• Light/Dark
  • Ever wanted an RSS feed of all your favorite gaming news sites? Go check out our new Gaming Headlines feed! Read more about it here.

Hey PC developers, the DualShock4 has a Screenshot (share) button for a reason. Stop ignoring it.

Vitamin_B_Complex

Vitamin_B_Complex

Member
Jan 21, 2019
2,902
As a new PC Gamer, this has been grinding my gears like crazy because on PlayStation it's so fucking easy to take nice PNGs.
Why support the DS4 natively when you are going to ignore its best feature. It's 2020, people like to take and share screenshots and the DS4 was purpose-built with this idea in mind, so why not support this function. You're art team spend months and years making the game as beautiful is it can be under your constraints but then I have to jump through hoops to take a nice shot.

I'm not even asking for a photo mode, just a natively supported share button that takes a screenshot. The same goes for the xbox controller. Why not add a function to remap the Xbox button to a screenshot button.

Pretty please.

EDIT: As many have pointed out I tried Steam big picture mode and added the GOG version of Ori and yeah, it works pretty well. But again, these are hoops, workarounds. I get that it is partly to blame on Sony for drivers or something, but when I connect the DS4 to my computer, all buttons are recognized by windows. So if your game needs the share button as "Select" or "Back", why not not use the touchpad button. When pressed it registers as a button. So please, all devs who are reading this. Don't sleep on this, you didn't spend years on your game to make screenshotting from a controller more complicated than it needs to be.
 
Last edited:
Alvis

Alvis

Saw the truth behind the copied door
Member
Oct 25, 2017
11,223
Spain
Enable PS4 controller support in Steam. Go to the controller settings in Steam and map the screenshot button to the Steam screenshot feature. The end.

Same thing works with the Switch Pro controler. I even set it up so that when I hold the screenshot button, it emulates an ALT+F10 press so that Shadowplay records the last 5 minutes of gameplay. Just like on Switch.

Also, Steam has an option to save uncompressed screenshots in a separate folder. Be sure to enable that to get high quality screenshots.
 
elenarie

elenarie

Game Developer
Verified
Jun 10, 2018
9,796
It would be really nice if the DS4 drivers were able to hook up into the Game Bar so that they would tie the Share button with the capture screenshot feature of Game Bar. ;)
 
Luminaire

Luminaire

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,610
I wish PC devs wouldn't ignore the DS4 as much as they do. So many games that don't use the prompts at all yet are often easily modded in after the game releases...
 
Kyougar

Kyougar

Cute Animal Whisperer
Member
Nov 3, 2017
9,354
There is a reason, yes. And the reason is: Sony doesn't provide native gamepad drivers for PC.
 
Nabs

Nabs

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,692
PS button + Right Trigger (or Bumper, I forget) will take a screenshot in Steam. You can manually set any button (or touchpad) to F12 if you'd like. *shrug*. I'd prefer to not waste the share button on something like that.
 
OP
OP
Vitamin_B_Complex

Vitamin_B_Complex

Member
Jan 21, 2019
2,902
Kyougar said:
There is a reason, yes. And the reason is: Sony doesn't provide native gamepad drivers for PC.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Then skip the implementation completely and let me do my thing with DS4Windows (which doesn't work perfectly either).

BasilZero said:
On Steam Big Picture , you can configure it to take screenshots.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Not every game is a steam game.

Stygr said:
Why?

F12 exists already
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Are you for real? I don't wanna keep a keyboard next to me on the couch and let go off the controller (especially annoying in action scenes)
 
Ralemont

Ralemont

Member
Jan 3, 2018
4,508
Off-topic, but it's been a trip to fire up my PS3 lately and remember what a Select button is again.
 
Nabs

Nabs

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,692
Vitamin_B_Complex said:
Then skip the implementation completely and let me do my thing with DS4Windows (which doesn't work perfectly either).



Not every game is a steam game.


Are you for real? I don't wanna keep a keyboard next to me on the couch and let go off the controller (especially annoying in action scenes)
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

I'm confused, do you want developers to also create a screenshot tool as well?
 
Adulfzen

Adulfzen

Member
Oct 29, 2017
3,606
I can already use my switch pro controller capture button on Steam like that (and i assume it'd be possible for a dualschock 4) but I wish I could record a 30 second video by holding it like on Switch, dunno if it's possible at this point.
 
Goodacre0081

Goodacre0081

Member
Oct 25, 2017
2,755
a bit off-topic sorry

the Share Button could easily be much better if they implemented a Quick Video Capture feature and it would work just like the Quick Screenshot feature. no laggy menu, just a single press. it just records the last 30seconds and I can keep playing.


CoD for example. Without fail when I use the feature I will end up dying because im forced to go into a full screen menu, which is laggy as shit and and try to quickly hit "save video" and get back out before I get killed by another player.
 
jetsetrez

jetsetrez

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,919
Vitamin_B_Complex said:
Not every game is a steam game.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
You can add pretty much any executable to Steam. I've added plenty of EGS games to Steam and played them with DS4, even games that didn't support DS4 otherwise. Just add DS4 controller support in Steam big picture mode. You can also remap your screenshot button if you like. Problems solved. Toss DS4Windows in the trash.
 
chrisypoo

chrisypoo

Member
Oct 27, 2017
3,457
It's unbelievably easy to take screens on PC and always has been OP. Just add whatever non steam game you're talking about to Steam, launch from there, and configure your controller as desired.
 
jetsetrez

jetsetrez

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,919
Goodacre0081 said:
a bit off-topic sorry

the Share Button could easily be much better if they implemented a Quick Video Capture feature and it would work just like the Quick Screenshot feature. no laggy menu, just a single press. it just records the last 30seconds and I can keep playing.


CoD for example. Without fail when I use the feature I will end up dying because im forced to go into a full screen menu, which is laggy as shit and and try to quickly hit "save video" and get back out before I get killed by another player.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Xbox Game Bar lets you do easy video/clip recording. And you can remap the hotkey to activate it.
 
Windu

Windu

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,617
Xbox Game Bar. Win+G. Should have a keyboard shortcut for the screenshot feature. Can change it to whatever you want. Maybe you can map the ps4 share button to it.

Not to mention there are a million other ways to take a screenshot on Windows. And doesn't steam have this function built in?
 
Flandy

Flandy

Community Resettler
Member
Oct 25, 2017
3,445
Just remap it so it's the screenshot button? I don't see the issue???
 
OP
OP
Vitamin_B_Complex

Vitamin_B_Complex

Member
Jan 21, 2019
2,902
jetsetrez said:
Xbox Game Bar lets you do easy video/clip recording. And you can remap the hotkey to activate it.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...
Yeah but first it opens an annoying menu and second I don't think you can map controller buttons to take an instant shot and THIRD it is fucking slow, I had my wife take screenshots while I was playing a game and from the 100 or so that she took, it registered like 30.
 
Tuco Benedicto Pacifico

Tuco Benedicto Pacifico

Banned
Oct 31, 2017
8,466
But I don't want to use that button to take screenshots.
There's typically some other function involving a menu or a map that is far more useful for me.

Then again, as other users said you can set it up for it, if you want.
 
Delusibeta

Delusibeta

Prophet of Truth
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
5,648
Ultimately, the problem is that Sony never wrote any drivers for it, other than making all DualShock 4s appear as DirectInput devices. End result is that the Share button is just another button, and unless a developer goes out of their way to hook it up with some sort of screenshot functionality (or, as previously mentioned, you remap the button to use Steam's screenshot functionality) it's going to basically go unused.
 
SunBroDave

SunBroDave

Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,140
It's confirmed that Microsoft is adding a share button to their next controller right? If so, then expect much wider adoption of the feature on PC now that it'll be more of a standard feature across both of the main controllers
 
Skyebaron

Skyebaron

Banned
Oct 28, 2017
4,416
People still do screenshots? Is this a dozens of us type of deal? If so, why waste resources when a perfectly good rebinding or F12 does the job.
 
chrominance

chrominance

Sky Van Gogh
Member
Oct 25, 2017
13,573
Given your specific constraints (no Steam, must be instant, etc.) it sounds like what you want is DS4Windows and a custom hotkey bound to the built-in Xbox screenshot hotkey, which I want to say is Windows key+Print Screen but I'm not sure. I know it's configurable to an extent on the Game Bar.

I'm not sure what you mean by there being no instant screenshot option with the Game Bar, because there totally is. You don't need to pop the Game Bar UI up or anything, you just hit the hotkey and it's done. If you're saying that the hotkey itself has lag, I haven't noticed it to be any worse than the PS4 or Xbox One were (and the Xbox One required TWO inputs to take a screenshot, last I remembered: you had to hit/hole the Guide button and then hit X to save the screenshot).

When I was still using DS4Windows I had screenshot bound to either the PS button or the top of the touchpad depending on taste, and both worked totally fine for me (though I used the Steam screenshot feature, not the Windows 10 Game Bar). Honestly I'm not sure what more you could ask for.
 
Fadewise

Fadewise

Member
Nov 5, 2017
3,210
Developers should not be writing games to support specific controllers at all. They should support abstract APIs and frameworks like Xinput and SCAPI/Steam Input. It's 100% on Sony for not natively supporting either of those for the DS4, but as others have mentioned, it's trivial to add that functionality. Building games to support specific controllers just means that they won't work with the NEXT specific controller that you're interested in using a few years down the line.
 
Duxxy3

Duxxy3

Member
Oct 27, 2017
21,680
USA
I'm guessing that PC will get updated with a share button option when the new xbox controllers come out.
 
OP
OP
Vitamin_B_Complex

Vitamin_B_Complex

Member
Jan 21, 2019
2,902
chrominance said:
Given your specific constraints (no Steam, must be instant, etc.) it sounds like what you want is DS4Windows and a custom hotkey bound to the built-in Xbox screenshot hotkey, which I want to say is Windows key+Print Screen but I'm not sure. I know it's configurable to an extent on the Game Bar.

I'm not sure what you mean by there being no instant screenshot option with the Game Bar, because there totally is. You don't need to pop the Game Bar UI up or anything, you just hit the hotkey and it's done. If you're saying that the hotkey itself has lag, I haven't noticed it to be any worse than the PS4 or Xbox One were (and the Xbox One required TWO inputs to take a screenshot, last I remembered: you had to hit/hole the Guide button and then hit X to save the screenshot).

When I was still using DS4Windows I had screenshot bound to either the PS button or the top of the touchpad depending on taste, and both worked totally fine for me (though I used the Steam screenshot feature, not the Windows 10 Game Bar). Honestly I'm not sure what more you could ask for.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

As for Gamebar, the hotkey can only be something input by a keyboard and to be honest, no other option except the default Win+ALT+Prnt does not work and again. When I make my wife take screenshots this way, it is brutally slow when taking multiple screenshots in short succession. My wife took over 100 shots but in the end i have like 20 new pictures and i lost a couple cool scenes.

As for DS4windows, the problem is that some games support the DS4 natively and thus create a conflict with DS4Windows, which in turn i have to turn off or else the controls fuck up or the framerate goes to shit (Control).

What I also don't understand is that some games allow you to press the Prnt key to take a screenshot (which Dropbox turns into a high quality PNG and saves it) and some games just don't. So even with DS4Windows, games that allow Prnt AND do not recognize the DS4 natively work perfectly, but if one of the two breaks its crap. And yeah Steam is a nice option, but it is not as configurable as DS4Windows. Another problem is that when creating makros, DS4Windows doesn't recognize the Print key as a button when pressed but it allows mapping to it when it is not a makro. It's just annoying no matter how you spin it. That's why I would love games that support the DS4 natively, to support the share or touch pad for a quick snap.
 
coopolon

coopolon

Member
Oct 25, 2017
383
i hate the share functionality on os4 and thinks it's one of the worst changes to controllers in awhile, largely because I think it contributed to the fact that everyone just uses the touch button as a gigantic select button now since the share button is reserved at the os. having said that, options are good and clearly some people like it so I agree with you it's be nice if developers supported that maybe as an option. I'd prefer it not be default though

i think addition to the Xbox controller will be really helpful for this, although I really hope it's a new button, not replacing an old button like Sony did.
 
PC-tan

PC-tan

Member
Feb 25, 2018
1,321
I do like the idea of the share button on the DS4 (and N/S) but at least on PS4 (I'm sure that there are settings and stuff to change it) it feels very slow and unresponsive to the point that some times I am not sure if even pressed the button because it takes a little while for the menu to pop up telling me if I want to save or share the screenshot and those types of things. Those are nice but they take a while and at times I am not even sure if it even took the image that I wanted (I also understand that in Japan, since it mainly seems to be a thing in Japanese games, is very strict with copyrighted material. But I don't like how my the DS4 screen shots have the little water mark and in some cases some games don't even let you take screenshots without a work around). That's is just my complaint about the share button on PS4.


As for PC, on Steam at least you can just hit the PS button and R2 to take screenshots and they are way faster than what they are on my base PS4, so I can see what I just took a screenshot of right away. And after I am done playing the game I can see what screenshots I took and decide to what share or delete.

The main issue with the Steam PS+R2 buttons though is that you will perform your R2 button while you take the screenshot shot. So as an example in the new Jedi game, when ever I take a screenshot it was always show me using the force in the direction that the camera is facing, instead of me just standing still.


There are options out there but it seems that native support don't seem like an option.
 
Brick

Brick

Member
Oct 25, 2017
975
This doesn't strike me as a PC Developers issue. It seems like it's a Sony Not Giving Full Driver Support issue.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.