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[Crayon]

Edit: Author of article kindly chimes in at post #197:

So.. I'm the guy that wrote the Engadget post. Wish I checked gaf sooner, you folks are having a hell of a discussion with a lot of awesome points. I'm going to cherry pick just a few though.

Here we go.

/snip

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You may have been ignoring the steam hardware review thread that's been bumping once in awhile. An article from engadget recently appeared and it's definitely not a review:

Engadget: We hate Valve's Steam Controller because it's different

I was angry at the gaming community for being closed-minded; furious that a "fear of change" was keeping evolution in controller design from flourishing

Instead, the Steam Controller's potential to change the current controller paradigm is overshadowed by both the effort required to master the strange device and the prejudiced fear of change that challenge promotes.

The Steam Controller is an amazing evolution in game control, but far too many gamers will never know. And all because change is hard.

It's not a review but a strong opinion on the negative reaction to the controller. This article is a good read, but it you choose not to read it, I will say that the author somewhat comes to terms with the situation but feels a bit sour.

I love the controller for the last month I've had it, but I'm not surprised at all by the poor reception. A behemoth marketing campaign could have rammed it up everyone's ass and we'd all be throwing parades for the controller and reading glowing previews, reviews, hands on, unboxings and all that happy horseshit. Carrying on with the social media turfer army and a pr robot twitter account and the whole nine. And ya'll would have ate it up. I've been told I can be cynical at times. Enough poisoning the well, that's just me.

I want to know if this article strikes a chord with anyone else. Because when I read it, I felt like it is onto something bigger than the steam controller. Know what I'm sayin?

Are gamers fearful of change? Are those that are more vocal?
Are you scured of new things?

Spoiler

Are you lying?

 

[superNESjoe]

I don't like it because it doesn't feel intuitive and makes lots of games more difficult to play than with either keyboard/mouse or a traditional gamepad. It's trying to be the best of both worlds and it fails to be good at either.

But yeah, it's a lot easier to make a point if you just dismiss my opinion as me simply bring ignorant or afraid of change.

I've been gaming for 25 years, and through that time I've adapted to plenty of change. New controllers, the introduction of 3D, new and reinvented genres, online multiplayer, etc. I don't think new concepts and new things are this controllers biggest problem.

 

[JaseC]

Lack of familiarity was always going to make for a problematic critical reception; what has become the standard game controller has more or less existed since the original dualshock. It also doesn't help that people who've never used the controller tend to assert, for instance, that it's bad for fighting games or the trackpads aren't as accurate as analogue sticks.

 

[Garou]

It's like people hating on Splatoons gyro-aiming all over again. One of the best innovations of the last decade.

 

[samn]

It's like people hating on Splatoons gyro-aiming all over again. One of the best innovations of the last decade.

Splatoon's gyro aiming didn't require a large amount of time to configure correctly.

 

[Lothars]

It could also be the fact that the controller may not be the be all to everyone, it's possible that it's a great controller but to say that it's because people are automatically against it since its new tell me you are out to lunch.

 

[Kysen]

A track pad will never be as good as an analogue stick. Being different for the sake of it isn't a good enough reason to use the device. The steam controller is on the same level as a 3 wheeled car.

 

[family_guy]

They should have just release advanced versions of the Wii Remote and Nunchuck.

 

[Astral/H3X]

Splatoon's gyro aiming didn't require a large amount of time to configure correctly.

It.... doesn't? It was about 5 minutes from hearing of trying it, to getting headshots in CS with gyro assisted aim. And I'm counting the time it takes to boot into CS and find a map.

A track pad will never be as good as an analogue stick. Being different for the sake of it isn't a good enough reason to use the device. The steam controller is on the same level as a 3 wheeled car.

You better be fucking joking, because the trackpad shits on a control stick from a very, very high place, for everything except movement. And that's only if you prefer analog movement, which not everyone does.

 

[Orayn]

A track pad will never be as good as an analogue stick. Being different for the sake of it isn't a good enough reason to use the device. The steam controller is on the same level as a 3 wheeled car.

A trackpad at least has the potential to be a first order input device, which makes it better by default. Same goes for optical pointer aiming.

 

[Tain]

A good showpiece game with native support to help people recognize the situations in which it's better than a normal gamepad and KBM might have helped. A little.

 

[FStop7]

Gadget-fetishist site loves gadget and is so mad that you don't

 

[Usobuko]

Jack of all trade, master of none.

The other control schemes while allow you to use them for many genres, they are still the best option at least for a particular niche.

 

[SolidSnakex]

Are gamers fearful of change? Are those that are more vocal?
Are you scured of new things?

Spoiler

Are you lying?

Not when it's something that they feel works properly. I don't remember a ton of hate for analog sticks when they hit. Instead you saw basically every manufacturer scrambling to make controllers with them because it was the obvious way to control characters in a 3D environment.

 

[Doctor Ironic]

A good showpiece game with native support to help people recognize the situations in which it's better than a normal gamepad and KBM might have helped. A little.

Portal 2 comes with it and is a first person game that doesn't require you to make fast reactions. It's the perfect showcase game, but everybody who was going to play it has by now.

 

[ZeroX03]

It's like people hating on Splatoons gyro-aiming all over again. One of the best innovations of the last decade.

I love gyro aiming... when the image is on the screen. Gyro aiming where the controller is separate to the screen will never feel natural to me. But on a handheld or an off-screen Wii U game it's great.

I like the Wii remote and arcade sticks too. I like learning new controllers.

 

[GRaider81]

Jack of all trade, master of none.

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Yeah thats the rhetoric a lot of sites are going with.

I personally haven' tried it but im definitely not writing it off before spending some time with it.

 

[Gxgear]

So this is the gaming version of being a vegan?

 

[Firestorm]

The Steam Controller at a glance seems like a compromise between using an Xbox controller and Keyboard & Mouse. I see it as pretty much Valve has positioned it as which is something you can use to play both KB&M games as well as gamepad games on a Steam Machine on your TV.

They haven't done a great job at convincing me it's better than a keyboard and mouse for games that are best with a keyboard and mouse. They haven't done a great job at convincing me it's better than a 360 or One controller for games best played with a gamepad. They have convinced me if I could only have one of the three, it offers me the widest variety of games to play.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

It kind of reminds me how some people say that a steering wheel is a needless holdover from an earlier era, and cars should look into ditching such an antiquated input device.

But, if you asked me, I wouldn't be able to come up an alternative method to control a car that is as precise or as effective as a steering wheel. What could possibly replace a steering wheel?

That doesn't mean something eventually won't, or that there isn't a better way to drive sitting undeveloped in a lab right now, it just means it can be very hard to think outside of the frames you are used to.

I have a very hard time imagining play a game without joysticks. What could possibly replace the sensitivity of joysticks? Other than keyboard and mouse, of course, but we are talking controllers.

So while I have nothing against the Steam controller and I would never attempt to tarnish it, it's a hard sell for me. Because, simply, I am happy with what I have. I have been using sticks my entire life. What is my incentive to change if I am happy with what I am using?

It could be a different story if I got my hands on one and found it a markedly superior experience, but there is a thick barrier of entry I am not compelled to try right now.

"Right now" is key, because eventually I'm sure curiosity will build up and will be enough of an incentive on its own.

 

[Orayn]

Not when it's something that they feel works properly. I don't remember a ton of hate for analog sticks when they hit. Instead you saw basically every manufacturer scrambling to make controllers with them because it was the obvious way to control characters in a 3D environment.

While it wasn't outright hate, a lot of Japanese games were analog-averse and used purely digital control well into the 2000's.

 

[CorrisD]

It's like people hating on Splatoons gyro-aiming all over again. One of the best innovations of the last decade.

Was splat pons gyro aiming like Uncharteds on the Vita? Because it made for some sweet twitch shots, why do people hate it?

 

[Crayon]

Not when it's something that they feel works properly. I don't remember a ton of hate for analog sticks when they hit. Instead you saw basically every manufacturer scrambling to make controllers with them because it was the obvious way to control characters in a 3D environment.

I have to say, I think gaming culture was quite a bit different back when n64 came out. The average gamer is certainly older. Perhaps more set in their ways. Controller innovation also slowed considerably since then.

 

[Raticus79]

Having to add non-Steam games to the library and run them through big picture mode to access the configuration options doesn't help the situation.

 

[ElTorro]

It will definitely take some time to get used to it.

But I honestly don't know how to do a better job when your goal is to design a couch-compatible controller that can potentially handle all legacy games and new games on Steam. The design is probably the best you can do to achieve that.

 

[Calm Killer]

To me personally, it's a if it's not broken dont fix it type of thing. I dont want you to fix my Xbox one controller, its already perfect for me. That is why I wouldn't buy it.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

Not when it's something that they feel works properly. I don't remember a ton of hate for analog sticks when they hit. Instead you saw basically every manufacturer scrambling to make controllers with them because it was the obvious way to control characters in a 3D environment.

Humorous anecdote: I had a friend who began crying uncontrollably when they couldn't use the D-Pad to move around in GoldenEye.

"You have to use the joystick."

"But I don't WANT to use the joystick!"

It was a disaster.

 

[twobear]

i think it's familiarity that makes us think that analogue sticks are the most obvious way to navigate 3d space. they're obviously better than d-pads, but you only have to watch someone who doesn't play many games to see that it's far from obvious and intuitive.

 

[openrob]

Yeah...That is why the Wii sold so poorly I guess.
And the DS to boot.

 

[SURGEdude]

The Steam Controller at a glance seems like a compromise between using an Xbox controller and Keyboard & Mouse. I see it as pretty much Valve has positioned it as which is something you can use to play both KB&M games as well as gamepad games on a Steam Machine on your TV.

They haven't done a great job at convincing me it's better than a keyboard and mouse for games that are best with a keyboard and mouse. They haven't done a great job at convincing me it's better than a 360 or One controller for games best played with a gamepad. They have convinced me if I could only have one of the three, it offers me the widest variety of games to play.

This is my read of it as well. However I'm still looking forward to some hands on time in a few weeks when I get around to checking mine out more carefully.

 

[Shawsie64]

A track pad will never be as good as an analogue stick. Being different for the sake of it isn't a good enough reason to use the device. The steam controller is on the same level as a 3 wheeled car.

Is this a joke post?

 

[QaaQer]

People, all people are creatures of habit and resist change mightily unless there is a really good reason to, like constant hunger.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

It's pretty clear from our unanimous posts that the Steam controller is uncompelling because we are simply satisfied with our current pads.

Which also makes it pretty clear that we don't "hate" the Steam controller just "because it's different." Rather, we are indifferent to the controller entirely.

If Valve wants to sell the controller, the center of their marketing should be why it's an improvement over what we are already using. And this should also influence converts when they make recommendations to others.

 

[FriedConsole]

I wonder if the people who are for or against it would change if Nintendo made this instead of Valve.

 

[Crayon]

i think it's familiarity that makes us think that analogue sticks are the most obvious way to navigate 3d space. they're obviously better than d-pads, but you only have to watch someone who doesn't play many games to see that it's far from obvious and intuitive.

Truth. Those of us old enough to remember switching to analog sticks off a mouse may recall the learning curve. My gf, who only started learning to use dual-stick fps controls 2 years ago, had much less trouble than I adjusting to the controller. In fact, she practically didn't have to adjust at all and for the first several days, could handle it more accurately than I despite her relative newness to fps.

 

[Marty Chinn]

What they should have done is focused on a controller to replace a keyboard and mouse and not worried about replacing a standard control pad. Then they could have maybe made something great rather than trying to cover everything. I'd have no issue picking up the right controller for the right situation. The only cumbersome issue is getting a mouse and keyboard comfy on a couch.

 

[Aceofspades]

Different is not always good.

 

[Orayn]

I wonder if the people who are for or against it would change if Nintendo made this instead of Valve.

I don't think the reaction would be dramatically different, to be honest. The core components of "WHY DID THEY CHANGE WHAT WORKS" and "THAT LOOKS WEIRD, IT MUST SUCK" would remain largely the same.

 

[stan423321]

It kind of reminds me how some people say that a steering wheel is a needless holdover from an earlier era, and cars should look into ditching such an antiquated input device.

But, if you asked me, I wouldn't be able to come up an alternative method to control a car that is as precise or as effective as a steering wheel. What could possibly replace a steering wheel?

Keyboard.

Everything should be replaced by keyboards.

 

[ElTorro]

Different is not always good.

If you want to support games without native controller support you have to try something different.

 

[QaaQer]

Truth. Those of us old enough to remember switching to analog sticks off a mouse may recall the learning curve. My gf, who only started learning to use dual-stick fps controls 2 years ago, had much less trouble than I adjusting to the controller. In fact, she practically didn't have to adjust at all and for the first several days, could handle it more accurately than I despite her relative newness to fps.

You gave a dual analog to someone who has never used one and she took to it like a duck to water?

 

[Shawsie64]

It's pretty clear from our unanimous posts that the Steam controller is uncompelling because we are simply satisfied with our current pads.

Which also makes it pretty clear that we don't "hate" the Steam controller just "because it's different." Rather, we are indifferent to the controller entirely.

If Valve wants to sell the controller, the center of their marketing should be why it's an improvement over what we are already using. And this should also influence converts when they make recommendations to others.

I was far from satisfied with my Xbox One gamepad to play FPS on my PC. Inaccurate is understating it.

I suffer from RSI in my wrist so can't use a mouse for long at all and when I have to its at work. Wanting to be competitive on my home theatre setup was all I could ever wish for and the Steam Controller is perfect for me. Its so much more accurate than the Xbox One pad its not funny.

Hey maybe I'm in the niche but allot of other people do feel the same way as me, majority of them PC gamers at heart with a wife and kids that don't want to be confined to a PC desk.

 

[low-G]

Valve should send out 1 million of them for free to those with the controller on this wish list to stir up positive chatter.

 

[JaseC]

Is this a joke post?

I'd wager most if not all of the gloom surrounding the trackpads is born from the erroneous assumption that all Valve has done is taken a couple of laptop touchpads and shrunk them. When people see "trackpad", they think "playing an FPS on a notebook".

 

[QaaQer]

Keyboard.

Everything should be replaced by keyboards.

Driving only using wasd irl. I'd pay to try that.

 

[FriedConsole]

It's pretty clear from our unanimous posts that the Steam controller is uncompelling because we are simply satisfied with our current pads.

You reach a certain pinnacle of design where if you change something there is more negatives that positives. It is like how people keep coming up with designs for better toilets. People keep trying but you know what? That design done back in the 1596 turns out to best and that is why all the other "improved" toilet designs don't exist anymore and that is why your toilet in your house is the same design from the 1596.

 

[QaaQer]

You reach a certain pinnacle of design where if you change something there is more negatives that positives. It is like how people keep coming up with designs for better toilets. People keep trying but you know what? That design done back in the 1930s turns out to best and that is why all the other "improved" toilet designs don't exist anymore and that is why your toilet in your house is the same design from the 1930's.

Many in Japan have better toilets and don't just smear poop around with paper.

Edit + bidets. Americans are a little backward. I call them poopybums.

 

[Finale Fireworker]

I was far from satisfied with my Xbox One gamepad to play FPS on my PC. Inaccurate is understating it.

I suffer from RSI in my wrist so can't use a mouse for long at all and when I have to its at work. Wanting to be competitive on my home theatre setup was all I could ever wish for an the Steam Controller is perfect for me. Its so much more accurate than the Xbox One pad its not funny.

Hey maybe I'm in the niche but allot of other people do feel the same way as me, majority of them PC gamers at heart with a wife and kids that don't want to be confined to a PC desk.

I wonder if we are all just delusional regarding the accuracy of our controllers, then. I've never felt inaccurate, but when I think about it, I was always decidedly MORE accurate with the Wii Remote IR pointer.

Which makes it pretty clear that there is room to improve, even if I am satisfied with my DS4.

 

[Tain]

It will definitely take some time to get used to it.

But I honestly don't know how to do a better job when your goal is to design a couch-compatible controller that can potentially handle all legacy games and new games on Steam. The design is probably the best you can do to achieve that.

This is how I feel. I mean, it's almost as good as it can be for its goal.

I find no personal value in that goal, but there are definitely people I'd suggest it for.

 

[yami4ct]

The problem for me is that it doesn't really solve any problem I have. I'm fine with current pads for couch gaming. For games I want to play on a TV, that is a pretty perfect setup. For M+K stuff, I want to be up close to a monitor. I don't want to play an RTS, city builder, or any game that works better for M+K on a TV and couch.