I think it’s kinda meh tbh. The missing second joystick really makes it hard to use. Maybe I’ve got it configured wrong or something, but I always end up just using a ps4 controller.
Honestly what I want it for is games that don’t support a controller. The Steam Deck is my favorite way to play action RPGs like Torchlight/2 and Diablo 3 for example, because the touchpads work great.
From using the steam deck all other controllers on the market are a pretty significant step down in functionality. I never used the original steam controller but with some games especially where I have a good custom layout that uses the trackpads and rear buttons it feels like playing with one hand tied behind my back with the PS5 controller.
I’d love a controller that’s exactly the same input layout as the steam deck so I can dock it and keep my control layout identical.
I found that it depends on the game and how it’s set up. I’ve used the steam controller on a lot of games and it worked well.
As you’ve considered it really comes down to how it’s configured. And you have to reconfigure it for pretty much every game you play. And steam itself doesn’t provide you with good configurations most of the time.
I love the controller but wouldn’t recommend it because of the amount of time it takes to make it work well in each game.
A PS4 controller is just plug and play, and is what I would actually recommend to most people.
Yes I agree, the Steam Deck controls are great because they work as a standard controller with some additions (trackpads and back buttons).
The original Steam Controller however lacks a right joystick and a proper dpad. Yes, I know there are touchpads that are supposed to replace them but it’s not the same.
If you can only have one joystick it makes more sense to use it for joystick movement… it’s pretty much the one thing joysticks are really good at. The touchpad works much worse as an analog movement control than as a way to control the camera angle.
In fact, the touchpad is superior to the joystick at controlling the camera when games are designed for it and allow simultaneous mouse and gamepad input. The issue is that most games don’t, which means you either have to remap everything to keyboard and mouse (which is less user friendly and requires mental training) or you have to use some emulated joystick configuration that makes the touchpad feel janky, since joysticks have such a bad sensitivity when compared to a mouse/touchpad.
However, even with that issue that many games cause, it still feels more janky to use the touchpad for movement.
It’s not functional for games that use sequences of actions on the right stick as inputs (eg sports games with evasive moves or shooting with the right stick).
Lol you can have mine if you want. It was pretty good for older PC games that were designed for mouse and keyboard, but it didn’t really work well for more modern titles designed for Xbox or PlayStation controllers. Also, forget about anything fast paced or competitive since missed and keyboard or a conventional controller just blows it out of the water.
Have you tried getting gyro to work? I played CS GO at a pretty high level with it, the aiming was really easy, and spray control felt natural. People lost their mind knowing they were wrecked by a dude with a controller
No problem, just pointing out that it would be unusual for a controller to have 5GHz WiFi. We are guessing what kind of device Valve is making.This device having 5GHz WiFi lowers the chances of it being a controller.
Bluetooth I understand and makes perfect sense in a controller. Is a very common way to connect a human interface device wirelessly. It is a direct connection and can be very lower power and doesn’t need to transfer alot of data.
Not only did the Steam controller support Bluetooth like you mentioned but i believe the recent Xbox and PS5 controllers support Bluetooth as well. I think even the Nintendo Wii controllers were Bluetooth.
WiFi doesn’t make much sense in a controller when Bluetooth already exists.
Unless the controller has features that would benefit using WiFI over Bluetooth.
For example I could see maybe an advantage in a steam steaming/steam remote play situation. Instead of a controller going Bluetooth to local device and that local device passing the commands to the remote device, the controller could talk directly over the network to the remote device saving some latency for a more responsive experience.
But I don’t know why they would pick 5GHz that is more of a higher bandwidth application as far as i understand. You don’t need that for sending basic controller commands 2.4GHz would be more than enough. Maybe it has something to do with Latency if your 2.4GHz network is congested you could to go with the less congested 5GHz frequency.
Eh. I’m not sure the implementation details and how high or low level their alterations are. Do they establish connections similarly and just not expose the details and packet formats to end users, or is it completely redone?
But either way, Bluetooth is pretty mediocre for just about anything, and the only way to get good results is to own both sides of the connection, with a console or with a dongle.
WiFi-Direct is a terribly underused mechanism and I wouldn’t be surprised if they went with a WiFi connection to be honest. A point to point WiFi connection is faster, has lower latency, and can deal better with interference. The original Xbox One wireless controller came with a dongle that was just a WiFi card (not a Bluetooth card) with weird firmware, so it wouldn’t be the first time.
Bluetooth is very susceptible to interference, the protocol is annoying to work with, and the frequency band is full of random crap. Its saving grace is that just about anything supports the standard Bluetooth HID input.
I’ve also used Stadia and that worked quite well. What if they’re making a Chromecast version of Steam Link that’s connected to your controller? Take your controller anywhere, connect to a Chromecast, and start playing games from your library. That’s another way for Valve to make use of a Steam controller with WiFi that I wouldn’t be averse to.
Specific low-power wireless devices (wireless devices for wireless access systems including wireless LAN (5150-5350 MHz, 5470-5850 MHz frequency band))
I really hope they give us an updated steam controller
Seriously, after having the Steam Deck for a while I’m really upset I missed out on the Steam Controller.
I think it’s kinda meh tbh. The missing second joystick really makes it hard to use. Maybe I’ve got it configured wrong or something, but I always end up just using a ps4 controller.
Honestly what I want it for is games that don’t support a controller. The Steam Deck is my favorite way to play action RPGs like Torchlight/2 and Diablo 3 for example, because the touchpads work great.
From using the steam deck all other controllers on the market are a pretty significant step down in functionality. I never used the original steam controller but with some games especially where I have a good custom layout that uses the trackpads and rear buttons it feels like playing with one hand tied behind my back with the PS5 controller.
I’d love a controller that’s exactly the same input layout as the steam deck so I can dock it and keep my control layout identical.
I found that it depends on the game and how it’s set up. I’ve used the steam controller on a lot of games and it worked well.
As you’ve considered it really comes down to how it’s configured. And you have to reconfigure it for pretty much every game you play. And steam itself doesn’t provide you with good configurations most of the time.
I love the controller but wouldn’t recommend it because of the amount of time it takes to make it work well in each game.
A PS4 controller is just plug and play, and is what I would actually recommend to most people.
Me too. I tried it out but it’s really not my thing.
The Steam Link was better but for some reason performs much worse for me than GameStream (since discontinued, use Sunshine instead) and Moonlight.
Yes I agree, the Steam Deck controls are great because they work as a standard controller with some additions (trackpads and back buttons).
The original Steam Controller however lacks a right joystick and a proper dpad. Yes, I know there are touchpads that are supposed to replace them but it’s not the same.
I have one but I barely ever used it.
yah, they put the joystick on the wrong side.
If you can only have one joystick it makes more sense to use it for joystick movement… it’s pretty much the one thing joysticks are really good at. The touchpad works much worse as an analog movement control than as a way to control the camera angle.
In fact, the touchpad is superior to the joystick at controlling the camera when games are designed for it and allow simultaneous mouse and gamepad input. The issue is that most games don’t, which means you either have to remap everything to keyboard and mouse (which is less user friendly and requires mental training) or you have to use some emulated joystick configuration that makes the touchpad feel janky, since joysticks have such a bad sensitivity when compared to a mouse/touchpad.
However, even with that issue that many games cause, it still feels more janky to use the touchpad for movement.
It’s functional for camera movement.
It’s not functional for games that use sequences of actions on the right stick as inputs (eg sports games with evasive moves or shooting with the right stick).
Lol you can have mine if you want. It was pretty good for older PC games that were designed for mouse and keyboard, but it didn’t really work well for more modern titles designed for Xbox or PlayStation controllers. Also, forget about anything fast paced or competitive since missed and keyboard or a conventional controller just blows it out of the water.
Have you tried getting gyro to work? I played CS GO at a pretty high level with it, the aiming was really easy, and spray control felt natural. People lost their mind knowing they were wrecked by a dude with a controller
The fact that they just recently announced more fine-grained categorization on what kind of controllers a game supports makes me think you are probably right.
I would agree except for the 5GHz Wi-Fi. A controller having Wi-Fi is unusual. A controller having 5GHz Wi-Fi is very unusual
So what’s the problem?
No problem, just pointing out that it would be unusual for a controller to have 5GHz WiFi. We are guessing what kind of device Valve is making.This device having 5GHz WiFi lowers the chances of it being a controller.
No problem, but a WiFi controller is a bit like reinventing a worse wheel
You say that, but Amazon made a WiFi remote and game controller for the second generation of the Fire TV
What do you mean it was hounded by performance issues
How dare you bring up the abbreviated battery life
The steam controller has a bluetooth mode you can activate upon turning it on.
Bluetooth I understand and makes perfect sense in a controller. Is a very common way to connect a human interface device wirelessly. It is a direct connection and can be very lower power and doesn’t need to transfer alot of data. Not only did the Steam controller support Bluetooth like you mentioned but i believe the recent Xbox and PS5 controllers support Bluetooth as well. I think even the Nintendo Wii controllers were Bluetooth.
WiFi doesn’t make much sense in a controller when Bluetooth already exists. Unless the controller has features that would benefit using WiFI over Bluetooth.
For example I could see maybe an advantage in a steam steaming/steam remote play situation. Instead of a controller going Bluetooth to local device and that local device passing the commands to the remote device, the controller could talk directly over the network to the remote device saving some latency for a more responsive experience. But I don’t know why they would pick 5GHz that is more of a higher bandwidth application as far as i understand. You don’t need that for sending basic controller commands 2.4GHz would be more than enough. Maybe it has something to do with Latency if your 2.4GHz network is congested you could to go with the less congested 5GHz frequency.
Proprietary wifi connections perform better significantly than Bluetooth. Bluetooth’s performance blows.
Can they still call it WiFi if it is a proprietary version of WiFi?
Eh. I’m not sure the implementation details and how high or low level their alterations are. Do they establish connections similarly and just not expose the details and packet formats to end users, or is it completely redone?
But either way, Bluetooth is pretty mediocre for just about anything, and the only way to get good results is to own both sides of the connection, with a console or with a dongle.
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@conciselyverbose @ylai @Aurenkin @Catsrules @anon232 we need to support libre and open source things here.
Bluetooth isn’t any more “open”. And more importantly, it’s a horseshit standard with all of bad stability, bad latency, and bad performance.
WiFi-Direct is a terribly underused mechanism and I wouldn’t be surprised if they went with a WiFi connection to be honest. A point to point WiFi connection is faster, has lower latency, and can deal better with interference. The original Xbox One wireless controller came with a dongle that was just a WiFi card (not a Bluetooth card) with weird firmware, so it wouldn’t be the first time.
Bluetooth is very susceptible to interference, the protocol is annoying to work with, and the frequency band is full of random crap. Its saving grace is that just about anything supports the standard Bluetooth HID input.
I’ve also used Stadia and that worked quite well. What if they’re making a Chromecast version of Steam Link that’s connected to your controller? Take your controller anywhere, connect to a Chromecast, and start playing games from your library. That’s another way for Valve to make use of a Steam controller with WiFi that I wouldn’t be averse to.
Yeah that is a good reason.
And looking at the documentation it just saids it uses the frequency band of WiFi not that it uses WiFI. https://www.rra.go.kr/ko/license/A_b_popup.do?app_no=202317210000256753
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