why are people hating on a builder who designed something that a large number of gamers want? This can possibly be the catalyst for valve do give us that sweet pus*-controller we all want. I know I do! I use both my steam deck as controllers and it’s awesome. This video is inspiring
Hopefully Valve will decide to release their Ibex soon. I do like that this is a split controller, but the ergonomics don’t look great compared to the leaked Ibex image.
I hate articles which are just “we watched this youtube video and here are our notes”
Here’s the link to the original creators video, it’s well worth a watch:
It’s increasing creator reach. I’d be honored to have pcgamers talk about it.
Tbf I rarely want to watch videos and would prefer reading someone’s notes on it.
Ideally the creator has their own accompanying written version…
Absolutely. I want to skim the important parts at my own pace. Not dedicate multiple minutes of attention to a video.
Thanks!
Now do Half-life 3.
As someone who owns and uses a steam controller daily, that’s pretty terrible
Yeah, this looks awful to use. It’s okay on the Deck because that’s a mobile device and has a lot of functions it needs to satisfy on the go. For a dedicated controller? Why the hell would you prefer this over the better ergonomically designed SC 1 or literally any other console controller?
The original Steam Controller was great for games that didn’t support gamepads… and came out within like a year of “hey, we can actually map CRPGs, grand strategies, and RTSes to gamepads pretty well apparently?”
The Steam Deck is awesome because it is a best of both worlds. Sticks for games that map to those and trackpads for navigating the OS/Steam and for games that don’t map well to sticks. And a gamepad form of the Steam Deck would be awesome, if only for letting those of us with fewer brain cells to only learn one scheme for a game rather than two or three.
This… is not that. Mechanically it is there (and it is a good ad for pcbway or whatever) but the ergonomics are just complete trash. The Steam Deck itself has shockingly awesome ergonomics (and is a great isometric exercise because that thing is a brick) because it is like holding a large hardcover book. Shrink that down and you are just straining your wrists . It is why basically every gamepad has flared “wings” these days. It softens the angle of your wrist while you hold it.
All fair points. I can definitely see the appeal of wanting the same functionality that the Deck controller brings, as I myself really enjoy the extra flexibility the trackpads and back buttons provide. But the ergonomics in this example just looks awful and feels really reminiscent of the original Xbox controller.
2 analog sticks, input layout parity with Steam Deck, USB-C I guess. It also splits in half so you can use it more easily while cat sits in your lap.
ohh damn that’s pretty sweet
What’s so bad about Steam Controller 1 that it desperately needs a sequel?
Every time it vibrates it sounds like it’s trying to explode into an angry horde of bees. I still use it but gosh it’s annoying.
- It lacks a d-pad
- It lacks a right thumb stick
- The thumb stick it has is not capacitive nor drift free
- It only has one back paddle for each side
- Ergonomics of the deck are way better, at least for me
- It lacks the
button (although this is minor because Steam+a opens the same menu)
Don’t get me wrong, the SC 1 is a great controller, but the Steam deck is better, getting a Steam deck like controller would be awesome.
Well, my steam controller stopped working, and they don’t make them anymore. Yes, I know I could buy a used one on ebay but I’d rather have a new one.
The Deck’s controls. The Steam Controller was a bit too drastic of a change for me. It’s great for games not designed for a controller but having no D-pad and only a single analog stick is a deal breaker for most people who get a controller to play games designed for controllers.
Mostly just that they’re not longer being produced and the second-hand supply is dwindling. Also the bumpers are prone to breaking and a USB-C port would be nice.
Prone?
Hell, they are almost designed to break. They are utterly shabby in terms of build quality.
I was one of the early adopters going back to November 2015
I am not lying when I tell you I have been through 17 of these controllers. It’s the right bumper almost every time.
I have a giant handful of the dongles. I was saving them thinking they would go up in value but now like $2 knockoffs are available LOL
Edit: the first one I received, out of the box, had a broken face button membrane. The replacement I received had a non-functioning back right paddle. The replacement for that had a non-functioning R shoulder and you could hear the plastic crunching on each press. That’s just the first three I received and I’m not counting those in the 17 that I destroyed in my own hands.
They were built like absolute shit. After the first run got sold and they shored-up manufacturing problems, they got marginally better but the fundamental underlying issue never was solved.
If it wasn’t such a wonderful controller, I would have stomped the first one into powder and never looked back.
Totally fair take. What they lack in durability they more than make up for in ergonomics and control customization features.
I’ve got a total of 8 of them with only 2 busted bumpers. I’d say that’s not terrible considering they went through 1000+ hours of the Souls series plus Sekiro.
For me, I want one with internal rechargeable (and replaceable) batteries, more reliable Bluetooth, and multi-device targeting (ie those 1,2,3 toggles you see on stuff like mouse/keyboards - I use mine on my Steam Deck and also on my desktop - dont want to mess with pairing each time. Plus if I end up with with a Switch 2, the trackpad would be interesting for mouse mode if those could connect (no idea)).
You know you can just chuck rechargeable 2.4V AA batteries in there and it works perfectly, right?
Rechargeables get stuck and are waaaay harder to remove than regular because they’re just a bit bigger. I have solved this with a loop of sticky tape around the batteries so I got a bit of a pull tab when using them. so it works…but not perfectly
Yes but
- it doesn’t let me charge and play at the same time
- I could hot swap in and out batteries, but it doesn’t report battery percentage
- It also doesn’t auto-pause when the battery dies, like other systems do
- It runs through them quickly
- it acts finicky/unpredictable when the battery is very low, rather than reaching a consistent threshold and stopping working
- In combination with a bug/anti-feature I’ve posted about previously, my Steam Deck sees it as a new controller every time the batteries are replaced, despite the Bluetooth MAC/BDA not changing.
Fair enough. I much prefer swapping them every few hours rather than using a wire, and I haven’t had those identification problems you describe. Largely comes down to setup and usage profile it seems.
Especially when this is all steam controller 1 parts.
You can get them secondhand, that’s not the issue. What would be the point of making a Steam controller from Steam controller parts? We already have that.
The ROG Ally’s joy-cons are pretty much this except they lack a trackpad on the left controller.
want
Tired waiting for what?
For Valve to release a controller to the level of Steam Deck engineering.
Were they supposed to do that or promised?
Steamed Controller.
