck, but there are some where the in game controls have to be tailored to one or the other. Skyrim for instance, I could tweak the controls to work really well with either the joystick or touchpad, but not both. Once you figure out how to adjust everything for the touchpad it's really nice. It's especially useful for situations where gyro aiming isn't possible, like being inside a moving vehicle.
the steam controller is one of my all time favourite controllers purely because of the trackpads, and if you were having trouble getting it to work well it’s likely because you were using the mouse-like joystick mode and didn’t set it up right (because by default it’s crap). in the old steam big picture mode that output mode worked flawlessly, but in the modern one it is actually shit and requires a lot of fiddling to get 80% there when you set up the steam controller to output mouse movements, tho, you really feel it. it’s quite sensitive and accurate, and makes playing m&kb games with it super slick. the fact that no one seems to get that has bugged me since it came out (i got mine on release i think). i would use mouse output by default but literally every game has the control icons change based on input (it if supports both at all) so using joystick movement and mouse look typically causes the icons to flicker i would say tho, if valve were to make a v2 they really should use the steam deck layout. not only would dual joysticks be better received, having 2 joysticks and 2 trackpads and 4 back buttons helps tremendously when mapping to a m&kb game, since it gives you so many more mappable buttons to use (it is also comfier to hold, but the deck as a whole is a lot bulkier unfortunately)
Steam Controller was amazing with racing games as I could control the steering with far more finesse than the analog stick. I have my racing rig and all that but the convenience of just picking up the controller is so much easier.
Remember that I couldn't get used to the keyboard when I switched to PC, got a Steam controller dirt cheao at the flea market. It took a while to get used to, nut now after 2 years playing with it any other controller feels lame, we need more trackpad + gyro controllers in the market.
I own this controller, was very hyped for when it first came out. I've given it many attempts to use it. From a software standpoint it was amazing, second to none. But i hate it. Using it reminded me why no one games with a laptop track pad. Its track pads are good for what they are but they aren't a replacement to a joystick or a mouse. The reason it works so much better on the steam deck is because the steam deck has two track pads, AND two sticks. The steam controller was also just a weird hand feel, just reaching everything felt awkward, its not very comfortable.
I bought a steam controller at launch and hated it. Now after going back to it last year and spending time to learn and use it and its become my favorite controller I own. Value please make a steam controller 2
Sold mine awhile back. Considering I got it for $5 + shipping and sold it for a hundred on eBay, not a bad purchase. I tried to get it to work and gave up. And it's not like I suck at this sort of thing. I currently play World of Warcraft with a Xbox Elite controller and reWASD.
Really good video, I was thinking about picking one up but I don't think I will anymore. I tried gyro on PS5 and I just didn't like it after 4 weeks, your at a disadvantage with aim assist on controllers and against mouse and keyboard. The other issue is over 95% of games do not support GOOD gyro (COD is the only game I've played that has really good implementation) so trying to build muscle memory is close to impossible if you bounce between games. I would rather just plug in my Superlight 2 dongle to the console and call it day. I do like the fact gyro and the trackpads bring more accessibility to controllers for people with motor disabilities.
It wasn't a massive flop - Valve was sued by Corsair on behalf of SCUF (this was after their acquisition) solely just being patent trolls as the lawsuit was only over the rear paddle buttons. Valve was ordered to fork over essentially all earnings to Corsair, cease future production, and hand over 50% of all further stock sales of the Steam Controller to Corsair;
So Valve liquidated it's supply for $5/controller as a middle finger to Corsair.
Wow I didn't know this. I managed to get one controller for cheap back then. Was sad that they were discontinuing it though.
That brand is shit anyway, way overpriced.
@@Kidsnd274 Don't listen that dumdum. Valve has won the appeal against the SCUF Controller Back Button Lawsuit - just google that phrase.
🎉zk🎉a😮
@@VIA2504
IP is a scam IP is a scam IP is a scam IP is a scam
We want Steam Controller 2
DAMMIT
@@I9IIEIIYIIEIIS we need to abolish SCUF as a company first.
@@TheRibbonRedSCUF is a subsidiary of Corsair. We need to abolish Corsair.
@@thatzaliasguy I wouldn't personally mind abloshing Corsair, but it's pretty common for a subsidiary to go down while the parent group stays up. And tbh, it's the more reasonable take. Scuf sells 10x~20x the price of Chinese gamepads with only 1/8th~1/4th the quality upgrade.
What's wrong with licensing Scuf back paddles. I'll still pay good money for a steam controller 2
@@mazcatza because it shouldn't have been Scuf's patent to begin with. Steam Controller came out in late 2015, yet Scuf's patent was submitted in 2017.
Your question is like asking "what's wrong with protection money? I'd still pay good money for it".
Waaaait, I realized at 0:15 this isn't Optimum.
lmao my first thought was "this is bootleg optimum" but the video was pleasantly good
100% I thought he got an intern
Gyro aiming is by far the best input method for anything that needs aiming on console, with the benefits that a controller have over keyboard (gradual sticks/triggers vs boolean buttons). Any game that have guns and cars should have gyro aiming option by default, even on PC.
I just don’t get why the steam deck is the on,y device I know of that has capacitive sticks. Using the gyro aiming on the steam deck feels so much better then with any other controller I’ve used so far.
Grow up
@@aaroncoleman3277 dude literally has a beard in his pfp
gyro aiming is the best?! idk in a competitive setup it's not gonna do any favors
@@tanvir.m85it is actually good competitively, because you can rebind right joystick to snap look in different directions so you can turn 180°, or any other direction, instantly
Gyro aiming was a game changer for me as a console person ever since it clicked with me back in 2019. It was one of the biggest reasons why I got a Steam Deck was because I knew about the capabilities of steam input.
I also never had problems aiming with trackpad on my deck, but I think that was because I also had a history of playing mobile shooters.
I've been stanning the Steam Controller since it launched. Its WAY underrated. I have videos on my channel showcasing it being used in ways most people would think impossible. Specifically for fps' though, here are my top tips;
Right Trackpad: I use it to whip the camera around.
- set it to "as mouse"
- first setting to adjust is "rotation". the goal is to get it so that what feels like a horizontal swipe to you actually is a horizontal swipe in game. basically, your thumb naturally swipes across the pad at an angle, this setting accounts for that angle
- next setting is the vertical sensitivity scale. set it to 0 for now, to make the next part easier
- crank the trackpad sensitivity really high and lower the in game sensitivity (this gives a smoother end result). then find a static game object, and make a swipe to see how far the camera rotates on an edge to edge swipe of the trackpad. most steam controller users like a full swipe to equal a 180 degree turn in game. Myself and a handful of others are crazy enough to push it to a full 360 on a swipe. I'd say 1-90 is considered "low" sensitivity, 91-180 is "medium", 181-270 is "high", 271-360 is "very high", 361 and above is "madman"
- once you've dialed in the edge-to-edge swipe sensitivity to the desired degrees of camera rotation, bring the vertical sensitivity scale back up. I set it to 50, which means if my horizontal full swipe is 360 degrees then my vertical full swipe is 180 degrees.
- other settings can be adjusted to taste, but the above is really key to get it responding very well.
Gyro: for actual aiming
- set it to "gyro to mouse [beta]"
- go to mouse-sensitivity . com and calculate the 360 degree counts for your game (I have a video on my channel about how). plug that into the dots per 360.
- the "gyro degree sensitivity" is now what the gyro community calls a "real world sensitivity"; in a nut shell, how many degrees does the in game camera turn for every degree you physically turn the controller. 1-3 is considered "low", 4-6 is "medium", 7-9 is "high", 10-12 is "very high", 13 and above is "madman"
- set the speed deadzone to 0
- set the precision speed to max
- 3dof to 2d conversion style... honestly for beginners leave it on "yaw". I have been working on a video to fully explain this beast of a setting, as its surprisingly complicated. There are optimizations that can be made here for your play style, but I'd be typing another novel in this already long comment.
- other settings to taste.
With those dialed in, the Steam Controller is an absolute beast for fps games. You can get similar performance (the dualsense is technically rocking a better gyro), but the combination of the trackpad - which retains intentional vertical control for recentering that flickstick lacks - at a high sensitivity for whipping the camera around and the gyro for aiming is a very freeing experience that has no comparison. Not even the Deck really compares, because the trackpads on the Deck arent ergonomically positioned like on the Steam Controller (better than the sony trackpad location, still not as good as the steam controller). The Steam Controller really was ahead of its time, it just requires tinkering with and it was unfortunately marketed to couch gamers - the gamers who mostly just want plug and play comfort.
I feel like this video does the same thing other youtubers are doing in 2024 reviewing the Steam Controller and barely (if at all touching the highly customizable settings for the controller) scratching the surface. Mode shifts and touch inputs can in some cases set it up so your thumbs never even have to leave either the left or right trackpads. Everyone wants to use the left joystick to move but if you use the left track more movement without click it becomes very natural very quickly.
@jsp6867 yeah I use left trackpad move a LOT. Its so comfortable once you get used to it.
I just didnt want to overload the main comment with even more stuff
God tier comment
Left track pad for movement with the click bound to jump, double tap edge bound to run
@@simonarthur499 I do jump bound to right grip, run bound to outer edge (no double tap, just regular), left pad click bound to some other movement action (usually crouch if the game has it)
Optimum Tech ahh thumbnail
fr i clicked because i thought optimum uploaded a video on the steam controller, idk who this guy is
Optimum at home
wake up babe new optimum just dropped
My unpopular opinion: It should have had no joystick at all, but a proper dpad in that position.
The "Chelle" prototype Steam Controller was literally this. Two track pads, and 8 face buttons (left side face buttons were separated-directionals like the dpad on the Switch joycons)
That's what I thought too. But the the thumbstick was great to use as a radial wheel also.
I agree
Made the mistake of playing a fighting game with my brother. He trounced me because he had a proper D pad.
If valve ever wants to make a Steam deck lite, they could cut the joysticks and put the shoulder buttons and triggers inline as opposed to the stacked configuration. Like the original Wii Classic controller. It would look like a Steam deck tablet. Way more portable.
Yup.
The joystick is nice for virtual menus, but I would rather have a dpad.
Are you insane? the touch pad is far superior to a d-pad
Half-Life 2, Portal 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 all had default layouts created by Valve using native Steam Input integration to use gyro and both pads. Portal 2 default layout uses the left touchpad for movement, and the analogue stick is used for rotary context menus on a release-press.
Even CDPR got in on the action utilizing native SIAPI in the Steam version of The Witcher 3 that had an AMAZING layout for the controller. Prey (2017) and Dishonored 2 from Arkane Studios even had awesome and unique SIAPI configs for it.
Wolfenstein The New Order and The Old Blood games also had gyro for their Steam Controller layout, going even further with the dual-stage triggers, setting up aiming and firing on the same right trigger (analogue press for aim, then click the digital button of the trigger at the bottom to fire.) Hip firing was also still possible by simply pushing the trigger all the way to the base and hitting the button, sort of like a hair trigger method.
I highly recommend you check out some of the titles where developers took the time to natively integrate SIAPI into their games and created some truly awesome and intuitive default control schemes with the Steam Controller.
Fantastic comment.
I didn’t realize how many games had unique layouts for the Steam Controller! Now I know what to recommend when people ask how they should learn the controller.
Eh, F Corsair why we have to lose it ..
@@TechMaestro01 What you should give then instead is an advice to google "Steam Deck Controller Guide - A Visual Introduction" 99.9% of Steam Deck users aren't even aware of the possibilities and they just use basic controller layout. Nobody really ventures into experimentation, maybe few % of owners actually do use custom community setups and fraction of % makes their own. To hold such power and be so clueless and, quite frankly, willfully ignorant makes my blood boil - this is why we can't have nice things and why the industry is stuck 20 years in the past. Console controllers shouldn't be as medieval as they are.
The Last of Us Part 1 on steam has a steam controller in the settings- seeing the icon to shake the steam controller to charge your flashlight feels good man
such an underrated controller. It felt worse after I found 3 in the same dumpster (which I obviously saved)
There are two kinds of people when it comes to gyro aiming, those who like it, and those who haven't given it a fair chance.
bro is not optimum
😭😂
Video starts at 4:16
Yeah for fucks sake people talk too much. Thank you
It still didn't show video of the actual usage. It cuts to a PS5 controller using gyro and not the steam controller.
Thank you
there's about 60 seconds of content here.
When even Tom Cruise's son likes the Steam Controller you know you have a gem in your hands.
2:50 Gyro, Gyro! Please talk about the gyro!!!!
4:58 YEEEESSSS
The Steam controller is also amazing for arcade racing games. The two-stage triggers are great for mapping boost to the button press at the end of a full pull. In Rocket League, I was able to set up every controll on the two touch pads and the two-stage triggers. It's a lot of fun to play that way.
So far the best I've used the 2 stage triggers was in Stray. I used it for jump 😄
This was awesome, I didn’t realize how ahead of its time this controller was. I’ll always remember (and regret skipping) the $5 sale
Pro tip for making the trackpads useable: Set the rotation.
It’s annoying cause you have to set it for each game but once you get the rotation dialed in the trackpads feel WAY better. The issue is the default rotation is not perfect for every hand size and it doesn’t take into account the angle your thumb will be relative to the pad. If you try to swipe side to side naturally you will be swiping at an angle and if you try to account for that in your thumb movement everything will just feel awkward.
yep, mine is around 30 degrees offset.
one thing i love about my steam controller that you didn't cover - you can simulate a trackball with the trackpad + haptics.
In elden ring i can flick and catch a camera that keeps going with momentum, i can hold the "ball" and do fine control or just whip it around.
This by far is the most underrated part of the touchpad input options on both the steam controller and steam deck. I used this alot when I first got my steam controller. I combined the trackball with the gyro and it was super nice in games like L4D2.
This is the default setting I use since I prefer to still get controller button prompts and many games have issues mixing mouse and gamepad inputs.
This with edge spin radius enabled and configured
@WereCatStudio That's something I haven't explored yet. What's the simplest and shortest explanation of what it does? 😄
@@AninoNiKugi Basically you'll set a zone from the outer diameter inwards (you set the size of it)... when you place thumb on that zone the camera view will start to rotate the direction where you placed the finger at constant speed. The more you move your thumb to the edge the more the camera rotation speed will accelerate (if you set it so)... middle section will remain as mouse input/trackball.
This controller is one of the reasons I don't support SCUF or Corsair whatsoever nowadays. Moved all over to ROG.
funnily enough asus seems to have been in hot water recently
The Steam Controller was never a controller replacement.
It was a TV keyboard & mouse adaptor.
You can play Xcom on that thing, for example. Numbers 1-9 on a virtual dial-pad on the right touch pad.
Suprised on how few splatoon comments there are
Old big picture mode (pre steam deck) had a better control scheme UI. I'm still annoyed that they removed the ability to modify the big picture mode control scheme; I liked being able to use the steam controller trackpads to navigate without any physical buttons presses.
2:09 Max Payne 3 featured
You just gained all of my respect for playing the best Rockstar game ever
for anyone use to touch screen controls, like myself, will enjoy this controller.
It took me about 2 days tweaking the haptics and playtesting it, but I actually really enjoy it and feel it's much more accurate then a traditional controller.
I'm still searching for the Steam controller in my country; it's quite rare these days. Sometimes, I think about giving up and just looking for a regular joystick that people use. I used to have a Steam controller, and it was pretty awesome, especially for playing FPS games.
Do you have eBay in your country? If so that will be your best option.
They pop up constantly on Goodwill, they have a web store page too.
I was strictly a PC gamer. Never even touched a console or controller. I was part of the PC Master Race. But when Valve released this controller I bought one because I wanted to support them.
I patiently tweaked it until I perfected all the bells and whistles that this controller offers, especially the gyro aiming which is probably 98% as accurate as a mouse.
I still use this thing -- I love it
Having both an original Steam Controller and Steam Deck, I can confirm that the Steam Deck is a step above the Steam Controller in every way.
The trackpads are more sensitive to light touches and smoother, along with the pressure sensing and haptics being more flexible.
This makes them more accurate than the original Steam Controller, which struggles to keep tracking my thumb frequently.
One weak point of the Steam Deck are the sloppy sticks, the single stick of the Steam Controller is better.
But as it misses a right stick, Flick Stick isn't an option on it, though this use-case still works with the Deck's sloppier sticks and benefits from it's capacitive tops.
The Deck's back buttons being an improvement too, especially when figuring out that they work the best when pushing up, towards the screen.
Usually the Deck used over Steam Link is my favourite controller, before I got a G29 wheel racing games were my exception as here the sloppier sticks get in the way the most.
Agreed on the duel-trackpad typing being great, this is how I can use my Steam Deck as a Linux tablet, my Steam Controller has become a remote for a media PC as it beats linking my phone.
I respect the old Steam Controller hardware and continue to use it, but the Deck is where it was perfected. Here's hoping Valve turns that into a dedicated controller.
I too use the Steam Deck as my main input device for my gaming PC. I used the built-in remote play to connect to my PC after lowering the visual quality settings since I'm not using the video stream but the TV in front of me instead. I usually get around a millisecond or less of additional latency for the inputs. After exclusively gaming with the Steam Controller since its release, the Steam Deck is an almost perfect upgrade. Obviously its size is not ideal, but there are some added benefits with having a huge screen built into your controller, such as editing my controller configs right on the Steam Deck is awesome. I use the touchpads for movement and mouse and I have an always-on gyro that suspends when you touch the right joystick. I was worried that the gyro might suffer since it's being remotely streamed, but it feels like an improvement over using the Steam Controller's gyro.
>Here's hoping Valve turns that into a dedicated controller.
Yes, please!
One thing I miss every day are the Steam Controller's dual stage triggers, though.
The best mouse replacement has to be the Joycons of Nintendo, well at least the concept of joycons. And the best game to see this is actually Splatoon 3. With Joycons of brands like Mobapad and using Gyro I have not seen any other game including overwatch utilize the power it has as good as Splatoon 3 does. The accuracy the speed and the way you can move around just like with a mouse and keyboard is so underrated and even the game itself is such a underrated game. I wish more people would really play the game and appreciate the effort they put in making gyro feel so good.
If mouse isn’t exhaustive then motion isn’t.
It’s just a matter of settings and getting used to it just like with a mouse
Yooo W for shedding light on the steam controller, if only they made a new one and just fixed the build quality overall
You didn't mention it explicitly, so I thought I'd ask: Did you try the trackball setting? I found that great for first person mouse. Fling the trackpad for big movements, then "catch" and slide for fine adjustment. Granted, I suck at FPS and it's been a few years since I've used my Stam Controller, so maybe it's not as precise as I think.
Trackball mode was amazing until flick stick was discovered. Flick stick with gyro is superior for FPS games in every way over the trackball mode.
I’ve fully switched to gyro for my PC games, I genuinely believe it has the potential to elevate my aim skills over every other input method including expensive mice
I love seeing PC players finally discover and adopt gyro, Nintendo and Valve were stupidly ahead of their time.
There Steam controller is subjectively the GOAT. If valve can release a Steam deck controller 2 that has the exact same buttons and layout as the deck with the similar form factor as the og Steam controller then it's game over. GOAT FULL STOP.
I never enjoyed how it felt while playing games, but I often joke how this is the best wireless keyboard+mouse combo I've ever used. I genuinely still use it to this day whenever I want to control my PC from my bed.
I had a steam controller for years, my time with it came to end when it crapped out on me right after I finished Elden RIng
Your steam controller went out with a bang
Wow the production of this is absolutely amazing well done! I would only ask to list name of some of those games next time haha
Happy to heard that second attempt of production is coming.
i don't recommend aiming with the trackpad like how you were. you set the sensitivity horrendously low, so much so that you needed to swipe 3 times to change the angle by only 90 degrees, and didn't use a trackball, which i recommend because it allows you to basically "keep aiming" while you're picking up your finger and repositioning it back onto the trackpad, rather than the choppy motions you were making. that may not be necessary for you if you just increase the sensitivity a bit, but if you choose not to increase the sensitivity, i think it's crazy to not use the ball because you're going to be rapidly picking up your finger over and over and it will definitely save you some swipes.
I haven't seen anyone else say this before, and have a feeling few would agree. But replace the analog stick with a Track Point (the "eraser mouse" found on Lenovo laptops in the middle of the keyboard) with an "analog click" on a harder press.
The same size as those modules, but with a pad that's as wide as an analog stick. Now, the reason I say this...
• Analog input
• No moving parts (may last as long as a button)
• Near zero travel distance (as quick, or possibly quicker strafing than wasd with practice)
I bought mine years ago and it has been my go to controller since. I genuinely love this thing.
The touch pad is a thing, its litteraly touch screen of the mobile device, but as a gamepad part.
That thing litteraly makes you better camera control for shooters. Much easier too aim with it cause its mechanical feels like a mouse, you definetly know how much to swipe to at a position you want
I collect controls. I have 8 Steam controllers and I have really worn my first one. It's a fantastic controller that is incredibly versatile. I'd say part of it's problem is it does everything ok but not much perfect. The steam deck is definitely an improved implementation as you get all the functionality of a controller and the added versatility of gryo, track pads, four fully featured back buttons, and capacitive thumb sticks.
For the original steam controller I find it perfect to use for strategy games designed for a mouse and keyboard. It's very fun to use for games similar to Civilization, X-Com, Dwarf Fortress, Rimworld, or Factorio as these games often have very long play sessions, you can sit back, relax, and manage your empire from your easy chair. It also works fine with most things made for a controller that don't need a d-pad, but since I also have multiple controllers to choose from I usually don't have much reason to reach for the Steam Controller for those.
The thumbnail was so similar to Optimum I thought I was watching him until the voice.. crazy good video bro
Valve got fucked by a patent troll because they used BACK PADDLES and not BUTTONS. I still run this gamepad whenever i can. IT'S SO DAMN TIME FOR A v2.
I use my steam controller since its launch and can't come back to classic analog sticks. you talk about aiming, but I encourage you to try using the left track pad as a left joystick (and the analog joystick as a D-pad) using left trackpad for movement takes a bit of time to get used to, but in the end I find it far more precise than an analog stick, you put your thumb at the center and can really control speed and direction of your character with ease. walking with an analog stick you have to push not to far but still keep the stick in the right position to keep the speed and orientation (the stick want to come back to its center position) with a trackpad you just have to let your thumb at the right position and forget about it. I find it really pleasant for movement especially in 3D platform games.
In my opinion valve try to innovate with the steam controller but should not have left an analog stick. it made people believe there was one stick missing, where in my opinion there was one too many.
I really hope we will have one day a steam controller 2 with improved trackpads (and hope the'll still be circular, i'm not a fan of the square trackpad of the steam deck)
I really enjoyed your video, thank you :)
The thing I like most about the steamdeck trackpads in the ability to play games that either don't have native controller support or just aren't designed for controllers, like FTL or Rimworld or Civ 6. I'd love to have a controller with a trackpad on the right side, if only for games like that.
There's some bits off about the history of this controller. It actually performed fairly well and it's reception was good. It ONLY stopped production and sold off it's inventory because of the law suit (which they went on to win on appeal)
What I use on my steam controller is right track pad in trackball mode with low friction for fast flinging the mouse, with touching the right pad set to gyro aim. It feels great in games like doom eternal.
I am glad to see xbox and playstation slowly adopting steam controller tech, and I'd love a re-release of the steam controller as is, I love the thing.
Not sure if this is your first sponsor, but congratz, Specter!
Proud of you.
The steam controller was a misunderstood masterpiece and Valve smartly built on for the Deck
this dude is optimum but 17-19 years old.... i love it
What game is being played at 1:37 ?
Why does everybody say trackpad aiming is bad? I agree is not as good as mouse or even gyro, but what is this about precision issues and comfort? where is it uncomfortable or imprecise, compared to a joystick? Might not be good enough for profesional shooters, but joysticks aren't either, that's why you pair them with gyro, but that doesn't mean it is okay to say trackpads are bad.
When one of the most important features of the Steam Controllers is regarded as bad just because is different it hurts for the future of a feature that could be on so many more controllers.
Played CSGO gungame with this. Once mixture of settings and muscle memory kicked it it was quite satisfying and good.
And then they changed whole setup that made my config unusable.
Also tried Starcraft 2 for fun and it wasn't half bad. Some actions were faster without the need to remember shortcuts. Biggest problem i hadn't solved was quick swiping around map in more precise way.
Fun device to make by yourself control gimmicks at home and for mixing up a bit from time to time
what is the game in your demo at 1:40?
"Midnight Flight Express" :)
@josephgericke6599 thank you for telling.
What game are you playing at 1:41?
"Midnight Flight Express" :)
Meanwhile, I've already used this Steam Controller since 2016, afterward in last year I just bought DualShock 4, and now my Steam Controller never gets out of the pouch anymore 😂
What game are you playing at 2:35? Looks great! Also awesome video!
risk of rain 2! great game, highly recommend
the trackpad is not bad. The key difference is to use the trackball mode in order to have more motion and control
Doing my part, liking and commenting
What is the Western shooter toward the end of the video? Seems cool!
I bought this controller on release basically just for the ergonomics and I think its still the best in this regard.
what are the games u are playing on the steamdeck
what game was that with the guy who did the quickfire with the revolver
Genuinely would love a second gen thats literally just the controls of the steam deck. Basically the ideal controller for me.
I have my steam controller since 2016 and still use it as my main controller. It is not the best thing for every game but, at least for me, nothing beaten that wide spectrum of possibilities yet. If and when second generation came out, I will be buying it for sure.
I was like "I never miss an optimum video and this was published 5 days ago damn now way!" lol
I played the entirety of Cyberpunk 2077 with Stem Controller + flick stick when it came out. It was a very positive experience. Player the heck out of that controller though with many games its been rather frustrating. My left shoulder button ended up breaking. I´m eagerly awaiting for a Steam Controller 2.
I became a trackpad user against my wishes because I don't have space for a mouse (and my early trackball experience was pretty bad)
trackpad quality is VERY important. going from a windows plastic trackpad to the external magic trackpad is the difference between unplayable and playable (somehow it works wired on my windows machine with gestures and everything? I have no clue what enabled this)
I know a good glass trackpad would make these controllers even more expensive, but it might be worth a try for a company someday
One of the best controllers I’ve ever used.
I use both Xbox controllers and Steam controllers on my PC depending on what I'm playing. One of the best examples I can provide for using the Steam controller is when I play American Truck Simulator or it's Euro counterpart. It's easier to look around with the right track pad while driving using the left thumb stick compared to using the two thumb sticks on the Xbox controller. It's even easier that using a steering wheel because I have to one hand the wheel while using my other hand to mouse look. A Tobi tracker would be great but without those options the Steam controller actually works better than other combinations. And there are a few others like that as well, especially on PC games that don't support a controller natively where the Steam controller still works for them.
I've been a keyboard/mouse player pretty much my whole life, only past few years having used controllers for the handful of games that are strictly designed around them
and even though i don't really play platformers or racing games and the like, i still find them more fun to play with a keyboard. The analogue function of joysticks to me feels less responsive and accurate (likely due to inexperience) than simply tapping keys at different speeds to achieve a more or less similar effect.
Hell, i'd even go as far as to say i found more fun playing games like codm with touchscreen controls rather than a controller, again to an extent because of the lack of experience, but i just found touchscreen aiming to be much closer to mouse aim.
Touchpads are basically the ideal middle between both, only made even better with gyro.
WHY HAVE THEY NOT MADE A NEW VERSION OF THIS?
The Steam Deck proves that the control scheme CAN work, but they just didn't do it quite right. With some tweaking and fine tuning they could absolutely make a Steam Controller 2.0 and it could do really well.
I always wanted to mix the precission of mouse control and the versatility of the left joystick for moving my character, and I never felt quite there with mouse and keyboard combo or a gamepad, but this controller has done it for me. I finally can be competent at shooters, I can play Doom 2016 and earn tons of headshots and the gyro is someting that every single controller should implement (I'm looking at you, Microsoft).
Also this controller allows me to p lay my PC games on the couch with Steamlink on my Apple TV and play games that would be impossible to manage correctly with a console version due to the limits of the standard controller, and the touchpads nail this task.
Don't get me wrong, there are games that work better with a standard controller, like Dark Souls or Tomb Raider, but for games that actually need you to move fast and point quick, THIS is a fantastic controller, and it's absolutely amazing in competitive fps games.
Edit: I got mine on Wallapop for 5€ and it's one of the best deals of my life for sure.
Unpopular option: I hope for a trackball instead of a left trackpad on the next generation.
I highly recommend checking out ramble can. He has some interesting layouts that really utilize the unique features of the controller. The left pad can work really well as movement, and the track pads can even act as your face buttons. It's immensely versatile. If the prototypes were anything to go by, the joystick and face buttons were really only added in for familiarity more than actual need. The ergonomics heavily favor the pads. Also try adjusting the axis of the right pad. Try to find the natural angle that your thumb swipes at. Mine is around 30 degrees. Then turn down your vertical sensitivity a bit. Your trackpad should easily act as a viable alternative for flick stick. It will do your large camera movements like doing a 180 degree turn in a swipe. For gyro, I would use somewhere around 4x your real movements, and put your vertical sensitivity a little lower. Something around 60% of your horizontal sensitivity is usually good. Last but not least, rest your controller on your lap or on a desk for added stability.
I have well over 20,000 hours using Steam Controllers. I can confidently say that with enough playing with configurations, and practice, you can get your aim in shooters on par with a mouse. I only really use mice for work, but with any aim trainers I have used recently, I score much higher with the Steam controller than with my gaming mice. They break easily, the build quality feels cheap, and dialing in a config for a new game can be frustrating, but I would never go back to using a mouse in any game. I want my Steam Controller, or I'd rather just go outside and not game haha.
Once you build some muscle memory on the trackpad, it preformes similarly to a mouse. Although I doubt one could ever surpass the precision of a mouse.
Some games work really well with joystick and touchpad on Steam Deck, but there are some where the in game controls have to be tailored to one or the other. Skyrim for instance, I could tweak the controls to work really well with either the joystick or touchpad, but not both. Once you figure out how to adjust everything for the touchpad it's really nice. It's especially useful for situations where gyro aiming isn't possible, like being inside a moving vehicle.
Whats the game at 1:38 ?
"Midnight Flight Express" :)
1:41 what game is that?
the steam controller is one of my all time favourite controllers purely because of the trackpads, and if you were having trouble getting it to work well it’s likely because you were using the mouse-like joystick mode and didn’t set it up right (because by default it’s crap). in the old steam big picture mode that output mode worked flawlessly, but in the modern one it is actually shit and requires a lot of fiddling to get 80% there
when you set up the steam controller to output mouse movements, tho, you really feel it. it’s quite sensitive and accurate, and makes playing m&kb games with it super slick. the fact that no one seems to get that has bugged me since it came out (i got mine on release i think). i would use mouse output by default but literally every game has the control icons change based on input (it if supports both at all) so using joystick movement and mouse look typically causes the icons to flicker
i would say tho, if valve were to make a v2 they really should use the steam deck layout. not only would dual joysticks be better received, having 2 joysticks and 2 trackpads and 4 back buttons helps tremendously when mapping to a m&kb game, since it gives you so many more mappable buttons to use (it is also comfier to hold, but the deck as a whole is a lot bulkier unfortunately)
Steam Controller was amazing with racing games as I could control the steering with far more finesse than the analog stick. I have my racing rig and all that but the convenience of just picking up the controller is so much easier.
Remember that I couldn't get used to the keyboard when I switched to PC, got a Steam controller dirt cheao at the flea market. It took a while to get used to, nut now after 2 years playing with it any other controller feels lame, we need more trackpad + gyro controllers in the market.
Still my favorite controller hands-down
Desperately wish they would make a version 2
i thought its optimum
I own this controller, was very hyped for when it first came out. I've given it many attempts to use it.
From a software standpoint it was amazing, second to none. But i hate it. Using it reminded me why no one games with a laptop track pad. Its track pads are good for what they are but they aren't a replacement to a joystick or a mouse. The reason it works so much better on the steam deck is because the steam deck has two track pads, AND two sticks.
The steam controller was also just a weird hand feel, just reaching everything felt awkward, its not very comfortable.
Still have mine, got it shortly before they stopped selling them. It was on sale with the steam link for 11€.
Why don't they build a controller that has a trackball instead of a right joystick? Seems like the best of both worlds, to me
What’s the game at 1:40?
"Midnight Flight Express" :)
It’s Aimlab
there are rumors recently that valve is working on a second version
ive got 2 and have used them since release, great controller, good for just couch browsing too
I bought a steam controller at launch and hated it. Now after going back to it last year and spending time to learn and use it and its become my favorite controller I own. Value please make a steam controller 2
My man with that thumbnail i thought you were optimum tech
Bought it almost day one, and still using it, best controller ever (except for fighting games, I love using d-pad in 'em)
Could you please name all your games in the video?
Sold mine awhile back. Considering I got it for $5 + shipping and sold it for a hundred on eBay, not a bad purchase. I tried to get it to work and gave up. And it's not like I suck at this sort of thing. I currently play World of Warcraft with a Xbox Elite controller and reWASD.
Really good video, I was thinking about picking one up but I don't think I will anymore. I tried gyro on PS5 and I just didn't like it after 4 weeks, your at a disadvantage with aim assist on controllers and against mouse and keyboard. The other issue is over 95% of games do not support GOOD gyro (COD is the only game I've played that has really good implementation) so trying to build muscle memory is close to impossible if you bounce between games. I would rather just plug in my Superlight 2 dongle to the console and call it day.
I do like the fact gyro and the trackpads bring more accessibility to controllers for people with motor disabilities.