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[Sleeping Lesson]

I've seen a lot of people mention the great battery life, but mine doesn't seem particularly impressive. I'm replacing them every 3-4 weeks, is that worse than expected? I use the controller a lot for desktop navigation though.

 

[Nabs]

I've seen a lot of people mention the great battery life, but mine doesn't seem particularly impressive. I'm replacing them every 3-4 weeks, is that worse than expected? I use the controller a lot for desktop navigation though.

I replace mine every 3-4 weeks as well, but that's after 80 hrs of use. I used to have to charge my DS4 every other night.

Eneloop rechargeable batteries really come in handy.

 

[pmj]

Speaking of batteries, my controller just started complaining about low charge on the batteries included with the controller.

I tried switching them with rechargeable batteries, but turning the controller on just flashes the light on the Steam button and then the controller turns off. I've tried several pairs of fully charged batteries and it's the same with all of them.

These batteries are fairly old at this point, but they have powered my 360 controller through hundreds of hours of play and have continued to serve me well in my bicycle lights, so I don't think there's anything wrong with them, though obviously the Steam controller disagrees.

 

[ibu]

Speaking of batteries, my controller just started complaining about low charge on the batteries included with the controller.

I tried switching them with rechargeable batteries, but turning the controller on just flashes the light on the Steam button and then the controller turns off. I've tried several pairs of fully charged batteries and it's the same with all of them.

These batteries are fairly old at this point, but they have powered my 360 controller through hundreds of hours of play and have continued to serve me well in my bicycle lights, so I don't think there's anything wrong with them, though obviously the Steam controller disagrees.

Get the Amazon basics rechargeable batteries, they're cheap and brilliant

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

Once again I can't turn the controller off. What happened to the updates this past month or so?

 

[kinn]

Does anyone here have experience with sending back their Steam Controller for a replacement? It's been about four days since I sent it, and Valve has yet to get back to me. Do they usually let you know once they've received it, or do they not notify you until they send it back? I don't mean to sound impatient, I'm just a bit worried. It's been a good while without any sort of response. I'd love to think that they're just sifting through a lot of controllers lately, but I have no way to confirm that.

Yeah...they can take awhile to send a replacement . Cant recall getting an email to notify that they got it. You could fire off an email asking for an update.

 

[Ucchedavāda]

I've seen a lot of people mention the great battery life, but mine doesn't seem particularly impressive. I'm replacing them every 3-4 weeks, is that worse than expected? I use the controller a lot for desktop navigation though.

The included Duracells just died for me, after the controller had been flashing for a few days. I'd estimate that I've been using it for somewhere between 70 - 100 hours of in-game time, over the last 6 weeks. However, this is my first wireless controller, so I am not sure either how long it is supposed to last, and the longevity probably also heavily depends on the quality of the batteries you are using.

One annoyance was that after the controller died (while playing Dark Souls, yikes), and I had put in new batteries, the controller was no longer recognized by the game. I wonder if that is a limitation of the game or of the controller software.

 

[Layell]

So does this actually make all games playable with a controller?

I can play others on TF2 just fine and played a decent number of vs computer matches of Age of Empires. So if it can handle FPS and RTS well enough I'd say yes. Anything on Steam is certainly playable, things not on Steam may need a bit of fine tuning to get right with the Steam overlay.

The only game I can't imagine happening at the moment is Skyward Sword because of Wii Motion Plus, but my current Dolphin Library works fantastic too.

The only barrier is a bit of fine tuning necessary to get the dev/recommended control scheme right for you.

 

[luchifer]

I really regret buying the steam link / controller.

Steam Link requires you to use a ethernet cable to work properly, so you can use a long hdmi cable for the same price. Plus, if you play non - steam games, sometimes you cant see the video, only the sound. Also, no surround support, and you cant plug a wacom or headphones into the Steam Link, so you will need wires or purchase some bluetooth headphones.

Steam controller, same thing, no full support for non steam games (my non steam Syndicate does not recognize the controller). And, even after messing with all the controller settings, I cant lockpick chests in Assasins Creed III with the steam controller. Also, no force feedback.

 

[Trouble]

Steam controller, same thing, no full support for non steam games (my non steam Syndicate does not recognize the controller). And, even after messing with all the controller settings, I cant lockpick chests in Assasins Creed III with the steam controller. Also, no force feedback.

Are you launching them via Steam? You need the steam overlay for full support, otherwise it just appears as an xinput device.

This is a pain with some Origin/Uplay games, and I do hope they decouple the controller config stuff from the Steam client at some point in the future. I kinda doubt supporting games outside of Steam is high on Valve's priority list, though.

 

[luchifer]

Are you launching them via Steam? You need the steam overlay for full support, otherwise it just appears as an xinput device.

This is a pain with some Origin/Uplay games, and I do hope they decouple the controller config stuff from the Steam client at some point in the future. I kinda doubt supporting games outside of Steam is high on Valve's priority list, though.

Yes, Im launching them via steam, I also went into the steam beta and update my steam controller to see if that helped. Syndicate is non steam (I tried via steam and alse without) but Assasins Creed 3 is a steam game and I have problems with it too.

 

[Augustiner]

I had read a post many pages back that said Steam was adding support for non-steam purchased games. However, when I try it, there is not such support. The game is not recognized when added, so I'm not sure what is up with that.

Edit: Here it is http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=188731166&postcount=3954.
Sounds like it's only in the beta program for now?

 

[ersocaster]

I really regret buying the steam link / controller.

Steam Link requires you to use a ethernet cable to work properly, so you can use a long hdmi cable for the same price. Plus, if you play non - steam games, sometimes you cant see the video, only the sound. Also, no surround support, and you cant plug a wacom or headphones into the Steam Link, so you will need wires or purchase some bluetooth headphones.

Steam controller, same thing, no full support for non steam games (my non steam Syndicate does not recognize the controller). And, even after messing with all the controller settings, I cant lockpick chests in Assasins Creed III with the steam controller. Also, no force feedback.

I use a steam link with 5GHz WiFi. Works great. Every once in a while there is interference, but it's solid 99% of the time.

Also, long Ethernet > long HDMI.

 

[charlequin]

I had read a post many pages back that said Steam was adding support for non-steam purchased games. However, when I try it, there is not such support. The game is not recognized when added, so I'm not sure what is up with that.

Edit: Here it is http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=188731166&postcount=3954.
Sounds like it's only in the beta program for now?

You should assume basically all added features for the Steam Controller are only in the Beta at this point. You can just switch over whenever you want so if they're appealing you probably just want to turn on the beta client; I've been running it for years and never really had any problems as a result.

 

[LilJoka]

I really regret buying the steam link / controller.

Steam Link requires you to use a ethernet cable to work properly, so you can use a long hdmi cable for the same price. Plus, if you play non - steam games, sometimes you cant see the video, only the sound. Also, no surround support, and you cant plug a wacom or headphones into the Steam Link, so you will need wires or purchase some bluetooth headphones.

Steam controller, same thing, no full support for non steam games (my non steam Syndicate does not recognize the controller). And, even after messing with all the controller settings, I cant lockpick chests in Assasins Creed III with the steam controller. Also, no force feedback.

Thought surround sound was added in the latest beta?

 

[Candescence]

I finally got sick of waiting for the controller to come to Australia and just ordered an import via Amazon. Unfortunately had to pay a lot more for it, but it'll be worth it, I think.

 

[Nzyme32]

I had read a post many pages back that said Steam was adding support for non-steam purchased games. However, when I try it, there is not such support. The game is not recognized when added, so I'm not sure what is up with that.

Edit: Here it is http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=188731166&postcount=3954.
Sounds like it's only in the beta program for now?

You should assume basically all added features for the Steam Controller are only in the Beta at this point. You can just switch over whenever you want so if they're appealing you probably just want to turn on the beta client; I've been running it for years and never really had any problems as a result.

Yeah the beta is where these features are at, but the downside is running into bugs and issues along the way. I've specifically avoided updating the OP till they release all the beta stuff officially. They have done a lot of changes and seemingly keep iterating and adding features frequently.

 

[hateradio]

Any configs for PPSSPP? Can't seem to get the thumb pad to work right.

 

[Nerrel]

I tried to make a scheme for RE0 where resting the thumb on the right pad would trigger B for run, but pressing the pad would trigger A for actions. That way it would kind of feel like the Gamecube's big A button while eliminating the need to reach for a face button (all other actions are on the grips/triggers). I was disappointed to see it's not possible; the best I could do is get run to activate when my thumb rested on the pad, but pressing for "A" wouldn't work without holding a trigger for mode shifting. Is there some way that I'm missing of having the click register as the modeshifter without using a trigger?

I ended up mapping run to the outer rim of the analog stick instead. It works really well and has the bonus of easy quick turns just by pressing backwards on the stick. The only problem is that moving the analog stick too far in menus causes the game to back out and cancel selection. The trackpad setup would be a little better, but Steam just won't allow me to map the actions I want the way I'd like to.

 

[Oreoleo]

I tried to make a scheme for RE0 where resting the thumb on the right pad would trigger B for run, but pressing the pad would trigger A for actions. That way it would kind of feel like the Gamecube's big A button while eliminating the need to reach for a face button (all other actions are on the grips/triggers). I was disappointed to see it's not possible; the best I could do is get run to activate when my thumb rested on the pad, but pressing for "A" wouldn't work without holding a trigger for mode shifting. Is there some way that I'm missing of having the click register as the modeshifter without using a trigger?

I ended up mapping run to the outer rim of the analog stick instead. It works really well and has the bonus of easy quick turns just by pressing backwards on the stick. The only problem is that moving the analog stick too far in menus causes the game to back out and cancel selection. The trackpad setup would be a little better, but Steam just won't allow me to map the actions I want the way I'd like to.

I don't have RE0 or REmake to test any of this, but you're mapping it to emulate the Xbox controller (as opposed to whatever run and action is on keyboard)? The editor for the Steam controller has separate commands for "on press" and "on click" on the right pad so I'm guessing it's something in the code of the game that doesn't allow multiple button presses at once rather than a limitation with the controller itself. I would try binding everything to keyboard and mouse if you haven't already, OR try setting run to a double tap/touch of the right pad rather than a single touch. That way when you want to click for 'action' you can just remove your thumb from the pad real quick so it isn't registering as two button presses at once. Just spit balling, hope it helps!

 

[Brandon F]

So does this actually make all games playable with a controller?

As stated, implementation on legacy games that never featured or functioned with controller support is mostly phenomenal. It's marvelous to tinker with settings on the fly, pouring through the myriad community profiles to use as a baseline for editing in personal tweaks. It can be extremely satisfying(and fun) doing so. (Pillars of Eternity, Witcher 1, Civ V, Infinity Engine RPG's, etc... are some examples of what I am enjoying with it)

It does take a good while to condition yourself to the physical feel and layout as first impression may leave you wanting to not bother(it can feel awkward coming off a standard console controller). In time it becomes a non-issue, and the ability to make adjustments instantaneously on the fly in any game is what makes it all work. You tweak freely from the Guide button menus and the games never have a problem.

That said, I do find myself gravitating back to an Xbox One/360 controller for games that feature native support. Mostly a matter of familiarity, even though many profiles do a fine job emulating that experience. The Steam controller does offer the added grip buttons and the accelerometer for fine-tune aiming which some would argue adds an extra layer of customization and control over pure right stick fondling.

Essentially, I still keep my Xbox One controller close by for those 'console PC ports' regardless.

 

[ZServ]

Hm. I've been having major issues with mouse regions and Diablo III. The region seems to shoot back and forth between opposite ends of the joystick' axis. Anyone else had a similar issue, or do I just need to wait for Valve to fix it?

 

[Nerrel]

I don't have RE0 or REmake to test any of this, but you're mapping it to emulate the Xbox controller (as opposed to whatever run and action is on keyboard)? The editor for the Steam controller has separate commands for "on press" and "on click" on the right pad so I'm guessing it's something in the code of the game that doesn't allow multiple button presses at once rather than a limitation with the controller itself.

It's in Xinput mode, and the game itself has no limitations. I just can't get the settings to behave the way you describe. There's no "on press" option. I set it as a button diamond, then mapped all buttons to B (run) and disabled "requires click." That way, it activated run when my thumb rested anywhere on the pad. The problem is that I don't know how to assign an action to click from there without using mode shifting, since it doesn't give you an option for "on click" when in diamond button mode. You can do "on click" when in joystick mode, but then I don't have any way of setting the run action for "on press."

 

[Unai]

It's in Xinput mode, and the game itself has no limitations. I just can't get the settings to behave the way you describe. There's no "on press" option. I set it as a button diamond, then mapped all buttons to B (run) and disabled "requires click." That way, it activated run when my thumb rested anywhere on the pad. The problem is that I don't know how to assign an action to click from there without using mode shifting, since it doesn't give you an option for "on click" when in diamond button mode. You can do "on click" when in joystick mode, but then I don't have any way of setting the run action for "on press."

I don't understand the bolded part. With the modifier you can set the new commands anyway you want. Are those images not like the thing you want to do?

When you touch up the trackpad it will send the xbox Y buttom press to the game, and when you click it, it will send the keyboard P key.

Unless I'm misunderstanding what you want to do.

Edit: When Oreoleo says on press, he means the primary setting with requires click = off. On click is the alternative setting with the modifier set to "Right pad click".

 

[Oreoleo]

It's in Xinput mode, and the game itself has no limitations. I just can't get the settings to behave the way you describe. There's no "on press" option. I set it as a button diamond, then mapped all buttons to B (run) and disabled "requires click." That way, it activated run when my thumb rested anywhere on the pad. The problem is that I don't know how to assign an action to click from there without using mode shifting, since it doesn't give you an option for "on click" when in diamond button mode. You can do "on click" when in joystick mode, but then I don't have any way of setting the run action for "on press."

Ah, okay. I thought you had the right pad set as a mouse. If you put it in mouse mode you can set it the way you want. Run button on press, action button on click. Don't need the button diamond at all! Looks like UnaiGamer's solution would work as well.

 

[Nerrel]

I don't understand the bolded part. With the modifier you can set the new commands anyway you want. Are those images not like the thing you want to do?

EDIT: Figured it out. It wasn't scrolling down the menu when I opened the mode shift dropdown. Thanks for helping an idiot use his computer.

 

[Ucchedavāda]

The latest Steam beta (Jan 26th) adds a small fix for the SC:

• Improved Touch Menu performance in certain DX9 titles

http://steamcommunity.com/groups/SteamClientBeta#announcements/detail/903337784334862903

Not sure exactly what that change entails, however.

 

[Citizen K]

My controller arrived yesterday. I feel like its gonna be a steep learning curve.

Does the analogue stick have some sort of resistance, when I push in any direction there is eventually a little 'click' or something, is this normal?

Any suggestions for a first game to get used to it? I only tried portal 2 and man is it hard to adjust to aiming. I'm finding that when I press the trigger my thumb cant help but move a little so aiming is a bit wonky. Any tips?

 

[Ucchedavāda]

Does the analogue stick have some sort of resistance, when I push in any direction there is eventually a little 'click' or something, is this normal?

Does it make that click when it is turned off? If not, then that's the haptic feedback. You can turn it off (or even increase it) in the settings in Big Picture Mode.

Any suggestions for a first game to get used to it? I only tried portal 2 and man is it hard to adjust to aiming. I'm finding that when I press the trigger my thumb cant help but move a little so aiming is a bit wonky. Any tips?

I haven't used it myself, but if I recall correctly you can set the triggers to dampen input from the pads, so that moving around a bit won't cause your to lose your aim.

 

[hepburn3d]

Ghostbusters theme tune

I could listen to this for hours. Hope we see some games get mini tunes in them.

 

[ashecitism]

lol

PC Gamer made it play the US anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuFeSa9xNkI

 

[deadfolk]

Ghostbusters theme tune

I could listen to this for hours. Hope we see some games get mini tunes in them.

lol

PC Gamer made it play the US anthem: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KuFeSa9xNkI

Heh. I take it they are just using the SC SDK and doing this in code. It would be amazing if you could somehow create your own startup and shutdown tones.

 

[dangeROSS]

Loving the Steam controller more as time goes on. Started playing Sir you are Being Hunted and didn't see any community bindings. So I used the standard WASD Mouse template and got one working relatively easily. Those base templates were a great idea.

I still think I get a bit of motion sickness from the controller, but that seems to be less prevalent as time goes on. I still feel that the gyro and trackpad can make for some camera movements my brain just isn't used to, and hopefully I'm adjusting more as time goes on.

Is it just my imagination or does the controller seem to respond a bit better when wired rather then wireless? My wireless reciever is kept on the front USB port and not really blocked or far away from the controller, but when I had it wired the other night I thought it might have seemed a bit more responsive with the gyro and such. Could just be a placebo however.

 

[JailDesigner]

I received mine today. Which is the best game to test the controller for the first time?

 

[Layell]

I received mine today. Which is the best game to test the controller for the first time?

I would go with Portal 2 or something not as action oriented to familiarize yourself with it, that or a non FPS console port.

 

[Firehead]

Heh. I take it they are just using the SC SDK and doing this in code. It would be amazing if you could somehow create your own startup and shutdown tones.

http://steamcommunity.com/app/353370/discussions/0/494632506573267894/

Here's a tutorial on how to do it.

I know what song I'm gonna try out.

Edit:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TUIlR4t6zWE

 

[SmashN'Grab]

I'm going to pick one of these up in the coming days, as my PC will finally be connected to the living room TV. I plan to primarily use it for m&k games and use the Xbox One controller for typical controller games, but I'll see how it goes. Might move over to this fully if the benefits are apparent.

Question: if you're using this for a controller-led game, (say, using the left analogue stick to move and the right trackpad in lieu of the right analogue stick on a controller), will the icons shift all the time from Xbox ones to keyboard ones when the game gives you prompts on screen? I thought I'd read that somewhere, and it seems a bit wonky if so...

 

[Layell]

Question: if you're using this for a controller-led game, (say, using the left analogue stick to move and the right trackpad in lieu of the right analogue stick on a controller), will the icons shift all the time from Xbox ones to keyboard ones when the game gives you prompts on screen? I thought I'd read that somewhere, and it seems a bit wonky if so...

Some games will do that yes it depends on how they made the game. What you can do is use mouse like joystick instead of mouse, which I would say works just as well, and you won't have any issues with things like that. Another option if the game keeps switching is to make all the bindings keyboard only.

Also anyone having issues uploading configs? I swore I have played some of these games with my config for more than an hour now.

 

[Oreoleo]

Wok posted this handy list of games that support simultaneous controller and m+kb inputs the other day:

Games which support simultaneous gamepad+mouse input
https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/wiki/gamepad-mouse

Outside this list of very specific games, you should not be mixing m+kb and controller inputs when making Steam controller bindings.

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

The Witness works spectacularly, and also has simultaneous KBaM/Gamepad.

 

[shockdude]

Anyone have a good config for Sleeping Dogs? It doesn't support simultaneous mouse/gamepad and the right stick camera has this acceleration that makes joystick camera act funny.

 

[dangeROSS]

I received mine today. Which is the best game to test the controller for the first time?

I think as long as it's not some sort of competitive FPS type game, or a super exacting platformer or anything, most games are fine to learn with. It does take some time though. For the first hour or two, it might be frustrating. As time goes on and you find settings that fit your liking, things can click in a good way. Then maybe try saving or remembering some of those settings and apply them to other games. Hopping back and forth between tweaking things and gaming while be going on for a while. But it's worth it.

 

[SerTapTap]

I received mine today. Which is the best game to test the controller for the first time?

The thing is many games play totally different, there's really no "best to learn" on. You could play a simple shmup with just the analog and face buttons without much trouble but you're not learning much. You could play Portal 2 (and probably should if only because it's one of few games with built in support) but it's not really going to teach you to play an RTS.

IMO just play whatever you want to play with it. It's a very...weird and edge-casey device for better or worse, and getting used to it in specific situations is about all you can do. It's nice for single player mouse-driven RTS though. Grey Goo works fine from the couch.

Start with games that have community/developer settings though since you can put a lot of time into messing with configs.

BTW, don't be afraid to use gyro controls for FPS. People hate gyro but they're fantastic for minor aim adjustments leaving the pad for major adjustments, and no the trackpad is not as precise as a mouse and never will be, so the added ability to adjust is welcome.

 

[zephervack]

Im trying so hard to like this controller, I got it as part of the first wave of preorders and have been trying to get used to it since then, but damn I always end up going back to the DS 4

Last game I gave up on was The Witness, I dont know if its a bug with the controller or the Steam Link, but my settings are not saving, which make the controller incredibly annoying, even upping the mouse speed all the way to the top via the in game menu is still too slow.

Now there is a cable running across my living room with a DS3 so I can continue to play The Witness

Also gave up on Fallout 4, couldnt aim for shit, Max Payne 3 would make Steam crash to desktop every time I pressed the Steam Key on the controller.

All around a poor experience.

The only game I had some fun with was MGS V with Gyro aiming.

I dont want to give up on the controller yet though.

 

[Raytow]

Tried to play RotTR today, no dice the controller doesn't work, wtf Valve should make the use of the controller mandatory or make it work without the steam overlay.

 

[Unai]

It's a pitty that Tomb Raider doesn't work well with keyboard + gamepad. I'm using a pure keyboard and mouse + gyro aiming setup and it works really well. Too bad the analog stick has only 8 directions, though, because it makes the plataforming a little bit harder that with a gamepad setup.

Tried to play RotTR today, no dice the controller doesn't work, wtf Valve should make the use of the controller mandatory or make it work without the steam overlay.

Weird. It's working for me.

 

[Nabs]

I'm liking the top Tomb Raider KB/M config so far. I just put Walk on the analog stick (inverted outer ring), and Jump on the right grip.

 

[viveks86]

Tried to play RotTR today, no dice the controller doesn't work, wtf Valve should make the use of the controller mandatory or make it work without the steam overlay.

Are you running Fraps or other overlays? That breaks steam overlay and the controller won't work properly. Worked fine otherwise (before I returned it cuz the game bored me to tears)

 

[Xdrive05]

Can you control your Windows desktop with this controller? In other words, if I'm in my living room streaming a game using Steam Link, and the game crashes to the Windows desktop, am I now just using the Steam controller on my desktop like a laptop touchpad? Or would I then have to go to my physical PC and deal with it there?

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

Can you control your Windows desktop with this controller? In other words, if I'm in my living room streaming a game using Steam Link, and the game crashes to the Windows desktop, am I now just using the Steam controller on my desktop like a laptop touchpad? Or would I then have to go to my physical PC and deal with it there?

Yes, you can fully customize your desktop config.