Steam Controller Get! First Impressions and Discussions

[DefunctTheory]

So, I went outside a little while ago to check the weather, and the FedEx truck was just driving down the road. And in my hands he placed my new toy, the Steam Controller.

I was completely surprised, as usually the FedEx guy doesn't come til 4pm. Overjoyed, I've unboxed it to see what I've gotten. The controller looks good, as expected, and feels absolutely weird, as expected.

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For comparison, here's an XBox 360 controller (The A button is giving away, so this is well timed).

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It came with a small cable that can be used to charge the controller (If you put rechargable batteries in it) or to played wire, and a small nub you can plug the controllers wireless adapter into if you don't want it directly slapped into your PC. The nub is fairly heavy, and feels like its filled with lead. This keeps its from flying around at the whim of the cable its attached to, like many similar devices I've used.

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Also neat (unpictured) is a diagram of the controllers internals, which is on the inside of the box band. A nice touch. The controller comes with Duracell batteries (AA) for the controller (Two). The batteries are placed in the outer hand grips for balance.

I haven't gotten around to playing any games yet (I have to head out o do some shopping, and I know if I start gaming, that's the death of the rest of my productive day), but I did connect it and do some fiddling. The controller works almost immediately upon plugging in - The drivers, it seems, are part of Steam already. I was able to cruise the Escapist using the controller after a few moments of experimental button pressing. The track pads are smooth and responsive, and all the buttons feel tight. The buttons under the track pads are a bit weird, as is the lack of tactile feed back on them.

So far, I like the controller, and can't wait to test it out. I do need to check to see if you actually need Steam installed to use it - The box says it does, but it may not.

So, anyone have anything they'd like me to check on this? Anyone else who has gotten their's have an opinion? What's everyone think of Steam hardware push, now that its fruit is finally out in the world?

EDIT: Pictures moved from One Drive to Imgur.

 

[Rylee Fox]

Mine will be arriving later today. I may post my first impressions when I get ahold of it.

I don't mind this push for hardware that Valve is doing. Businesses expand their offerings all the time, and if their products are good for the price, I'm very willing to buy them.

 

[Weaver]

hmm none of those images are loading for me x_x

 

[DefunctTheory]

hmm none of those images are loading for me x_x

Thanks for the heads up. Its One Drive, so I'm not surprised.

Check back in about 5 minutes. I'm moving all the pictures over to Imgur.

EDIT: Images moved from One Drive to Imgur.

 

[EvilRoy]

Pretty spiffy. I had heard that the thing had fingerbuttons on the back of the controller - is that correct? If so, how do they feel relative to pressing them while maintaining comfortable control of the thingy?

 

[DefunctTheory]

Pretty spiffy. I had heard that the thing had fingerbuttons on the back of the controller - is that correct? If so, how do they feel relative to pressing them while maintaining comfortable control of the thingy?

It has a finger button on each hand hold.

The back piece you see with the Steam logo is the battery plate. The very edges, which my fingers are on (On the left, you can see where its raised) are the buttons. The controller itself, when held, actually sits mid-way up your fingers comfortably, so you don't have to squeeze the controller to hold it stably, which makes the buttons easy to deal with. I guess if you are someone who gets a death grip on your controller, it may be annoying, but its really comfortable for me.

On the topic of the buttons, The front 4 are really nice. Their the same, or better, quality then a 360 controller. The anolog stick has no wiggle, and has a nice texture to it - The center is just barely textured, while outer rim has a nice, rougher feel to it. The steam logo glows, and functions in a similar way to the Xbox X logo button. The shoulder bumpers are tight, and the shoulder buttons are like the Gamecube's shoulder button, dual stage. The half way click goes down easy, then it gets more firm for the second stage. They work beautifully.

Also of note - The haptic feedback is a dream. Its variable and can be set to different strengths per game and function. Unlike a regular rumble feature, the haptics in the Steam Controller arn't felt through the hands, but rather the fingers, which leads to a much more subtle and pleasurable experience. A clever thing they did was engage the haptics on the lowest setting when you move on the trackpad - You can only feel the vibrations through your thumb, not in your fingers or the other hand.

I've only played a little Half Life 2 on it (Since its a Valve controller, I thought this was appropriate), but I'm very satisfied so far. I have reservations on whether it can replace a controller for FPSs (Of course, NOTHING can replace a keyboard and mouse), but I can definitely see it replacing controllers for just about every other game genre. It seems like a very happy middle ground.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Please, test it out on as many games as possible and let us know how it handles them. (Just don't let my greedy request get in the way of items on your "important real life to-do list.")

How does the trackpad handle 2D games? Was it right to think the loss of the prototype d-pad was a bad move, or is is surprisingly responsive and precise?

Also, what OS(es) are you using? Win 7, 8, 10, or Steam OS? [small] Or some other Linux distro, or OSX?[/small]

 

[Michael Dunkerton]

I guess I probably shouldn't hold out hope for something as good as a mouse for shooters. But does the trackpad seem to work for a cursor in menus? Like, would it work okay in RTS's? Significantly better than a joystick at least?

 

[DefunctTheory]

Please, test it out on as many games as possible and let us know how it handles them. (Just don't let my greedy request get in the way of items on your "important real life to-do list.")

I plan to. Only got to dick around in two games today, and tomorrow I'm making pies, but Sunday I should be able to churn a few out.

How does the trackpad handle 2D games? Was it right to think the loss of the prototype d-pad was a bad move, or is is surprisingly responsive and precise?

The only 2-D game I've played so far has been Broforce. Both the analog stick and the 'D-Pad replacement' (The left circle) worked perfectly fine. The D-Pad does take some getting used to, as the cross on it isn't as pronounced as the form of a legitimate D-Pad. Is there any specific type of 2-D game you wanted to know about, or a specific title? Here's my Steam account, if you wanted to pick something specific.

http://steamcommunity.com/id/bombast/games/?tab=all

Also, what OS(es) are you using? Win 7, 8, 10, or Steam OS? [small] Or some other Linux distro, or OSX?[/small]

Windows 10.

The other game I played was Half Life 2, and the controller worked pretty well there too. There was some awkwardness, but mostly from how different the controller is. Tomorrow, I'll give my opinion on the controller settings (Its good and bad).

I guess I probably shouldn't hold out hope for something as good as a mouse for shooters. But does the trackpad seem to work for a cursor in menus? Like, would it work okay in RTS's? Significantly better than a joystick at least?

The trackpad is good enough to cruise the Escapist forums, including clicking on links and topic threads. I'll certainly get around to an RTS eventually - Probably a Dawn of War.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

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Thanks for the replies. I actually don't have any requests for a particular 2D game. It's just good to know the trackpad isn't a complete no go for 2D. The controller sounds versatile enough that I might pick one up, should the piggy bank allow it.

I'm looking forward to more info down the road, but take all the time you need.

 

[Odbarc]

Do those giant circles do anything or are they just for show? The left one has the D-pad shape embedded on it.
The YXBA buttons look too far from a natural position the thumb would be in that you'd almost hold the controller on a 45 degree angle just to get to them comfortably. Bad design, I feel.
Plus I'm too used of the SNES with the reversed XYBA that whenever I'm told which buttons to press, I still get them reversed. It's stupid and probably a patient to blame for it. I wish it were just solid colors and I hate the Xbox because it is not.

 

[Kae]

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I know Hairless Mammoth doesn't have anything in mind but if I could take you up on that request and ask How well does it work for fighting games?

I mean you don't seem to like them a lot since you only have Skullgirls and don't seem to have played much of it, but ever since it was announced it's pretty much the only genre I'm curious about since I prefer to play them with the D-pad and this doesn't have one, however the trackpad does seem like in theory it should allow you to perform the movements quite well but the lack of force-feedback seems like it might make it a bit confusing to play.

Anyways fighting games are the only games I play local multiplayer with so if I were to get one I want to know if it's viable since one of my 2 joysticks is not compatible with most games so it limits my choices of which games I can play when I have visitors and I definitely want one for MGSV, since I want analogue movement but I also want more precise aiming than the second joystick and this seems like a nice compromise.

 

[Vigormortis]

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I actually plan to test it out on a few fighting games as well. And don't worry, the haptics on the trackpads give more than ample force feedback. Believe me.

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The 'circles' are high resolution track pads, and they're as good as Valve's been claiming. I've had to fiddle with the sensitivity a bit with different applications, but they are amazingly accurate and responsive.

As for the buttons, the nice thing about this controller is that the letters are basically superfluous. You can bind each of them to be whatever input you want. You can have the A button be, I dunno...space bar, F3, Mouse1, or the B button of a controller. You can even bind them to multiple keys. For example, the Y button can be Shift+Control+F.

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I haven't had a lot of time with it yet in first person shooters, but so far it's very promising. Leaps and bounds above any analog stick based controller I've ever used, including the DS4 and Xbone controller.

And yes, it works a dream with UIs. You can even use it on the Windows desktop. (with some fiddling)

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I tested mine with Broforce. It worked wonderfully. (admittedly, took a bit to config it right, since I tried a rather eclectic setup) So the trackpads work quite well with 2D games.

As for OSes, I've tested mine on Windows 7 and Windows 8. Both worked fine. Have yet to test it on 10 or Linux.

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They feel surprisingly comfy. The sides of the handholds are wide enough that the controller sits snugly in your palms, alleviating some of the need to firmly grip with your finger tips. It makes pressing the back buttons easier.

Anyone else who has gotten their's have an opinion? What's everyone think of Steam hardware push, now that its fruit is finally out in the world?

So far, I'm loving the hell out of the thing. I'm already convinced it'll be the best controller I've ever used, if only because of the precision it offers and the unbelievable degree to which it can be modified and configured.

I mean, I can even adjust the dead zones on the analog stick. The dead zones.

Fiddling with the haptics has been fun. I knew to expect them to be responsive and precise, but I had no idea I could actually dictate which parts of the controller would react to the haptics.

Sadly, I pre-ordered my Steam Link later than my Controller, so I won't receive my Link until November 10th. If, however, something changes and I do get a first-wave unit, I'll let everyone know how well it works.

So far, I like the controller, and can't wait to test it out. I do need to check to see if you actually need Steam installed to use it - The box says it does, but it may not.

Hypothetically, it may not, since settings and such can be stored onboard the controller. In fact, I have an audacious plan I want to test.

It may take some serious finagling with the firmware, but I think it may be possible to use the Steam Controller on a PS4. If it can be instructed to emulate the DS4, keyboard, and mouse input, it may just work on a PS4.

I'm going to assume it likely won't, but damned if I'm not gonna try.

 

[Rylee Fox]

I've played with my steam controller on Borderlands 2 just now. Figured an fps would be a good idea. I made sure all aim assist was off and went for it.

My accuracy was much better than I'm used to when using my normal controller honestly. I never use a mouse for fps games even though I should, but when I try, I get the same feeling I do when using this controller to aim. It may not be AS accurate, but its much better than a normal controller I must say.

I also tried Torchlight 2 with it. It worked, though it was something that would definitely take some getting used to. The controller itself is like that. It works well but you can't just pick up and play it like you would any other controller. You have to get used to how this one handles.

I like it so far.

 

[Kae]

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I actually plan to test it out on a few fighting games as well. And don't worry, the haptics on the trackpads give more than ample force feedback. Believe me.

That's good to hear, as the Force Feedback, it's good to hear mostly because it would be weird to not have it after being used to it since I can remember.

 

[Cowabungaa]

The trackpad is good enough to cruise the Escapist forums, including clicking on links and topic threads. I'll certainly get around to an RTS eventually - Probably a Dawn of War.

Woah, you can even play DoW with it? But that game doesn't have controller support, so how can you do that then?

 

[inmunitas]

The trackpad is good enough to cruise the Escapist forums, including clicking on links and topic threads. I'll certainly get around to an RTS eventually - Probably a Dawn of War.

Woah, you can even play DoW with it? But that game doesn't have controller support, so how can you do that then?

Valve developed the firmware so you can easily map keyboard keys to the buttons and touchpads on the controller.

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[DefunctTheory]

The trackpad is good enough to cruise the Escapist forums, including clicking on links and topic threads. I'll certainly get around to an RTS eventually - Probably a Dawn of War.

Woah, you can even play DoW with it? But that game doesn't have controller support, so how can you do that then?

To add to what inmunitas said, all the buttons on the controller function more like keyboard keys when it comes to set up. Specifically, for an RTS, you'd bind the 'd-pad' keys to WASD, the trackpad to mouse movement, and the two right shoulder buttons to the mouse buttons. That would be the basic set up, and you could bind all your shortcuts to everything else.

 

[Imperioratorex Caprae]

It seems that the overall opinion is that the controller takes a bit of getting used to but feels less like a traditional analog sticks and d-pad and more like a handheld analog to the mouse-keyboard setup, perhaps with a little less accuracy. The things I've heard about it though are that it has some issues when paired with a traditional controller like an issue where using an Xbox 360 controller with it tends to recognize both controllers as the same player. Also there were reports of the mouse-analog function having issues when streaming and other issues of controller confusion while streaming (an issue I've also noticed with the Xbox One to Windows 10 streaming). And some Big Picture issues where the controller did not function perfectly
Other negative issues were about the feel of the shape not necessarily being as comfortable as the 360 controller, but that could just be a subjective thing.
Overall I am intrigued by the Steam Controller and may end up waiting until its been tinkered with a bit more. Maybe wait til generation 2 of it. I'm very wary of the feel of it in my hands as I'm partial to the feel of the 360 and XBox 1 controllers (love the XB1's feel). It sounds cool, but yeah I'll wait it out for a 2nd gen version just to be sure.

 

[Cowabungaa]

To add to what inmunitas said, all the buttons on the controller function more like keyboard keys when it comes to set up. Specifically, for an RTS, you'd bind the 'd-pad' keys to WASD, the trackpad to mouse movement, and the two right shoulder buttons to the mouse buttons. That would be the basic set up, and you could bind all your shortcuts to everything else.

Valve developed the firmware so you can easily map keyboard keys to the buttons and touchpads on the controller.

Really?! That's superb! I might actually consider getting one now, when I have a bigger budget. The idea of playing Civilization 5 from the relaxed position of my bed as if I were console gaming is awesome.