• 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.

Flounder

Member
Oct 28, 2017
188
I orded mine on the 28th, not received any followup emails yet but checked my order history and found this:
TJTpXO1.png

Doesn't bode well, but haven't been refunded yet so who knows.
 

Pixieking

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,956
Yeah, I wonder if someone said the DS4 or Elite controller was a piece shit after trying to use it for one day, how many people would just report the post for trolling?
 

Pryme

Member
Aug 23, 2018
8,164
Yeah, I wonder if someone said the DS4 or Elite controller was a piece shit after trying to use it for one day, how many people would just report the post for trolling?

People are still allowed to express their opinions here without censure, as long as it doesn't cross forum rules.
 

Pixieking

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,956
People are still allowed to express their opinions here without censure, as long as it doesn't cross forum rules.

I mean, this is true, but at the same time.... hmmm.

Anyways *shrugs* It took me a few days to tune settings for the Dark Souls games, so it's not a device to decide upon in 24 hours.
 
Jun 2, 2019
4,947
Just got my delivery confirmation email and I'm sooooo happy right now!

Gotta say, it's pretty advantageous to have meddled with this controller before. I know i love what I'm going to receive. Between this, the N64 and pokemon this Christmas is going to be nuts
 

hijukal

Member
Oct 25, 2017
234
Would absolutely buy 2 or 3 of these, since I want to replace the existing one I've used since 2015. If the only Australian distributor wasn't EB and they weren't selling it for $89.95. More than 10x the US price.
 

Pryme

Member
Aug 23, 2018
8,164
You don't get an informed opinion for this controller in one day, ergonomics aside. Honestly.

And i'm not saying this out of fanboyism. I know what i'm talking about

well, that's a point, but you forget people are coming to this controller from a reference point of years using the PS4 or Xbox One controller...and years of using other controllers down the line.
Off the bat, you can already make some calls about the comfort feeling, build quality, size, ergonomics etc. and it's a subjective thing.
You're making your argument from a 'function like point of view. I suspect his own opinion is from a 'form' point of view.
 

hijukal

Member
Oct 25, 2017
234
Personally I hated the Steam Controller the first couple of weeks. Almost shelved it. Stuck with it, and now I love it.

I really hope this fire sale is to clear the way for a revision. But it's Valve, so ... yeah.
 

Lunatic

Member
Oct 27, 2017
2,828
Just got mine.

No opinions on it's functionality but man just holding it my hands and the thing feels damn brittle, like it was 3d printed, scared to give it a tight grip. Very clicky too so not a controller you can use in silence around a sleeping SO for example.
 

XR.

Member
Nov 22, 2018
6,576
People are still allowed to express their opinions here without censure, as long as it doesn't cross forum rules.
Posts only consisting of "X sucks" could potentially fall under shitposting though. It's not really about censoring people's opinions.

Edit: I'm not saying the post should be actioned, however. Just laying it out there that it's not really about opinions; it's about having a good foundation for discussion.
 
Last edited:

Deleted member 4970

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 25, 2017
12,240
What the hell, this thing is amazing! The gyro is the best I have ever used and the haptics + general mouse movement are fantastic!
 

Bomblord

Self-requested ban
Banned
Jan 11, 2018
6,390
So after using it for a while at a time (1-2 hours) I notice that the controller starts vibrating like I'm rubbing my finger on the trackpad and it registers incredibly small movements even when I'm not touching it. Wiping down the pad thorougly seems to fix it. I thought it was sweat or something but I couldn't see any visible condensation on it or my hands.
 

chalkitdown

Member
Oct 26, 2017
3,217
Just got an email saying my account was refunded for the purchase. No explanation given as to why.

Fuck sake.
 

Koukalaka

Member
Oct 28, 2017
9,282
Scotland
Finally got mine configured - still getting used to it but I'm excited by the possibilities, especially around user-made profiles.
 

Minky

Verified
Oct 27, 2017
481
UK
Arrived this morning, played Half Life 2 badly for about an hour until my hands started cramping up. This thing is turd. Feels so cheap and nasty as well as being borderline unusable
 

Woodbeam

Member
May 6, 2019
687
Mine came in this morning.

Just gonna restate this for the people who are getting theirs now and trying it out for the first time:
newbies, put your middle fingers on the triggers! I have small hands, but it's impossible for me to rest my pointer fingers on the bumpers in a relaxed way with my middle fingers gripping the body of the controller in the "traditional" way. The Steam Controller is built to be held differently from other modern controllers, but this grip is perfectly comfortable, and ultimately more efficient (no need to move fingers between bumpers and triggers, they're already there). For the first hour or so of using the controller I was convinced it was awful and realizing how it was meant to be held was a huge "aha" moment. I love it now, and you can too, just don't get a bad first impression by holding it wrong!
 

Deleted member 8860

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 26, 2017
6,525
I got my Steam controller today and brought Disco Elysium. So far, it doesn't seem any better than my wireless keyboard+trackpad combo for M+K based turn-based games and much worse than an XBO controller for gamepad supporting games. (I don't play FPSes.) The main issue, build quality aside, is that it looks like you really need to configure/tweak/practice using the controller on a per-game basis. Community profiles can help, but they're inconsistent.

I'll give it some time, though. Gotta try it in tabletop simulator as well.

100% recommended. I played through the whole of Disco Elysium with the steam controller which wouldn't have been possible on any other controller.

Did you use the default controller mapping or one of the community ones (e.g., with radial menu)?
 
Last edited:

shodgson8

Member
Aug 22, 2018
4,232
I got my Steam controller today and brought Disco Elysium. So far, it doesn't seem any better than my wireless keyboard+trackpad combo for M+K based turn-based games and much worse than an XBO controller for gamepad supporting games. (I don't play FPSes.) The main issue, build quality aside, is that it looks like you really need to configure/tweak/practice using the controller on a per-game basis. Community profiles can help, but they're inconsistent.

I'll give it some time, though. Gotta try it in tabletop simulator as well.



Did you use the default controller mapping or one of the community ones (e.g., with radial menu)?

I built my own, it should be up on the community list. I agree though that a lot of games do require tweaking to your preference which gets quicker as you get used to what all the options are. I recommend downloading a community one and adjusting to what you want.
 

Agent 47

Banned
Jun 24, 2018
1,840
So I got mine yesterday and I might think this is a piece of crap? Had a quick go on Destiny 2 and it seems really unwieldy and hard to line up targets.

Also the build quality of the controller isn't great, it feels really plasticy and cheap.

What am I missing? Not even sure this was worth £15.
 

Theecliff

Member
Oct 28, 2017
3,000
So I got mine yesterday and I might think this is a piece of crap? Had a quick go on Destiny 2 and it seems really unwieldy and hard to line up targets.

Also the build quality of the controller isn't great, it feels really plasticy and cheap.

What am I missing? Not even sure this was worth £15.
i've been trying mine out for a few hours now and it's already hammered home how important different configurations are and how much they can completely transform things. been playing through Alan Wake for the first time and the two configurations i've swapped between have been such different experiences. still not fully sure on the controller and especially of the placement of all the buttons yet (the face buttons in particular) but i probably wouldn't write this off without giving it a fair shake - there's definitely potential with the right settings. this doesn't seem like the sort of controller that you can just boot up a new game and expect things to work well straight away.
 

Narroo

Banned
Feb 27, 2018
1,819
Got mine recently; tried it on DMC5.

It is simultaneously the best and worst controller I've ever used, and not in a good way.

Remember how the original prototypes were almost entirely trackpad-based and didn't have traditional joysticks or buttons? They joystick and buttons appear to be relatively later additions. Remember how back in the 2000's "PC Gamers" used to claim that "The mouse and keyboard is the best input device and controllersuck"?

I think those PC guys grew up and designed the Steam Controller. Someone told them they had to make a controller because of the influx of PC-couch players, so they went and decided to make the best controller there ever was to teach console players "how it's done." Then someone from marketing slapped them upside the head and told them to put some real face buttons and a thumbstick on the thing. So they complied. Begrudgingly. Their haptic track pads were the real stars of the show and no traditional buttons and sticks were going to get in the way of that.

Thus, the steam controller. Amazingly customizable. Amazingly sleek. Good build quality. And barely usable for traditionally console only games.

The stick and face buttons are incredibly small and crammed into the bottom center. The controller handles tend to dig into your palms when you use them. It's pretty much impossible to comfortable use both shoulder buttons and the face buttons. The face buttons are incredibly clacky and have poor action; they feel cheap and are difficult to press; both due to resistance and size. It's hard to rapidly press button combinations. The analogue stick is just akward to get to. Even by themselves the should buttons are ergonomically awkward.

When customized, the trackpads work well as trackpads. They don't replace thumbsticks. Nor do they replace facebuttons. The trackpads double as "saucer style" buttonswhen pressed, which is neat, but they are HORRIBLY CLACKLY with a very long, deep, and non-pleasing action. They can't be used for action games. Furthermore, the right-track pad is completely smooth making it difficult to find buttons. Feels like playing on a smart phone.

All in all, a good idea, but they failed to get the basics down first. Good buttons and ergonomic layout first. Fancy stuff like customization and trackpads second. If you have to use customization features to make up for controller deficiencies, it's a bad controller.

Worth the few bucks I paid for it though. While it's a crazy, lopsided design, I'm willing to bet for the few games it works well for, it will work REALLY WELL. In particular, it's probably the ultimate answer for turning traditional Mouse and Keyboard Games into couch games.
 

Pixieking

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,956
I mean, I've said before, I'll say it again:

a) It's not for everyone
b) I've completed all 3 Dark Souls games with it, and am happily using it for my Sekiro playthrough. And I'm using the analogue stick - which I don't find difficult or awkward to get to at all - to move in all of them.
 

Blackthorn

Member
Oct 26, 2017
2,315
London
Can I use the Steam Controller for remote play and iOS games? I've been wanting a dedicated iPad controller and might pick one of these up if they're going cheap.
 

Pargon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,989
Off the bat, you can already make some calls about the comfort feeling, build quality, size, ergonomics etc. and it's a subjective thing.
A lot of people seem to hold it wrong when you first hand it to them, if they're used to other controllers.
The glossy parts of the controller are areas that you hands shouldn't be touching when holding it, but I've seen a lot of people try to grip the handles like a normal controller so that the pad of their thumb is on the touchpad, instead of the tip of their thumb. That is a very uncomfortable way to hold the controller.

I got my Steam controller today and brought Disco Elysium. So far, it doesn't seem any better than my wireless keyboard+trackpad combo for M+K based turn-based games […]
Few people have ever said that it is better than a keyboard and mouse - though some people do prefer using it.
It is designed for situations where you can't use a keyboard and mouse; e.g. sitting in your living room rather than being at a desk.
For games designed around a keyboard & mouse interface, it is far better than trying to make a regular controller work.

Can I use the Steam Controller for remote play and iOS games? I've been wanting a dedicated iPad controller and might pick one of these up if they're going cheap.
You can use it for Steam Link, but I don't think it works in anything else on iOS.
 

Vinegar Joe

Member
Oct 26, 2017
1,155
I was playing Civ V on this the other day and it worked about as well as I could hope for. Now strategy games are at least feasible on my comfy couch, which is all I was after.
 

Csr

Member
Nov 6, 2017
2,029
It makes a pretty bad first impression with the build quality but in actual use it felt a lot better (though some of the buttons don't feel that good to press), i got it yesterday and i liked it a lot with Dark Souls 3, i got used to it pretty quickly but obviously i am not very good with it yet.
I haven't had a pad with paddles before and they were very comfortable/useful for me, i also like the haptic feedback.

Having a good configuration for a game makes a huge difference. I tried to play Arkham Knight with it but i couldn't make the right trackpad behave how i want it to, joystick mouse felt the best but i don't how i can make it more sensitive at that setting.
Any tips?

The noise some of the buttons (dpad for example) make when you press them is a big problem to me because i often play at night and i am not living alone. Does the noise become less over time?
 
Oct 29, 2017
1,979
Got mine today! Apparently they made Groove Coaster controls with the Steam Controller in mind, so we'll see when I get a chance to play it in a couple days.
 

Pargon

Member
Oct 27, 2017
11,989
This controller is great with Demon's Tilt pinball. Which, btw, is on sale, and is an amazing game.
I really enjoyed using it with Pinball Arcade too.
Something about the way the haptic feedback feels and sounds seemed a lot more appropriate for a pinball game than a regular controller.
 

Narroo

Banned
Feb 27, 2018
1,819
Yeah, I wonder if someone said the DS4 or Elite controller was a piece shit after trying to use it for one day, how many people would just report the post for trolling?
Not many...?

I mean, controls tend to be simple devices. Usually you don't need to "use" a controller for days or weeks to get a good idea of how well it works, aside from longevity.

I mean, I've at times used (at Friends house, owned, at places, et cetera; I don't own all these systems) : NES, SNES, PS1, Saturn, Dreamcast, N64, PS1-Dual Shock, PS1 No Dual-Shock, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Switch, Fight-Stick, Arcades, god so many controllers. None of them required a breaking-in period where you'd need "several days" to judge if the controller had issues or not.

As it is now, the Steam Controller, when using the conventional Buttons and Stick, is fighting with the original NES controller for the position of "most unergonomic controller I've ever held." That's impressive.
 
Oct 25, 2017
3,722
Not many...?

I mean, controls tend to be simple devices. Usually you don't need to "use" a controller for days or weeks to get a good idea of how well it works, aside from longevity.

I mean, I've at times used (at Friends house, owned, at places, et cetera; I don't own all these systems) : NES, SNES, PS1, Saturn, Dreamcast, N64, PS1-Dual Shock, PS1 No Dual-Shock, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Switch, Fight-Stick, Arcades, god so many controllers. None of them required a breaking-in period where you'd need "several days" to judge if the controller had issues or not.

As it is now, the Steam Controller, when using the conventional Buttons and Stick, is fighting with the original NES controller for the position of "most unergonomic controller I've ever held." That's impressive.
Stop using the conventional buttons and stick.
The ergonomics are pretty straight up designed around the pads, not the buttons.
 

Pixieking

Member
Oct 25, 2017
5,956
Not many...?

I mean, controls tend to be simple devices. Usually you don't need to "use" a controller for days or weeks to get a good idea of how well it works, aside from longevity.

I mean, I've at times used (at Friends house, owned, at places, et cetera; I don't own all these systems) : NES, SNES, PS1, Saturn, Dreamcast, N64, PS1-Dual Shock, PS1 No Dual-Shock, PS2, Xbox, Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, Switch, Fight-Stick, Arcades, god so many controllers. None of them required a breaking-in period where you'd need "several days" to judge if the controller had issues or not.

i mean, for me, both the N64 and PS1 controllers required quite an acclimatisation period when they first released, and I struggled quite a lot with the N64 layout even after completing Mario 64. *shrugs*
 
Last edited: