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Steam Controller Thread | Comfy Couch Sold Separately

Has anyone here found some thumbstick add-ons to make the Steam controller sticks concave instead of convex? Or maybe some that will work, even if they aren't specifically designed for it. It's probably my biggest issue with the controller.
 

pmj

Member
Axiom Verge was interesting. I absolutely HATED having the right touch pad being used for anything because it's so close to the buttons. I would accidentally touch it all the time. So, I disabled the "weapon swap" function entirely and turned the left touch pad into the weapon selector, requiring click for activation. That was MUCH better. I continue to use the control stick for movement as that's what I'm comfortable with.

I'm also playing Axiom Verge now and I'm definitely going to try out having the weapon wheel on the left pad, because like you, I keep activating it by mistake.

If you haven't already, I found that it helped a ton to enable turbo (or whatever Steam calls it) on the fire button, and also place it on the back of the controller, or maybe a trigger. That lets you easily jump and fire continuously at the same time.

Now if only I could somehow automate quick taps in any direction of movement, because that's something that keeps tripping me up. I'm not sure if it's me, the game, or the stick itself.
 

Soodanim

Gold Member
Hmm, Dark Souls with this could be interesting with the somewhat clicky shoulder buttons
As someone that really doesn't like clucky shoulder buttons, I went back to DS4 for Souls. I also miss an actual analogue stick for the camera, too. It's smoother than mouse look or emulated stick.
 
To those who play Isaac with the SC, what's your preference for firing? The face buttons are at this weird angle that make it hard for me to tilt around on them. I tried setting the right pad to a touch-activated directional pad w/o overlap, and though I'm still getting used to it, it feels and works great! I think the haptics and quicker release make it a lot more tolerable than using a right analog in this game.

It was hard to get used to using the left touch pad for anything (as a newbie I always go back to the ol' reliable control stick) but I did fine-tune the right touch pad for better control with track ball mode and high friction. So, thus far my favorite way to use the left touch pad is as a scroll wheel rather than a method of movement.
Don't worry, it's not really a newbie thing, haha. I've owned the thing since the early batch last October, and I've never transitioned to the left pad for movement. It can work when given the chance, but there's no true advantage either way, so no shame if you don't end up switching over. Plus, the analog on the SC feels fantastic. On the subject of the left pad, I think the d-pad groves accent the scroll wheel function, especially when set to vertical/horizontal. It also feels really good as a selectional d-pad.
 

SCB3

Member
As someone that really doesn't like clucky shoulder buttons, I went back to DS4 for Souls. I also miss an actual analogue stick for the camera, too. It's smoother than mouse look or emulated stick.

Yea, I played through DS 1 & 2 on both PS3 and PC and I hated the Xbox One Controller for them, the DS4 feels alot better for Souls (that being said, I could be biased seeing as I played Bloodborne and DS3 on a Dual Shock 4)
 

maped

Neo Member
I like that the controller can be used for general desktop navigation but I'm a little confused. I thought someone said it can be used without Steam being open? Doesn't seem to be the case for me.

Other annoyances:

Opening some windows seems to disable the controller. For example, settings windows (such as the color calibration window which I use frequently since my PC is fucked up and keeps changing the color scheme and I have to keep reverting).

------

Also, I'm going to have trouble getting used to anything involving Big Picture mode. Just not a fan.

Without Steam running the controller indeed reverts to basic settings, ie. the lizard mode.
To use your desktop profile bindings you need to have Steam open in the background and to keep it usable with all those Windows settings windows, it needs to be run as administrator. It's not an ideal situation, but I just have a task in Task Scheduler to launch Steam as admin at startup and leave it running all the time. It might also help with some of the games that seem completely incompatible. And yeah, not a big fan of the big picture mode either, I have my htpc set up so that I don't need to run any frontends, so thankfully the only time I need delve in to the big picture is when configuring the controller.

edit: Oh, and for your colour problem, maybe try a program called Color Profile Keeper, I've used it with Windows 10 to use my calibrated ICC profile in games etc. and it's worked great.
 

Ploid 3.0

Member
Saints Row IV was a good first game to play for me. Jumping around collecting the power orbs was great training to get adjusted to the track pads, and gyro.
 

Paragon

Member
Saints Row IV was a good first game to play for me. Jumping around collecting the power orbs was great training to get adjusted to the track pads, and gyro.
Worth mentioning that the game has an option in the config files to lock the prompts to controller buttons too, which is great.
I don't have it installed so I can't be any more specific than that.
 

Honey Bunny

Member
Does anyone know if the controller ships to Switzerland from their Swiss region store? I'd have to change regions to get it, and then I'd be locked out from changing back for two weeks.

I'd like to ask them but there is no fucking option to!
 

Ploid 3.0

Member
This controller and software is so good. I spent most of today messing with it, learning a lot, and making the perfect Dragon Age Inquisition controller setup for me (Keyboard settings over gamepad mode). I just wish this stuff wasn't locked to steam. If someone else makes a controller like this without steam requirement I would buy it in a flash (for a good price).

I'm a dude that was never even close to a "Steam only" PC gamer, and now, for the first time, I'm starting to think about only sticking to steam if I can help it. All because the controller might give me problems if I can't get the controller working with it well. Poor Xbox Windows 10 games. Thankfully a good amount of my Origin games work so far. I haven't tried GoG stuff but they should be very good. Ubi is next on test, The Crew worked.
 

Unai

Member
Worth mentioning that the game has an option in the config files to lock the prompts to controller buttons too, which is great.
I don't have it installed so I can't be any more specific than that.

I wish more games had that option. The promots switching all the time can be really annoying.
 
I'm a dude that was never even close to a "Steam only" PC gamer, and now, for the first time, I'm starting to think about only sticking to steam if I can help it. All because the controller might give me problems if I can't get the controller working with it well. Poor Xbox Windows 10 games. Thankfully a good amount of my Origin games work so far. I haven't tried GoG stuff but they should be very good. Ubi is next on test, The Crew worked.
I feel you. I'm honestly not with the sentiment that the PC platform should rely on Steam, but the Steam Controller has definitely made me a lot more dependent on it. The worst part is the controller is currently in a niche state; I'd really like for it to take off. In particular, a trackpad controller on consoles would be amazing.
 
I have really been enjoying my controller/link. Today though, I turn on the thing, the controller beeps twice, flashes for awhile, beeps twice again, shuts off. Seems like a pairing issue. Tried plugging it in. Same thing. Changed batteries, no dice. Tried my 360 controller, works fine. But I wanna play Civ. Any ideas about which hoops to jump through next? I suppose trying to plug the thing into my PC instead of the link?
 

riflen

Member
I have really been enjoying my controller/link. Today though, I turn on the thing, the controller beeps twice, flashes for awhile, beeps twice again, shuts off. Seems like a pairing issue. Tried plugging it in. Same thing. Changed batteries, no dice. Tried my 360 controller, works fine. But I wanna play Civ. Any ideas about which hoops to jump through next? I suppose trying to plug the thing into my PC instead of the link?

Make sure you're not plugging the controller dongle into the Link. It does not require it.
 

riflen

Member
Is this true? Can the Link pick up the controller without the dongle?

The Link has built-in support for Steam Controllers, I believe up to 4 of them. The dongle is meant for computers. Here's a post from forever ago from a Valve employee:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=181943666&postcount=62

This is from the Steam Link FAQ:

Valve said:
Pairing the Steam Link and Steam Controller

The Steam Controller can be paired directly to the Link without using a wireless USB dongle. To pair your Steam Link and Steam Controller, please do the following:
-Turn your Steam Controller and Steam Link off.
-Remove all input devices from the Steam Link and power it on.
-When prompted, pick up your Steam Controller, then hold down (X) and press the Steam button.
You may also use a wireless USB dongle or mini-USB cable to connect your Steam Controller to your Steam Link.

You're supposed to be able to use the dongle or a cable if you wish, but as the poster is having problems, I suggested he simplify his setup by removing it.

I also recommend reading the OP of the Steam Link / IHS thread if you've recently picked up that hardware.
 
The Link has built-in support for Steam Controllers, I believe up to 4 of them. The dongle is meant for computers. Here's a post from forever ago from a Valve employee:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=181943666&postcount=62

This is from the Steam Link FAQ:



You're supposed to be able to use the dongle or a cable if you wish, but as the poster is having problems, I suggested he simplify his setup by removing it.

I also recommend reading the OP of the Steam Link / IHS thread if you've recently picked up that hardware.

Well my mind is blown, thanks!
 

Cronen

Member
The Link has built-in support for Steam Controllers, I believe up to 4 of them. The dongle is meant for computers. Here's a post from forever ago from a Valve employee:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=181943666&postcount=62

This is from the Steam Link FAQ:



You're supposed to be able to use the dongle or a cable if you wish, but as the poster is having problems, I suggested he simplify his setup by removing it.

I also recommend reading the OP of the Steam Link / IHS thread if you've recently picked up that hardware.

Holy shit! Mind blown!
 

Christine

Member
I really like mouse regions, they're fantastic for games with on-screen UI elements, but on my system the function doesn't play well with Windows 10's basic zoom--the "Change the size of text, apps and other items" option in the graphics settings. I'm playing on a TV so it would really be preferable to set that to around 130%, but it distorts everything so that the mouse input is aligned to some odd virtual resolution that's bigger than the actual display. For example, a mouse region positioned at the center value for X and Y will instead be somewhere in the bottom right corner of the screen. Anyone know how to fix this or work around it?
 

Eusis

Member
I really like mouse regions, they're fantastic for games with on-screen UI elements, but on my system the function doesn't play well with Windows 10's basic zoom--the "Change the size of text, apps and other items" option in the graphics settings. I'm playing on a TV so it would really be preferable to set that to around 130%, but it distorts everything so that the mouse input is aligned to some odd virtual resolution that's bigger than the actual display. For example, a mouse region positioned at the center value for X and Y will instead be somewhere in the bottom right corner of the screen. Anyone know how to fix this or work around it?
Try right clicking on the .exe and tell it to disable/ignore GUI scaling, I think. Something along those lines, forget the exact name but it's probably under compatibility.

It at least fixes cases like Ori not using the proper monitor resolution and Doom source ports not fully fitting within the monitor's resolution, so I assume it's a similar type of issue.
 

LogicStep

Member
So I think I'll return the controller, I really don't like how it feels in my hands and I realized I can't play on my TV after being used to my monitor. My TV is crap and my monitor is too good. I think I'll stick to my DS4 or maybe get a XBone controller.

I mean.. I can return the controller right?
 

Unai

Member
I think some here has asked for this:

Added option to disable Guide Button issuing a Steam focus change. This is available through the Big Picture controller options menu. This allows better interoperability with other applications which use the Guide Button, such as PSNow.

Also, it's possible that the controller will now work as a 360 controller with UWP in desktop mode.

Re-enabled Gamepad outputs for desktop configurations for users of third party programs which hook into applications via the desktop configuration.
 

Sophia

Member
I think some here has asked for this:



Also, it's possible that the controller will now work as a 360 controller with UWP in desktop mode.

I tried it; doesn't seem to work. Even with the desktop configuration set as a pure controller, I cannot get it to work with Minecraft, Jetpack Joyride, or Sonic Dash.
 

Nzyme32

Member
Added independent horizontal/vertical scaling to joystick move and joystick mouse.

Thanks for this! Going to be useful for all those games (looking at you Warner Bros) that decide to have a lower sensitivity on the y-axis than the x-axis for looking around.
 

Paragon

Member
Re-enabled Gamepad outputs for desktop configurations for users of third party programs which hook into applications via the desktop configuration.
Is anyone able to assign Joystick Move/Camera to the desktop config, or did they forget to enable it?
The only option I'm seeing is Mouse-like Joystick.
 

Sophia

Member
They still haven't fixed this issue with FFXIV (non-Steam version), where the game detects no gamepad by default.

20170106001204_1zhqnx.jpg

The only solution I know of is to plug a 360 controller in to get it detected.

I was hoping that the above comment about desktop configurations was the fix... but apparently not.
 

Cmagus

Member
I picked one of these up but I'm having problems getting it to work with any game. The left input pad doesn't seem to wanna work with anything. I go into the steam controller setup options and make changes but it still doesn't do anything.

The other issue I have is that I either get the analog stick working but the track pad doesn't work or the track pad works but the analogue won't. Most games it's either I can move but I can't turn or use the camera or I can just look around and not move. this happens even if I use someone elses custom configuration. Lastly whenever I use the steam controller it's swapping my monitors around even when I', not in big picture mode for some reason and when I stop using it, it goes back to normal.
 
Which executable do I add to Steam for The Witcher? I can't access the developer's controller layout. Could someone copy it and upload it?
 

Paragon

Member
I picked one of these up but I'm having problems getting it to work with any game. The left input pad doesn't seem to wanna work with anything. I go into the steam controller setup options and make changes but it still doesn't do anything.

The other issue I have is that I either get the analog stick working but the track pad doesn't work or the track pad works but the analogue won't. Most games it's either I can move but I can't turn or use the camera or I can just look around and not move. this happens even if I use someone elses custom configuration. Lastly whenever I use the steam controller it's swapping my monitors around even when I', not in big picture mode for some reason and when I stop using it, it goes back to normal.
Go to the controller settings in Big Picture Mode and select the "support" option for your controller to test it and see that it's working correctly.
Make sure that the Big Picture overlay is working in whatever game you're trying to play when you press the Steam button on the controller.
Try loading the gamepad or keyboard & mouse configuration template and see if that works.
Some games don't support mixed inputs like analog stick plus mouse aiming, or if they do they require you to modify config files. Being specific with the games you're having trouble with should help.
 
Having spent a few days with a DS4, I've realized the SC really does have one of the best analog sticks out there. If it wasn't for the oddly angled face buttons, and lack of a proper d-pad, I'd never touch anything else, haha.

I picked one of these up but I'm having problems getting it to work with any game. The left input pad doesn't seem to wanna work with anything. I go into the steam controller setup options and make changes but it still doesn't do anything.

The other issue I have is that I either get the analog stick working but the track pad doesn't work or the track pad works but the analogue won't. Most games it's either I can move but I can't turn or use the camera or I can just look around and not move. this happens even if I use someone elses custom configuration. Lastly whenever I use the steam controller it's swapping my monitors around even when I', not in big picture mode for some reason and when I stop using it, it goes back to normal.
Some games do not allow simultaneous mouse+gamepad. Wish it wasn't the case, but it's something you'll come to terms with over time. Those that allow it are amazing, though. Those that don't you'll want to either make a KB+M config for it, or use something else to play. I'd also recommend getting accustomed to making your own configs; relying solely on community bindings is asking for trouble. I know, it's not plug and play, which is really annoying at first, but it is worth giving yourself time to adapt to it.
 

Cmagus

Member
Go to the controller settings in Big Picture Mode and select the "support" option for your controller to test it and see that it's working correctly.
Make sure that the Big Picture overlay is working in whatever game you're trying to play when you press the Steam button on the controller.
Try loading the gamepad or keyboard & mouse configuration template and see if that works.
Some games don't support mixed inputs like analog stick plus mouse aiming, or if they do they require you to modify config files. Being specific with the games you're having trouble with should help.

Yeah I looked around online some more and did some more tests. I now have the analogue and right track pad working after a few things and another calibration. I ran the support test and the left track pad is picking up but after trying it on so many games it still doesn't wanna seem to work. The rest is working ok though and I got some AAA and indie games from a bunch of different genres going so that's good.

Still not sure about the monitor thing though, it still works ok though if I shut the one off and I'm mostly using this on my TV so it's a minor annoyance if I use it on PC. The Steam link really works well and I'm very pleased with that.

Having spent a few days with a DS4, I've realized the SC really does have one of the best analog sticks out there. If it wasn't for the oddly angled face buttons, and lack of a proper d-pad, I'd never touch anything else, haha.

Some games do not allow simultaneous mouse+gamepad. Wish it wasn't the case, but it's something you'll come to terms with over time. Those that allow it are amazing, though. Those that don't you'll want to either make a KB+M config for it, or use something else to play. I'd also recommend getting accustomed to making your own configs; relying solely on community bindings is asking for trouble. I know, it's not plug and play, which is really annoying at first, but it is worth giving yourself time to adapt to it.

Yeah I plan on doing that. I was trying some of the pre-made ones just as tests because I couldn't get any of the custom stuff working on mine but it seems to be working now so I'm gonna dig into setting up some custom stuff tomorrow.

I know how you feel about the D-pad that would be the one thing I would change, that and it's bulk, I find the face buttons to be really small and awkward to use but I'm sure I'll get use to it.

Thanks for the help it's appreciated.
 

Foxyone

Member
I dunno why, but there's something I really like about mouse movement with a joystick, which is what I've been testing out with the new Xbox controller support. Too bad the joysticks on my 360 controller are loose and cause movement on their own though. I've been Xbox (controller) only for like 10 years, but the touch pad and gyro on the DS4 make it seem really tempting. Are there any shortcomings of the DS4 that keep it from probably being the next best option after a steam controller?
 

Unai

Member
Still not sure about the monitor thing though, it still works ok though if I shut the one off and I'm mostly using this on my TV so it's a minor annoyance if I use it on PC. The Steam link really works well and I'm very pleased with that.

In Big Picture Mode there's option under resolution to choose which monitor Steam Big Picture and the games in Big Picture will open. Probably the other monitor is set there.

I dunno why, but there's something I really like about mouse movement with a joystick, which is what I've been testing out with the new Xbox controller support. Too bad the joysticks on my 360 controller are loose and cause movement on their own though. I've been Xbox (controller) only for like 10 years, but the touch pad and gyro on the DS4 make it seem really tempting. Are there any shortcomings of the DS4 that keep it from probably being the next best option after a steam controller?

Just the awful battery life.
 
I find the face buttons to be really small and awkward to use but I'm sure I'll get use to it.
You will, trust me. The face buttons are great as auxiliary bindings once you get used to their position. I love mapping underused, but important inputs to them. B and Y in particular are really handy. My only issue with them is in games that are reliant on face buttons for primary actions like, say, beat-em-ups. It's really awkward to pivot around them since they're at a weird angle. Having played Dark Souls with the SC, I wish more games with melee combat would map primary attacks to the bumpers and triggers. They feel a lot more natural, and make it easier to jump from move to move than the face buttons since you've got two fingers focusing on them instead of just your thumb.

but the touch pad and gyro on the DS4 make it seem really tempting.
The touchpad is awful. There's a lot of drift on it compared to the SC because it generalizes the center of your thumb more. I honestly don't even use it for mouse movement, I just stick with the thumbsticks when I use the DS4. Which is nowhere as good as the SC pads, but if you're OK with using analog sticks for mouse control, then you should be fine. From what I used of the gyro, it also feels a bit off compared to the SC, even with smoothing disabled. Floaty would be the best word to describe it.

Just the awful battery life.
It sucks to have to charge it at the end of the day, but I'm surprised that it lasts me an entire day! I have the lightbar disabled, which probably helps to a degree. The SC is definitely more efficient; I swap batteries once a month on it, which is awesome.
 

Knurek

Member
The SC is definitely more efficient; I swap batteries once a month on it, which is awesome.

I... Wha?
What are you doing with SC that it eats batteries like that?
I received mine on late October, and it's still on the included batteries.
Same with my Wii U Pro controller, 4 months and it's still at more than 25% of the initial charge.
 
I... Wha?
What are you doing with SC that it eats batteries like that?
I received mine on late October, and it's still on the included batteries.
Same with my Wii U Pro controller, 4 months and it's still at more than 25% of the initial charge.
...high haptics, I guess? I tend to use it for pretty much everything I play, so there's that too. Maybe a month isn't accurate, I'd say like a month and a half usually? 2 if I don't play many games during the month. Regardless, I use rechargeable batteries, so swapping them so often(?) is not a big deal to me. And yeah, the Pro Controller's battery life is equally deserving of praise. I'd have probably gone for two more of those instead if 1) they had been supported by BPM at the time and 2) they weren't so expensive.
 

Sophia

Member
I get a bit over a month of battery life as well. I use mine as my primary gaming device on PC however, so it's almost always in use.
 

omg_mjd

Member
Just got one of these babies today. So far, I'm happy I went with this over an XB1 gamepad. I got it primarily to be able to play old games without needing a mouse and it's been great for that. For modern games I was already used to an XB360 gamepad but I'm willing to see if I can adjust to the SC and consolidate everything to one controller.
 

AlanOC91

Member
Some games don't play nicely with both a Steam controller and Xbox 360 controller where they both attempt to try be player 1 and both end up controlling player 1. I've ran into it a handful of times in games like Gang Beasts.

Does anyone know if the beta update for the Xbox 360 controller (to give it steam controller customization) fix this?
 

Bboy AJ

My dog was murdered by a 3.5mm audio port and I will not rest until the standard is dead
Valve really needs a way to curate user configurations. Be it a voting system or something.
 

Sophia

Member
Valve really needs a way to curate user configurations. Be it a voting system or something.

An upvote and/or tagging system would be wonderful there.

Like it'd be nice if I could go through and mark how the configuration is set up with tags like:
  • Gamepad only configuration
  • Mixed inputs configuration
  • Keyboard/Mouse only configuration
  • Uses Joystick-Mouse
  • Renamed template.
  • Fully labeled
  • Not labeled
  • Uses default in-game bindings.
  • Uses native steam controller support.
  • Always on gyro.
And so fourth, and so fourth...
 

morningbus

Serious Sam is a wicked gahbidge series for chowdaheads.
Valve should tally up the total amount of time the configuration is used by the community. Would help cut down on the first config out being the most popular.
 
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