Support NeoGAF

[Lork]

Oh I see, the haptics only activate when you press one direction, then switch to another direction without letting go of the pad. Which is... something you would almost never do under any normal circumstances in the vast majority of games that use a d-pad? What's the point? It would make more sense to me if the feedback was activated on touch so it could give you a little bump to let you know that your finger is in place before you press down.

Also, the requirement that you start every game through Steam really doesn't mix well with the bug that causes it to think that non Steam games are pre-release games that you're not allowed to play yet. I wonder if the desktop config could be used to get around this.

 

[hepburn3d]

WTF? I've just gone on to some of my games to compare some of the configurations I've made with others to find some of mine are top being used by 70-100 people on some? I was literally just trying stuff out. Feel bad cos some of my configs weren't great I was just playing around.

Feel kind of obligated to improve some of my configs now.

 

[zephervack]

WTF? I've just gone on to some of my games to compare some of the configurations I've made with others to find some of mine are top being used by 70-100 people on some? I was literally just trying stuff out. Feel bad cos some of my configs weren't great I was just playing around.

Feel kind of obligated to improve some of my configs now.

They really need to implement some kind of Voting system to motivate people to create good configs and to be able to find good ones.

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

Works ridiculously well. I have mine working better (well, at least to my taste) than this video - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B43ibnztDLc

It's brilliant, but unfortunately the way MGS V does it's keyboard inputs has some issues that can lead to movement issues depending on the key layout you use. So far MGS V is the only game that I've seen with that specific issue, and I'm not sure if it will be sorted. Thankfully most other games are working great with them

Interesting! So you use it on the right track pad click? Do you see any issue with my using it on hard left trigger? Is it a bad idea to use the gyro and regular trackpad aim in tandem?

 

[hepburn3d]

They really need to implement some kind of Voting system to motivate people to create good configs and to be able to find good ones.

I want a badge that would make me happy.

Also I notice a lot of people using hard triggers for left and right mouse? Does that sit well with some? I much prefer left and right mouse on a soft trigger so I can lightly tap it.

 

[DiscoShark]

Interesting! So you use it on the right track pad click? Do you see any issue with my using it on hard left trigger? Is it a bad idea to use the gyro and regular trackpad aim in tandem?

In the video at least, he has it setup so that gyro controls are activated the moment he touches the right pad, he doesn't need to click down on it. And yeah, like he said he's switching between using the trackpad for large turn around movements and the gyro for the more precision aiming.

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

In the video at least, he has it setup so that gyro controls are activated the moment he touches the right pad, he doesn't need to click down on it. And yeah, like he said he's switching between using the trackpad for large turn around movements and the gyro for the more precision aiming.

Ooh, I didn't realize since I was watching it without audio. I'm going to try this when I get home. Steam controller keeps getting better and better, I'm so happy with it.

 

[hepburn3d]

I know it's probably written somewhere but can't find it. How do I map the left pad to scroll wheel on the outer edges?

 

[Aomber]

I'm getting mixed vibes about how this works in games like first person/third person shooters. How do people ITT feel about this compared to a standard xbox controller?

Also this is probably a long shot but does it work decently at all with a game like Dota? (Probably not but figured I'd ask)

 

[ashecitism]

lol someone got an ace in CS MM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jqz7eoU1M1c

no padcam, but said will have for later vids

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

I'll never go back to a traditional dual-analog controller. KBaM is still preferable for shooters, but I've found the Steam controller preferable over an Xbox pad.

 

[Aomber]

I'll never go back to a traditional dual-analog controller. KBaM is still preferable for shooters, but I've found the Steam controller preferable over an Xbox pad.

Yeah I mean obviously I don't mean playing something like Counter Strike (then again in the vid above someone got an ace with it ) but for something a bit easier going I like the sound of that

 

[internetwolf]

I'll never go back to a traditional dual-analog controller. KBaM is still preferable for shooters, but I've found the Steam controller preferable over an Xbox pad.

I just bought an xbox elite controller and a steam one can't wait to see which feels nicer.

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

Yeah I mean obviously I don't mean playing something like Counter Strike (then again in the vid above someone got an ace with it ) but for something a bit easier going I like the sound of that

The first few times I used it the Steam controller felt really foreign in my hands. Once I got used to it, though, it's fantastic. I think the initial impression will put some people off but I urge you to stick with it.

 

[zephervack]

The first few times I used it the Steam controller felt really foreign in my hands. Once I got used to it, though, it's fantastic. I think the initial impression will put some people off but I urge you to stick with it.

Same experience here, I actually tried it for like 8 hours and then just kind of left it on the side and went back to the DS4, 2 days later I picked it up again and gave it another chance with other games and testing other community profiles and it clicked, really feel like im missing something now when I go back to consoles.

 

[dsk1210]

The community bindings have been pretty poor for most of the games, I have yet to load one up and be happy with it, have to tailor each to my own ideas.

Love the controller, it's got a huge learning curve, I am still learning in all honesty.

Been playing Half Life 2, Prey and System shock 2. Find my aiming getter getting better all the time, the gyro aiming is a god send. I don't think I would be able to be anywhere near competitive just using the right pad.

 

[Eusis]

This is ranty and isn't meant as a slight to you Blizzard but...

I feel like a theory I've had about "gamers" I'd being proven true once again: "gamers" ain't shit and have been coddled for too long on the control front for video games. It happened with the Wii. It happened with move and Kinect and it's happening here as well. Instead being excited for new things, most gamers seem too stuck in their ways and refuse change at any turn. It genuinely baffles me the immediate negativity things like the Wii remote and steam controller get from so called "gamers".

Well, some of it is logical skepticism. But that's why I was down on the Kinect, as that was after the Wii, years of camera control being lame, and how even the Wii had issues with traditional inputs mixed in.

But, yes, for every Kinect or full touch controls there's a lot of hybrid or just unorthodox options being fully written off, i.e. people just wanting a standard controller for Wii U in lieu of what is essentially a standard controller but with a touch screen, how moving sticks is unfathomable and even differing from the button labeling of the Xbox was unacceptable. I understand being weary of new or different things, but some really do just seem to want the exact same thing. See people who kept saying Valve needed to swap the pass out in exchange for sticks.

 

[hepburn3d]

Just browsing movies on the couch is lovely with this

 

[Crayon]

when i bring up the keyboard in and game, the game doesnt seem to register any keystrokes so i cant fill out any text dialogs. is everyone else havng this happen or just me? or did i miss an option somewhere?

 

[Gangxxter]

So, I have a couple of questions:

- Is the current Steam Controller the final hardware revision we'll see in stores on November 10th or is it still some kind of preview/prototype hardware?

- How well do the triggers work in racing games (acceleration/brakes)?

- Is the analog stick clickable?

- What's the point of the left track pad, now that they've included a real analog stick? I understand in the early prototypes they replaced both sticks with two track pads and it made sense. But now that a left stick is present, the only real purpose of the left track pad is the emulation of a d-pad. Wouldn't it be more useful to include a real d-pad instead?

 

[Jay Shadow]

- Is the current Steam Controller the final hardware revision we'll see in stores on November 10th or is it still some kind of preview/prototype hardware?

Yes, this is the final release one. Lotta changes along the way on the software side but this is the final hardware.

- How well do the triggers work in racing games (acceleration/brakes)?

Works well, but they are shallower to press than most triggers so it does feel different. There are options to modify the pressure curve though if you don't like the default feel.

- Is the analog stick clickable?

yes

- What's the point of the left track pad, now that they've included a real analog stick?

To not dick over left handed people, you cold hearted bastard.

 

[webrunner]

i've used steam on our old macbook a long time ago to get Buds for tf2, and I hacve a controller on order for november.. will this offer pop for me?

 

[Nzyme32]

i've used steam on our old macbook a long time ago to get Buds for tf2, and I hacve a controller on order for november.. will this offer pop for me?

No, because chances are they'll fix the issues for the actual release in November

 

[Gangxxter]

Yes, this is the final release one. Lotta changes along the way on the software side but this is the final hardware.

Works well, but they are shallower to press than most triggers so it does feel different. There are options to modify the pressure curve though if you don't like the default feel.
yes

To not dick over left handed people, you cold hearted bastard.

Thanks for your answers.
Haven't thought of left handed people, that makes sense.

 

[D3RANG3D]

Anyone else have xinput not work anymore? Every game sees this controller as keyboard and mouse.

Reverting to non-beta Steam client fixed the issue.

 

[PeterVenkman]

when i bring up the keyboard in and game, the game doesnt seem to register any keystrokes so i cant fill out any text dialogs. is everyone else havng this happen or just me? or did i miss an option somewhere?

Hold uppp I didn't even know we could bring it up in game - how's this down? I'll test keystrokes when I get home

 

[Vinlaen]

Here's some good news about enabling the gyro using the trigger buttons. I just e-mailed Valve and this was their response:

John –
You’re not alone in wanting that ability. I just added this feature yesterday! It will likely be available in a Steam client beta update today or early next week.

Thanks,
Scott

 

[Sleeping Lesson]

Here's some good news about enabling the gyro using the trigger buttons. I just e-mailed Valve and this was their response:

Oh, are you not able to do that currently?

 

[Mister Zimbu]

I asked this before, and didn't see an answer. Is there a way to use the right trackpad in mouse mode, but hold down a mouse button while also moving the mouse, without actually having to physically hold the trackpad down?

For example, set it up so swiping from left to right on the trackpad would hold down the right mouse button, and move the mouse to the right.

 

[Trouble]

By far the biggest gripe I have after using this for a good bit is the face buttons. I still constantly hit the wrong button. QTE events in Ep.5 of Tales From the Borderlands was painful.

Maybe I just need more time to adjust.

 

[Nzyme32]

Hold uppp I didn't even know we could bring it up in game - how's this down? I'll test keystrokes when I get home

You can bring up the on screen keyboard any time by pressing the guide + back buttons as long as you can access the overlay for that app. Only problem is that from time to time it may deselect the typing area, such as if you press x a split second before guide, and some other random quirks. This is probably why they haven't been so vocal about it yet and only mention using the guide button and selecting the keyboard, which probably avoids this issue

By far the biggest gripe I have after using this for a good bit is the face buttons. I still constantly hit the wrong button. QTE events in Ep.5 of Tales From the Borderlands was painful.

Maybe I just need more time to adjust.

I'm lucky in this regard. I've always rested my thumb tip on the x button with the rest of my thumb in between all the buttons, and I'd roll my thumb to hit whatever I wanted to. With the Steam controller I just do the same thing. It's only slightly different for me, so I got over most of the issues I was having with accidentally hitting the wrong button. I still do in the heat of the moment, but it's getting rarer.

 

[Jay Shadow]

For example, set it up so swiping from left to right on the trackpad would hold down the right mouse button, and move the mouse to the right.

Eh....you could sort of fake it. There's an option to add a button press to the outer edges of the pad, or to invert it to the inner circle. Then you could adjust the threshold so it covers the entire pad. But it applies it universally in all directions. It's primarily meant to add a sprint key or a walk key to a motion.

What exactly are you trying to accomplish in a game with this idea?

 

[The Wraith]

Has anyone tried playing Battlefield 4 with controller yet and does anyone have a good config setup for it?

 

[Foxyone]

Has anyone tested out their aim with Exact aiming, which came up in the last Steam controller thread? I'm wondering if people can beat Krej's score, especially with the gyro at play.

 

[Lork]

Am I missing something or is there really no way to change what the triggers do with a mode shift?

 

[Blizzard]

As for the dpad, I completely disagree, although that sounds like a fairly typical new user remark. It actually has ended up as quite advantageous to have the extra surface area. I set it up to have a small deadzone so I can just roll my thumb around rather than always go further, and also set the haptics high, that provided more feedback than ds3 and 360 which both use a solid peace of plastic, where rolling from left to down provides no real feedback other than change of indentation. Meanwhile the steam controller can give feedback for every input change which feels great on high but crap on low.

I think the issue is that some people might have different hand sizes or comfortable positions where they want a "pad center offset" option for resting their thumb on, for example, the lower half of the pad. This might be a good thing for us to suggest via the feedback email address.

 

[Thud]

The last update is pretty rad.

I need more games to test the trackpad movements, but there's no hurry .

 

[Interfectum]

I'm working on some Hitman configs (all versions). I'll hopefully have some done after this weekend.

 

[Bizzquik]

I tried my three favorite Keyboard&Mouse-only games the other night, and was disappointed at the lack of Profiles. (Age of Empires II, Star Wars: KotOR, Rollercoaster Tycoon)
I know more profiles will come as more people get their hands on the controller and fine-tune their own settings....but still.

Question: In your opinion, what three Keyboard&Mouse-only games have you had the best experience with in using the Steam Controller? (Please also list what profile you are using for each.)

Thanks in advance.

 

[Blizzard]

I tried my three favorite Keyboard&Mouse-only games the other night, and was disappointed at the lack of Profiles. (Age of Empires II, Star Wars: KotOR, Rollercoaster Tycoon)
I know more profiles will come as more people get their hands on the controller and fine-tune their own settings....but still.

Question: In your opinion, what three Keyboard&Mouse-only games have you had the best experience with in using the Steam Controller? (Please also list what profile you are using for each.)

Thanks in advance.

Civ V is the only one I've tried thus far, but it's a pretty good experience. I just made my own profile public today, but there's an official profile and some fan profiles that are probably much more full-featured.

*edit* Actually, can someone check if "Blizzard's Bindings" show up for Civ V? I tried publishing it publicly, twice, but I don't see it on the list.

 

[Iorv3th]

WTF? I've just gone on to some of my games to compare some of the configurations I've made with others to find some of mine are top being used by 70-100 people on some? I was literally just trying stuff out. Feel bad cos some of my configs weren't great I was just playing around.

Feel kind of obligated to improve some of my configs now.

How can you tell how many people are using your config?

 

[Nzyme32]

How can you tell how many people are using your config?

The beta update has everything ranked by popularity, with number of users using the particular community binding set shown for each. I have the 2nd top of MGS V and Deus Ex, both of which can probably be improved further

 

[Blizzard]

I tried using a different name and I'm still not seeing my binding show up publicly. Do you need to make your profile public just to share a controller config?

*edit* They finally showed up. It just takes a while.

 

[Vigilant Gambit]

I asked this before, and didn't see an answer. Is there a way to use the right trackpad in mouse mode, but hold down a mouse button while also moving the mouse, without actually having to physically hold the trackpad down?

For example, set it up so swiping from left to right on the trackpad would hold down the right mouse button, and move the mouse to the right.

Put mouse click on another button?

 

[Bizzquik]

Civ V is the only one I've tried thus far, but it's a pretty good experience. I just made my own profile public today, but there's an official profile and some fan profiles that are probably much more full-featured.

*edit* Actually, can someone check if "Blizzard's Bindings" show up for Civ V? I tried publishing it publicly, twice, but I don't see it on the list.

Thanks for the reply.
Happy to hear about Civ V getting an official profile. I hope lots of companies go that route; if nothing else, they provide a great starting point for user-made profiles.

 

[Vigilant Gambit]

Thanks for the reply.
Happy to hear about Civ V getting an official profile. I hope lots of companies go that route; if nothing else, they provide a great starting point for user-made profiles.

If I'm being honest, the official Civ V profile is suboptimal. I changed mine to turn the left touchpad into a rotational scrollwheel, for example. Scrolling with the official profile means mashing on the bumpers to get tiny menu increments. No good.

 

[Blizzard]

If I'm being honest, the official Civ V profile is suboptimal. I changed mine to turn the left touchpad into a rotational scrollwheel, for example. Scrolling with the official profile means mashing on the bumpers to get tiny menu increments. No good.

WHAT, I should have thought of that. Maybe I'll move the tech tree to a button on the right somewhere.

 

[PeterVenkman]

WHAT, I should have thought of that. Maybe I'll move the tech tree to a button on the right somewhere.

I've also got scroll wheel on left pad, it's divine

 

[Vigilant Gambit]

I've also got scroll wheel on left pad, it's divine

Right? It works for every scroll, too. Vertical scrolls and horizontal scrolls. Then it doubles as camera zoom on the map.

 

[pmj]

Most, but not all, of my issues with cursor jitter have been taken care of by setting smoothing to maximum. I only wish that I could smooth that thing even more.

Drift turned out to be caused by the gyro. Hearing that it can be helpful for fine tuning your aim makes turning it off disappointing, but it was just so unreliable that having it on doesn't feel like an option. That thing goes out of sync and starts drifting in random directions after mere minutes.

And with those two changes, the controller is actually usable for me.

Does anyone know if you can bind directions on a touchpad or the stick to more than four buttons? I would like to bind it to eight keys so that it can be used for walking in text games, and for diagonal walking to be performed by diagonal clicks/swipes/pushes.