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[Durante]

- what are some good games (with profiles) to start out with? Anyone playing Dark Souls or Deus Ex with it, and if so, what profiles?

I play Dark Souls with it with my own profile. I think what kind of profile you prefer depends heavily on your playstyle. E.g. I play magic-focused, so I have spell switching on one of the grip buttons.

- I looked everywhere, and it doesn't seem to include rechargeable batteries. Is that right? What kind of batteries should you use, and is it possible to charge via cable?

Eneloops are a good bet. You can't charge them in the controller, so it's best to get a set of 4 and keep 2 charged. The controller last very long on a charge.

 

[SpokkX]

I find the stream controller amazing for turn based games in the living room

XCOM 2 and Civilization 6 works just great

Real time strategy though - not really usable

Action games I really prefer a Xbox One controller

 

[paperspace]

No, doesn't include batteries and you cannot use it to charge them. I would just pick up some rechargeables and a charger. People here seem to like the eneloops, but I have no personal experience.

So I need to take the batteries out and use a separate charger every time?

The cable is only meant for playing wired I take it.

I play Dark Souls with it with my own profile. I think what kind of profile you prefer depends heavily on your playstyle. E.g. I play magic-focused, so I have spell switching on one of the grip buttons.

Eneloops are a good bet. You can't charge them in the controller, so it's best to get a set of 4 and keep 2 charged. The controller last very long on a charge.

Oh, nice. Is your profile published? Is it emulating a controller, or mouse and keyboard?

A bummer about the batteries, but I'll look into the Eneloops.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[Unai]

So I need to take the batteries out and use a separate charger every time?

The cable is only meant for playing wired I take it.

Correct but a pair of eneloops will last for more than 50 hours without recharging. The battery life in this device is really good.

 

[Knurek]

No, doesn't include batteries and you cannot use it to charge them. I would just pick up some rechargeables and a charger. People here seem to like the eneloops, but I have no personal experience.

The store page mentions that the package contains two non-rechargeable batteries, is that not true?

 

[morningbus]

The store page mentions that the package contains two non-rechargeable batteries, is that not true?

It comes with two, non-rechargeable Duracells.

 

[Mana Sin]

Correct but a pair of eneloops will last for more than 50 hours without recharging. The battery life in this device is really good.

Do you mean Panasonic Eneloop batteries? I see a 4-pack on Amazon. What charger do you use for them?

The batteries that came with the controller just died on me last night, and I'd like to get a rechargeable replacement.

I've just used it lightly since March. I'm surprised the batteries lasted so long.

 

[deadfolk]

The store page mentions that the package contains two non-rechargeable batteries, is that not true?

Sorry yeah - I meant rechargeables. It does include a pair of disposables.

 

[Nabs]

Do you mean Panasonic Eneloop batteries? I see a 4-pack on Amazon. What charger do you use for them?

The batteries that came with the controller just died on me last night, and I'd like to get a rechargeable replacement.

I've just used it lightly since March. I'm surprised the batteries lasted so long.

Look for the 4 pack with a charger. Amazon has it for around 16.

 

[Unai]

Do you mean Panasonic Eneloop batteries? I see a 4-pack on Amazon. What charger do you use for them?

The batteries that came with the controller just died on me last night, and I'd like to get a rechargeable replacement.

I've just used it lightly since March. I'm surprised the batteries lasted so long.

Yes. Mine are the 1900 mAh ones. My charger is the BQ-CC23.

 

[Mana Sin]

Look for the 4 pack with a charger. Amazon has it for around 16.

Yes. Mine are the 1900 mAh ones. My charger is the BQ-CC23.

Thank you. I'll definitely give these a buy.

 

[Knurek]

So... How do you exactly use SteamCon with Retroarch?
I've added a batch running a game with Retroarch to Steam, configured the shortcut from BPM to use gamepad setup instead of keyboard one and... it still gets dectected as a keyboard?
Anyone had any luck with that?

 

[Nabs]

So... How do you exactly use SteamCon with Retroarch?
I've added a batch running a game with Retroarch to Steam, configured the shortcut from BPM to use gamepad setup instead of keyboard one and... it still gets dectected as a keyboard?
Anyone had any luck with that?

I'm guessing the batch is preventing the overlay from locking in. Add the RetroArch exe to Steam, then edit the target to include the core and the game. This works for me: "C:\RetroArch\retroarch.exe" -L "cores\core.dll" "C:\roms\rom.sfc"

 

[Nzyme32]

So... How do you exactly use SteamCon with Retroarch?
I've added a batch running a game with Retroarch to Steam, configured the shortcut from BPM to use gamepad setup instead of keyboard one and... it still gets dectected as a keyboard?
Anyone had any luck with that?

Quick google search led to this, maybe it might help - https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=614969273

 

[Lister]

Anyone having issues with the Steam controller and the new Skyrim remaster?

The Steam button doesn't bring up the overlay in game and it is acting super weird. Most buttons don't seem to register, and hitting "Y" acts as though I'm hitting page up (brings up my RTSS display). Only the "A" button appears to work on the game. The right haptic pad also doesn't work, but the left analaogue stick does seem to register, at leas ton the main menu.

 

[Unai]

Anyone having issues with the Steam controller and the new Skyrim remaster?

The Steam button doesn't bring up the overlay in game and it is acting super weird. Most buttons don't seem to register, and hitting "Y" acts as though I'm hitting page up (brings up my RTSS display). Only the "A" button appears to work on the game. The right haptic pad also doesn't work, but the left analaogue stick does seem to register, at leas ton the main menu.

Can you bring up the overlay with Shift + Tab? If not, that's the problem. I'll try it tomorrow.

 

[Knurek]

I'm guessing the batch is preventing the overlay from locking in. Add the RetroArch exe to Steam, then edit the target to include the core and the game. This works for me: "C:\RetroArch\retroarch.exe" -L "cores\core.dll" "C:\roms\rom.sfc"

Thanks, that worked.

I have to say first impressions are middling at best. Granted I didn't have the time to check things out extensively, but gyro for steering (one of the reasons I bought the pad) seems terribly finicky - way less precision than using the left stick. Shoulder and back buttons are extremely loud and hard to press, and the face buttons are kind of small and too closely placed to each other (almost as bad as the 3DS placements). Haptics are not what I expected as well - I thought you'd be able to feel the actual texture of the touch pads, and not just hear a slight squeal while.

 

[TheRed]

Anyone having issues with the Steam controller and the new Skyrim remaster?

The Steam button doesn't bring up the overlay in game and it is acting super weird. Most buttons don't seem to register, and hitting "Y" acts as though I'm hitting page up (brings up my RTSS display). Only the "A" button appears to work on the game. The right haptic pad also doesn't work, but the left analaogue stick does seem to register, at leas ton the main menu.

I have issues sometimes with getting overlay to show up when Afterburner/RTSS is open. I close them out before using the steam controller for a game.

Does anyone have constant problems with gyro drift? I've been playing Battlefield 1 a lot on the controller and every single time I play there is drift that I have to use the turn it always on then lay it flat for a few seconds trick to get it reset. That fix works but is getting annoying having to do every time I play sometimes multiple times between matches. It that game I really need accurate aim for hitting people at a distance and if it starts drifting it's a real pain in the ass.

 

[Nabs]

I knock on wood anytime someone mentions drift. I luckily haven't had that problem.

Anyone having issues with the Steam controller and the new Skyrim remaster?

The Steam button doesn't bring up the overlay in game and it is acting super weird. Most buttons don't seem to register, and hitting "Y" acts as though I'm hitting page up (brings up my RTSS display). Only the "A" button appears to work on the game. The right haptic pad also doesn't work, but the left analaogue stick does seem to register, at leas ton the main menu.

Your RTSS display could be killing the Steam Overlay.

 

[Lister]

But only on this game? Seems to work fine on other games. Going to try turning it off though.

Edit just gave it a quick go and nope. Overlay come sup fine with Dragon Age Inquisition, and Pillars but not the Skyrim remaster, even with RTSS off.

 

[Dec]

Anyone having issues with the Steam controller and the new Skyrim remaster?

The Steam button doesn't bring up the overlay in game and it is acting super weird. Most buttons don't seem to register, and hitting "Y" acts as though I'm hitting page up (brings up my RTSS display). Only the "A" button appears to work on the game. The right haptic pad also doesn't work, but the left analaogue stick does seem to register, at leas ton the main menu.

It doesn't support switching of control methods on the fly (which is why your controls are so messed up on desktop config) so you've got to go full kb+m also. Though the overlay and controller do work for me despite that.

Hope you figure it out!

 

[Lister]

I saw another comment also mentioning RTSS as an issue, but I exited it out of it with the same result.

Maybe I need to kill Afterburner too? Gonna do that and restart see if that works.

 

[CloudNein]

What mappings are you using for Alien? The ones I tried a while back made the hacking tool thingy (where you have to rotate to tune it in) basically unusable.

If those mappings aren't using the mouse for the right trackpad I don't know what they're doing. I have mouse mapped to that and you just roll the bar around until it hits that point, then use the analog stick to select the various square blocks and A to select. Left trackpad is setup for a radial weapons select menu. Very intuitive and comfortable. Perfect game for the controller.

 

[Lister]

So killing Afterburner worked!

I just added a bunch of mods to it. I'm sure I'll play for 10 minutes and quit though

 

[Blizzard]

But only on this game? Seems to work fine on other games. Going to try turning it off though.

Edit just gave it a quick go and nope. Overlay come sup fine with Dragon Age Inquisition, and Pillars but not the Skyrim remaster, even with RTSS off.

Sometimes (all the time?) Fraps kills the Steam overlay for me, so any sort of third-party utility could be doing it. *edit* I see you've already solved it, beg pardon!

 

[Anteater]

is it just me or shadow warrior 2 is fucked with the latest update?

ksfjldajsflsdja think steam overlay isn't working

I just exported the profile and imported into my desktop config so yeah, it was fucked on my end

 

[Anteater]

my steam controller is all fucked up in SW2

RIP

 

[Nabs]

Do you have anything running that could interfere with the overlay? MSI Afterburner, RTSS, Fraps, etc?

 

[Anteater]

Do you have anything running that could interfere with the overlay? MSI Afterburner, RTSS, Fraps, etc?

I didn't touch it but I think it's just the steam overlay decided to stop working, I exported my config to my desktop and it works fine except for the steam overlay button

edit: ooo actually you're right, it's the new RTSS that broke it, I totally forgot I updated Afterburner!

 

[Nzyme32]

Controller

• Added Steam Configurator support for PS4 Dual Shock Controller. Note that this is a beta release. Enable in Big Picture settings Add/Test Controller settings. When enabled, PS4 controllers will have access to the same sort of customization/configuration support as Steam Controllers, including native API support.
• PS4 Controllers using this system can map the trackpad, gyro, buttons, etc. to keyboard, mouse, or x-input outputs and can make use of action sets, touch menus, radial menus, and so forth.
• Added New Mode – Joystick Mouse. This is a joystick based mouse control useful for stick based controllers.
• Added default PS4 templates.
• Added software calibration for non-Steam controller based IMUs to counter for gyro drift.
• Configuration Browser can now be toggled to show all available controller types rather than the default of the in-use controller type.
• Configurations can now be marked as “Unique” to a specific controller. This configuration will only be applied to that controller for that user’s account. By default, all controllers of a specific type will share a configuration unless marked as Unique.
• Big Picture now supports PS4 controller glyphs when using Steam Configurator support.

The update seems to have fixed several of the bugs I was encountering with the Steam Controller, such as using a Mouse Steam Controller config in BPM not working properly, but has also introduced a few other bugs, such as the LT symbol being wonky / transparent / unreadable. Not really got the time to look at this update in depth though unfortunately

Such is the joy of the Beta Client!

 

[Knurek]

Okay, first week impressions.

It's a terrible gamepad. Absolutely the worst I had ever tried, worse even than Logitech F310, and that one caused physical pain after 10 minutes of fighting with the triggers or a minute or so after trying to use the dpad. Bumpers are beyond terrible, face buttons are too close to each other, in a weird position and generally feel cheap, back paddles are very loud. Gyro controls are terribly imprecise with the two games I've tried (Need for Speed Hot Pursuit and Grid).

But it's a really neat wireless keyboard + mouse combo. I wouldn't play any of the gamepad games on it given a choice (and I have DS4 and will soon receive WiiUPro, so there's lot of choice), but visual novels? Point and click adventures? Mouse driven games? Bring it on. Touchpads are great, and as long as you map the mouse buttons to triggers (which are great!) instead of touchpad-click (which isn't, really), you're good to go.
BPM configuration options are amazing as well, especially the radial menus for quick access to keyboard shortcuts. But the whole interface is a mess, getting and comparing user configs is a mess, and the whole BPM mode has a tendency to crash now and then.

Overall... Not sure what to think of it. It's bad for things gamepads are made for, but amazing for things gamepads are terrible for...

 

[codswallop]

Many of your first impressions are not uncommon, and I had many of them too (uncomfortable, buttons too small, bad positioning, annoying clickiness).

But, persevere. Once I changed my hand position, the comfort increased a lot and the button placement and size issues faded away with time. I recently noticed that the loud noises on frequently-used buttons is much reduced, so it seems some time to wear in is all it needs.

After using it for a year, I'm enamored with it. Maybe the d-pad is the biggest "issue" I have now, but frankly I think it's no worse than some of the current ones out there.

One more thing: I considered abandoning the controller after a couple of weeks, but challenged myself to stick with it. After another two months I picked up a 360 controller and it felt a lot worse in comparison, like moving backwards. Now it's covered in dust.

 

[capylikesgames]

Hi again, SCGaf. Just wondering, for those who've sent in their Steam Controller for repair, what's the longest you've had to wait? I sent mines in around September 20th, and I've yet to receive it back. I asked support about it a week ago, and they said it was still preparing for shipment, and that they'd send me an email when it was sent out. Really confused, since it's been over a month, and the last time I did this, I had it back after two weeks.

Overall... Not sure what to think of it. It's bad for things gamepads are made for, but amazing for things gamepads are terrible for...

I know the SC takes time to get used to, but dismissing it as awful for traditional gamepad tasks is silly. I've found it fantastic for any game that requires you to navigate 3D environments (shooters in particular). The speed and precision of the trackpad just can't be matched by an analog stick, and although in some games (Souls titles, for example) it's not a detriment to use an analog stick to pan your camera at a predetermined speed, it's still really convenient to have 1:1 control over your viewpoint.

The only issue is, Valve's defaults for the trackpad are pretty sluggish; they have a couple of settings that filter your thumb movement cranked up, which leaves it feeling unprecise out of the box. Though once you have it set up correctly, and spend a few hours with it, the difference is like night and day. I've let my younger siblings try Garden Warfare 2 and and Poi with my settings, and they caught on to it pretty quickly. They even acknowledged the advantages of the trackpad while playing the former.

 

[Lork]

Eureka! At long last I've done it! I figured out a way to reliably do the kick in Dark Souls 3, and in about as intuitive a way as it could possibly be given the game's actual control scheme. It probably sounds ridiculous, but this is a white whale I've been chasing on and off ever since the game came out, with no luck until now. And with quite an ingenious solution if I don't say so myself.

Now to wait until the next DLC comes out so I can actually make use of it... Oh well.

 

[Widge]

Overall... Not sure what to think of it. It's bad for things gamepads are made for, but amazing for things gamepads are terrible for...

This is where I sit with it. I can never see myself using it to play something that my XB1 pad works for. Outside of that, we're game.

 

[Branduil]

I cannot get my bindings to work in Skyrim Special Edition at all. No matter what I set, it just switches to something like the default kb/m controls when I'm in-game.

 

[Durante]

Overall... Not sure what to think of it. It's bad for things gamepads are made for, but amazing for things gamepads are terrible for...

It's much better at most things made for dual-analog gamepads than actual dual-analog gamepads are.
Too bad it doesn't seem to work for you.

 

[Lister]

It's much better at most things made for dual-analog gamepads than actual dual-analog gamepads are.
Too bad it doesn't seem to work for you.

Exactly.

I'm trying real hard to think of somethign dual analog sticks are better at... twin stick shooters maybe?

Basically every time precision of camera movement or during selection when interacting with menus, the haptic pad is better.

From third person action games to 3D paltformers, to FPS, obviously. Unless the game is deliberately fucking with the controls so as to make anythign but analog input feel bad, it's just superior.

And you do have thet left analog stick for when analog nuance really is desired, usually in movement, when driving or moving in 3D space (like flying).

 

[sugarhigh4242]

It's much better at most things made for dual-analog gamepads than actual dual-analog gamepads are.
Too bad it doesn't seem to work for you.

Yeah, I've played DOOM using the Steam pad and the Xbox One pad, and the SC is faster and more accurate.

I find the Steam pad falls apart with 3rd person games that do a lot of mode switching. So Rise of the Tomb Raider is kind of tough, and I don't love it with Dark Souls despite some people reporting good results.

One fatal drawback are games with tiny UIs. So even if you have a great mapping for Cities Skylines, the UI is still unworkable from the couch. Big Picture needs better magnification options.

 

[TheRed]

I've played through Spec Ops: The Line, Fallout 4, Dark Souls 3, DOOM, The DIvision, Killing Floor 2, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Max Payne 3, The Witcher 3 all with the steam controller, and that's just off the top of my head, I've played more. Currently playing Battlefield 1 multi with it and doing just as good as anyone else, other then sniping being slightly harder than KB/M I've never felt at a disadvantage. It may be because I have spent so much time using the controller and a lot of people don't put in that time like they did when they were first learning to play games on dual joysticks. Which are just as unintuitive at first touch but we're all just used to them by now.

I'd say it blows away dual stick gamepads at those type of games as long as you take the time to tweak a configuration to the right settings for you. I can see why that aspect may be annoying to people but the controller itself is amazing.

 

[Durante]

Yeah, I've played DOOM using the Steam pad and the Xbox One pad, and the SC is faster and more accurate.

I find the Steam pad falls apart with 3rd person games that do a lot of mode switching. So Rise of the Tomb Raider is kind of tough, and I don't love it with Dark Souls despite some people reporting good results.

Personally, I love it for Souls games. The right touchpad works better than the analog stick for camera control (even though that's not such a huge deal for Souls), and more importantly the grip buttons are a godsend for my playstyle.

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

I've been contemplating trying to set up my Steam controller with Dolphin, specifically to play Skyward Sword. I'd seen some folks get the game working with a KBaM, so I figure it wouldn't be a far cry from there to get the sword movement mapped to the right pad.

Might not be possible, but I'll see.

 

[Bonfires Down]

My XB1 controller is a lot comfier so I use it for stuff like Mad Max, Witcher, 2D games. But the aiming with the trackpad+gyro is far superior, so for FPS games and the like I use the SC.

 

[Knurek]

It's much better at most things made for dual-analog gamepads than actual dual-analog gamepads are.
Too bad it doesn't seem to work for you.

Things like Assault Android Cactus and Crimsonland should be great on SC.
But those types of games are infinitely better on a KB+M combo than on a dual stick pad, so this doesn't invalidate my previous statement.

I wouldn't consider playing 2D platformers on it. D-pad controller puzzle games as well, but mouse controlled puzzle games should play amazing (Hexcells for instance).
Dark Souls might be a good fit (although, dear god, rebind shoulder button to grips! Or better yet, rebind shoulder buttons to triggers and triggers to grips to have coherent control scheme for attacks), but I wouldn't even dream of trying Pro Evo on it.
It's just not a jack of all trades for me.
Not really a problem, considering I have other choices.

 

[Sophia]

Things like Assault Android Cactus and Crimsonland should be great on SC.
But those types of games are infinitely better on a KB+M combo than on a dual stick pad, so this doesn't invalidate my previous statement.

For Assault Android Cactus, the ideal configuration for the Steam Controller is a KB/M setup instead of a controller setup. It works so good. <3

 

[Branduil]

I uploaded a Skyrim SE config with Kb/M and gyro controls. It covers every keybind and is pretty intuitive, at least for me. It's called "Super Skyrim" if you want to check it out.

 

[Nabs]

Exactly.

I'm trying real hard to think of somethign dual analog sticks are better at... twin stick shooters maybe?

Basically every time precision of camera movement or during selection when interacting with menus, the haptic pad is better.

From third person action games to 3D paltformers, to FPS, obviously. Unless the game is deliberately fucking with the controls so as to make anythign but analog input feel bad, it's just superior.

And you do have thet left analog stick for when analog nuance really is desired, usually in movement, when driving or moving in 3D space (like flying).

Not since they added Mouse Region imo.

 

[Dec]

For Assault Android Cactus, the ideal configuration for the Steam Controller is a KB/M setup instead of a controller setup. It works so good. <3

Ya I'm the last person to use a controller for almost any game but I use the Steam controller and mouse region for Assault Android Cactus.

Seriously, I love my Steam Controller but I use a controller for like 4 games a year, that game is just great with it.

 

[Sophia]

I use the Steam Controller for almost everything now, tbh. Only really for 2D games do I bust out something else.

 

[Knurek]

Is there a way to delay launching BPM when pressing the Steam/Home button?
I regularly launch it while trying to turn off the controller (Steam+Y).