Steam's various controllers api support is amazing and I simply couldn't live without it

[cyba89]

Personally I rarely change button configs for games that have native controller support.
But being able to browse and apply community created controller configs for games that don't have proper support all from the comfort of my couch is amazing.
I game on my living room TV in Big Picture Mode 99% of the time. Wouldn't be able to do that without that feature as troubleshooting controller issues would be much more of an hassle.

It solved a (for me) big weakness of the platform (limited controller-support for many games, having to rely on third-party programms for certain controllers) and evolved it into one of its biggest strength.

 

[Premium Ghoul]

SCAPI allowed me to add an old emulator with no controller support as a non-Steam game and then easily bind the keys to my PS4 controller.

Waaaaay better than messing with other software like Joy2Key to get edge case stuff like this working properly.

 

[AppleKid]

Oh wow, so this must be something they have improved drastically thanks to the existence of the Epic store right? Pretty sure that only competition could motivate them to implement such features

Spoiler

/s

 

[z1ggy]

It always amazes me that people actually rely on Steam for using controllers. I do know I could look into how Steam does it, but I've been using modern controllers on PC since before Steam ever made any sort of functionality for that and never really had issues that couldn't be solved, be it using some generic USB controller to using PS3 and PS4 ones.

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Why im not surprised

 

[SweetVermouth]

It's amazing but I wish it would be easier to configure

 

[WillyFive]

Pardon my ignorance, but why is so many using xbox 360 controllers instead of xbox one controllers?
I'm a DS4 guy myself and it's miles better than the DS3..

Steam is awesome with controllers in linux as well even if the DS4 is supported properly naively there.

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If you have a 360 controller, theres no reason to get an Xbox One controller. Except for the shape and Bluetooth support, they offer nothing new.

 

[SweetVermouth]

If you have a 360 controller, theres no reason to get an Xbox One controller. Except for the shape and Bluetooth support, they offer nothing new.

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and the better d-pad

 

[tyfon]

If you have a 360 controller, theres no reason to get an Xbox One controller. Except for the shape and Bluetooth support, they offer nothing new.

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I guess it's different in the xbox world.
DS4 is miles more comfortable than the DS3 and you can use the touchpad as a regular mouse.

 

[sirap]

It really is amazing.

And the Steam Controller's trackpad makes playing older games a non-issue.

 

[KamenRiderEra]

And you can customize it the way you want! Use gyro aiming when aiming down sights, give toggle function to those that normally are only hold, create new options with the layers... It's the best Steam function, really!

 

[Alvis]

If you have a 360 controller, theres no reason to get an Xbox One controller. Except for the shape and Bluetooth support, they offer nothing new.

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Uh... I mean... after getting used to a Xbox One controller, the 360 controller feels like a kids toy. The One controller is and feels much higher quality, the sticks feel better, the dpad feels and is better, the shape feels better, everything feels better.

Not to mention the wireless 360 controller is either wireless or wired, while the Xbox One controller is both at the same time.

 

[WillyFive]

I guess it's different in the xbox world.
DS4 is miles more comfortable than the DS3 and you can use the touchpad as a regular mouse.

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Yeah, the DS4 was a monumental upgrade from the Dual Shock design. Its a different league all-together. Microsoft never made the case for an upgrade though, other than forcing the use of the new controller on the Xbox One.

Uh... I mean... after getting used to a Xbox One controller, the 360 controller feels like a kids toy. The One controller is and feels much higher quality, the sticks feel better, the dpad feels and is better, the shape feels better, everything feels better.

Not to mention the wireless 360 controller is either wireless or wired, while the Xbox One controller is both at the same time.

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Sure, and those are good upgrades for an iterative successor. But thats not worth $50 when you already have the previous version that is literally identical except for the stuff like "stick feel". Compare the changes from Wii U Pro to Switch Pro or DS1/2/3 to DS4 to the Xbox one, its like switching between two designs of the same controller instead of a generational leap.

 

[Tizoc]

Sure, I'll upload the template as soon as I get home!

It's for the Switch Pro controller but Steam lets you import it anyway and "converts" it automatically

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Wicked, thanks.

 

[dex3108]

One of the best features of Steam Controllers support is option to use Gyro aim with DS4. And it is amazing how you can use half press on trigger to use it only during aim and that you can both have gyro supported aim or standard aim with just one button.

 

[Adamska]

And don't you think that trying it out in order to understand why people use it is a better use of your time that saying "WoW I sUrE dOn'T uNdErStAnD wHy YoU wOuLd UsE tHiS fEaTuRe" every time someone mentions it?

I mean you surely seem interested in the topic, so why don't you try it out? And if you aren't interested why do you keep informing everyone that it amazes you that people actually use it and that you use a different program? It just seems weird that you're both interested enough in the feature to always reply with "wow people use this!?!?!!?" yet disinterested enough to still "don't understand how it works".

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I think enough information was provided that this post feels completely unjustified, but you do you.

 

[Nerrel]

Getting Nintendo style gyro aim in every title with relative ease has really elevated PC as a platform for me. I'm not a keyboard and mouse person and being able to fully utilize every feature of a controller in the way you want is another giant advantage for PC over consoles.

I wish Valve could get more developers to allow simultaneous mouse+gamepad use... they've advocated for that but it doesn't seem like people are listening. I also hope that eventually some system will be in place to allow in-game button prompts to match the specific controller you're using. But the support is pretty great already as it is and Valve deserves a lot of credit for going out of their way to work on this.

 

[Panda Andino]

After using it alot years ago, I can only see that the only problem its with wireless generic controllers. Input Mapper 2 works better in that. Nowdays almost all generic controller has xinput by cable connection but direct input by bluetooth.

 

[Garjon]

It's great to be able to just attach any USB controller and use it straight away but it's not perfect. For some reason, certain games (e.g. Dark Souls 3) just love to remap your configuration in odd ways; in DS3 I once started the game only to find that attack had been mapped to the centre touchpad.

It's a damn sight better than what we got a decade or so ago however

 

[Alvis]

It's great to be able to just attach any USB controller and use it straight away but it's not perfect. For some reason, certain games (e.g. Dark Souls 3) just love to remap your configuration in odd ways; in DS3 I once started the game only to find that attack had been mapped to the centre touchpad.

It's a damn sight better than what we got a decade or so ago however

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That's because Dark Souls 3 has a default configuration for the Steam Controller and Steam is probably trying to use that configuration for your PS4 controller. Just right click Dark Souls 3 while your controller is connected and click "change Steam Controller settings" (or something along these lines). Then go to the templates menu and apply the regular controller template, not the one made by From Software

 

[Garjon]

That's because Dark Souls 3 has a default configuration for the Steam Controller and Steam is probably trying to use that configuration for your PS4 controller. Just right click Dark Souls 3 while your controller is connected and click "change Steam Controller settings" (or something along these lines). Then go to the templates menu and apply the regular controller template, not the one made by From Software

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I know, I already fixed it. I'm just giving an example

 

[Alex840]

The widespread support form developers of Dualshock 4 button prompts has been super welcome as someone who prefers that controller. Even Cuphead supports it!

 

[BeI]

Can the games from EGS games be added to Steam and the functions used that way?

I used to play Destiny 2 added as a shortcut through Steam using the steam controller but it stopped working one time and I have never been able to get it working again, pretty much killed my interest in the game.

I know Origin games can be a pain the arse to get controller options working with it.

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Strangely enough, Epic launcher is one of the easier launchers to get BPM working. Just add a game's exe to Steam, then right click it in Steam and go to properties, then add the launch option "Epicportal" to it, then you can launch the game through Steam with overlay support.

It's easier than getting Origin (and I'd imagine Uplay) games working.

 

[GhostTrick]

Steam Input is amazing. They basically took all the best features that it used to take dozens of controller programs to get working and made it in one place and easy as hell to use. The functionality of the Steam input configurator still impresses me, especially that itself is completely controller compatible.

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Not only that; they pushed the whole thing even further. Supporting different kind of inputs and the customisation possible is insane: Macros, combinations, turbo mode. Buttons changing their behaviour or mapping if you press a button or if you press it slightly or twice.

 

[Rickenslacker]

Steam input is without a doubt the best thing on PC for controller input, it's quite nice. I just kinda wish it was a bit more intuitive in configuring; I don't often have a use for extra configuration where a 360 pad won't natively suffice, but I've been a little confused as to what's what in the actual config screen.

 

[Deleted member 10852]

as a PC player with a ds3, 3 x360 controller, 1 xboxone controller and a steam controller, is amazing, just incredible, i remember using joy2key and scp driver for ds3, now everything works like a charm without extra software and drivers.

 

[Rickenslacker]

Controller support is something that will always be superior on consoles IMO, you just plug in your controller and you know 100% that it will be natively supported without any issues.

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Tell that to my Hori Taiko drums. I either have to buy another set ($100+) to play Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session on PS4, or I have to get some converter that may induce lag or not work properly.

 

[BeI]

I wish they'd add a certain feature to complement controller playstyles: Rivatuner style fps capping. If you're playing on a couch on a 4k TV, it would be a nice option to be able to easily cap certain games to 30 fps so that you can increase graphics and resolution more. They could implement a hotkey for certain fps caps into Steam Input too, so you could set 30/60/120/etc fps caps as Steam chords for easy use. Or set specific games to default to a certain cap.

 

[Steiner_Zi]

Tell that to my Hori Taiko drums. I either have to buy another set ($100+) to play Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum Session on PS4, or I have to get some converter that may induce lag or not work properly.

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I meant the support of the console's default controller, in this case DS4. I would never turn on my DS4 and have it not recognised by PS4 or having to tolerate the Xbox button icons. Same goes with any other console's controller.

 

[Rickenslacker]

I meant the support of the console's default controller, in this case DS4. I would never turn on my DS4 and have it not recognised by PS4 or having to tolerate the Xbox button icons. Same goes with any other console's controller.

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That's the case with PC too, really. Xinput has become the default, and you plug in and Xbone or 360 pad and you're good to go with contemporary titles, but PC also benefits from allowing a lot more flexibility in this regard and allowing you to use pretty much anything you can plug into it with less fuss than you'd have trying to do the same on a console.

 

[Rogue Agent]

The neatest thing about it is that Valve provides button prompts for all officially supported devices, so if you use the Steam Controller API instead of Xinput, you have native button prompts for all major controllers.

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If I'm understanding you correctly, does this apply to the DS4 as well? So if I play with the DS4 controller, will it display the relevant button prompts for a new game such as Resident Evil 2?

 

[daninthemix]

Agreed, Steam's controller support is incredible.

Can't tell you how many games I configured a touchpad zone as a 'hold-to-repeat' button to get through text quickly.

 

[Budi]

Steam is a beast!

I've only used Steam controller and Dualshock on my PC though. But it feels good to know that I could be using pretty much anything if I ever wanted to. Also the huge freedom for configurations.

It's amazing but I wish it would be easier to configure

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Yeah I get this, as I'm not really at all into tinkering. Very often I just download presets from other people and leave it at that.

 

[GrrImAFridge]

If I'm understanding you correctly, does this apply to the DS4 as well? So if I play with the DS4 controller, will it display the relevant button prompts for a new game such as Resident Evil 2?

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Yeah, but only in games that use the Steam Controller API in lieu of Xinput. I don't think RE2 does.

Edit: Yeah, no such luck:

What kind of controllers does Resident Evil 2 on PC/Steam support?
Resident Evil 2 on PC/Steam supports keyboard and mouse, as well as XInput (Xbox 360, Xbox One) devices.

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[GhostTrick]

If I'm understanding you correctly, does this apply to the DS4 as well? So if I play with the DS4 controller, will it display the relevant button prompts for a new game such as Resident Evil 2?

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Only if the game use the SCIAPI instead of Xinput. I don't think Resident Evil 2 does.

 

[Steiner_Zi]

That's the case with PC too, really. Xinput has become the default, and you plug in and Xbone or 360 pad and you're good to go with contemporary titles, but PC also benefits from allowing a lot more flexibility in this regard and allowing you to use pretty much anything you can plug into it with less fuss than you'd have trying to do the same on a console.

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I agree about the 360/XBO pads but until recently if you had a Dual Shock you were a second class citizen. And in the case of Evoland where I experienced the issue yesterday, even people with 360 pads were complaining in the forums. It's not the PC's fault of course, it's the developer's, I'm just stating that controller compatibility will never be as hassle free as the support offered to a console's native controller.

 

[Rogue Agent]

Yeah, but only in games that use the Steam Controller API in lieu of Xinput. I don't think RE2 does.

Edit: Yeah, no such luck:

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Thank you, now I understand. That is a shame. If such a thing was possible, I wish Capcom used both the Steam API and Xinput, so at least there'd be a choice.

 

[Zombegoast]

My only gripe with this is Microsoft not allowing us to add games from UWP to Steam without using GloSC

and the better d-pad

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And cheaper price.

 

[Joe Spangle]

i created an almighty setup so i could play Arma 3 using my DS4. Had about 50 different buttons and commands mapped out. It was glorious.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

It's easier than getting Origin (and I'd imagine Uplay) games working.

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No it isn't. Origin games are added to steam the exact same way, only you don't have to edit any launcher options, and uplay games work natively with steam as well. I played through all of Titanfall and Titanfall 2 with the Steam Controller.

 

[Sprat]

My only problem with steams controller support is that the android tv app thinks a ds4 is a fix Bluetooth controller. Other than that it's great.

Not an issue really though as I mostly use the steam controller anyway

 

[Bluelote]

I was not aware of this functionality,
can you take an old directinput controller and set it up so it's detected as xinput by the game?

 

[Jazzem]

It's a shame this doesn't seem to be more wildly known, I adore this aspect of Steam. It's a shame it's clunky to use without Big Picture (which in itself is clunky and prone to errors) but man the customisation and wide compatibility are lovely.

Being able to set turbo buttons is a godsend on certain kinds of games !

 

[Rickenslacker]

I was not aware of this functionality,
can you take an old directinput controller and set it up so it's detected as xinput by the game?

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Sure can.

Give it a looksee when you can.

 

[Gelf]

I like to use an original Sega Saturn controller for 2D and fighting games and Steam input has been a godsend. In the past I needed to use some combination of joy2key, xpadder, x360ce and some kind of dinput hider, of which the latter two I could rarely get to work.

Steam input just lets it be detected as xinput seamlessly by the game in any cases I've tried and importantly I can remap the buttons that the games don't allow me to. This is very handy as often I need to accommodate for the fact I'm quite a few buttons short compared to a standard xinput layout. For example Saturn pads only have a start button but no select/back button so usually I need I make start a short press and back a long press in order to navigate menus.

Someone like Epic moneyhatting a fighter would be very offputting indeed as its an extra hurdle to my enjoyment.

 

[justiceiro]

You almost dropped, but you didn't open. Give yourself more credit. You actually gone and tried so many methods to achieve what you wanted, that it's more on you than on steam really.

I tried to use steam to recognize my controller, but I run in more hassles than than using third party software, really. I played with PS3, USB and even Wii u controller, in games that where not supposed to support these controller at all, be on Windows store, nexon launcher or even steam games.

We PC gamers are not constrained for what develop try to impose us. We always find a way, with or without steam.

 

[GhostTrick]

You almost dropped, but you didn't open. Give yourself more credit. You actually gone and tried so many methods to achieve what you wanted, that it's more on you than on steam really.

I tried to use steam to recognize my controller, but I run in more hassles than than using third party software, really. I played with PS3, USB and even Wii u controller, in games that where not supposed to support these controller at all, be on Windows store, nexon launcher or even steam games.

We PC gamers are not constrained for what develop try to impose us. We always find a way, with or without steam.

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Yes we do. And yet now we have a close to ultimate solution that is far more versatile, powerful and convenient than any other.

 

[Hybris]

It's super convenient and even has uses for non steam games. I recently had troubles with the switch pro controller bindings in the Citra emulator and solved that by adding the citra executable to steam and launching it from there. The steam controller apis handled it just by doing that.

 

[Deleted member 12790]

I like to use an original Sega Saturn controller for 2D and fighting games and Steam input has been a godsend. In the past I needed to use some combination of joy2key, xpadder, x360ce and some kind of dinput hider, of which the latter two I could rarely get to work.

Steam input just lets it be detected as xinput seamlessly by the game in any cases I've tried and importantly I can remap the buttons that the games don't allow me to. Often I need to accommodate for the fact I'm quite a few buttons short compared to a standard xinput layout. For example Saturn pads only have a start button but no select/back button so usually I need I make start a short press and back a long press in order to navigate menus.

Someone like Epic moneyhatting a fighter would be very offputting indeed as its an extra hurdle to my enjoyment.

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Steam Input literally powers my arcade machine:

Steam input turns this nest of jamma wiring:

into something modern PC games can understand:

Someone above mentioned the double input error, I actually went back and forth with Valve on this issue to help them solve it using my arcade machine as an extreme fringe test case for them.

 

[Freedom = $1.05]

It made my recent arcade pc build so much easier to set up with my pc games. I had some major issues at first (i kept trying to force my sticks to appear as 360 pads instead of accepting them as the ps3 pads that steam recognized them as) but once i figured it out it's been terrific for my arcade build.

edit: oh shit i see im not the only one! I'm personally using a Big Box/Launchbox setup that i point to my steam games for arcade action. What steam games are you playing on that thing, Krejlooc

 

[Zafir]

It's a great idea trying to unify controller support into one API. Especially with it being so robust and allowing you to easily customise on a game by game basis.

That all said I do tend to just use DS4Windows quite a bit too, just so I don't have to run everything through Steam all the time. While you can add games that have launchers to steam, if I'm not personally wanting to customise the controls for that game then I'd rather just not bother with running the game through Steam in the first place. Not going to lie, kind of wish there was an option inside Steam(ie not using a third party program - I do know they exist to do this kind of thing) that could allow the controller to be seen throughout windows and not just Steam itself but I imagine that kind of thing probably isn't a priority even if it's possible.