Show and Tell: Valve Software’s Steam Controller

17 thoughts on “Show and Tell: Valve Software’s Steam Controller”

1. What I’m most most curious about is how well the Steam controller works with strategy games (i.e. Civ, Cities Skylines, etc). Also wondering if it interfaces well with RTSs. I figure if I need to engage in a fast paced game, I’d return to an Xbox controller (a lot of those games are essentially built around the controller).

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2. Apparently it is tightly linked to Steam itself (profiles…), so while it might partially work without Steam installed, to actually properly use it, you have to heavily buy into Valve’s ecosystem.

   Thanks, but no thanks, I don’t need a walled garden for a GAMEPAD.

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3. For strategy games like Civ and all that it will probably work well. For higher paced RTS it cant beat the keyboard and mouse. Any keyboard and mouse type game that requires speed and high precision is not the sweet spot for this controller. I have only had the chance to use the controller the last couple nights. Norm’s review is spot on as far as the strengths and weaknesses. I’m interested in seeing how it pans out with some tuning and good profiles.

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4. Really interested in trying this thing out.

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5. It currently works through Steam, yes. However, you basically just have to have Steam running. I have a disc version of GTA V, and I was having no problems getting the controller to work with that. Just added the game as a non-Steam game (to get access to the Steam Overlay).

   The biggest issue I’ve noticed so far is that, how I want it to behave (act mostly as a gamepad, with the trackpad as a mouse) is pretty poorly supported on most fronts. Most games more than a few years old require you to tell it whether you’re playing with a gamepad or mouse/keyboard, and won’t accept inputs from the other. Some newer games are designed to be able to dynamically switch back and forth, depending on what buttons you press (GTA V and Arkham Knight both do this). Those work pretty well in this configuration.

   The biggest plus I’ve seen for this thing is the sheer amount of customizability it offers. You can change literally EVERYTHING, and at a pretty fine level, too.

   It’s definitely taking some getting used to. Valve are also planning on taking feedback and using that to update the software/firmware between now and the full launch next month, so it should get better over time.

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6. looks like yours has AA batteries, is there any word on a rechargeable battery accessory?

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7. thanks for your input! that was what i suspected from how norm presented it. and it’s not at all surprising, methinks. keyboard and mouse require a lot of space, but it’s a mighty package when you consider the amount of buttons you can use for gaming shortcuts and the array of muscles that play into moving a mouse with precision over distance.

   when you cut this down to less roomy solutions, you can’t but end up losing: the mouse-replacing trackpad either is super lowsens or accelerated – both unfeasible for precision at speed – the overall number of buttons under your fingers won’t ever reach what a keyboard can do, and every virtual keyboard, even though this looks like a quite good one, must fall short of the real thing.

   tl;dr: the steam controller can’t be a full value replacement of kb&m, and it makes no sense marketing and testing it as such.

   add to that the reliance on steam (nope) and the more-xbox-than-dualshock form factor (double-nope), and it doesn’t look like a very appealing package to me. but then, i’m fairly sure i’m absolutely not who they made this for, so that’s fine. 😉

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8. It’s a STEAM controller. It’s primary intended purpose is for use on Steam Machines. Of course it’s going to rely on Steam.

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9. you can fulfill the task of providing rudimentary kb&m functionality in a tv/couch setting without tying the hardware functionality to the steam client, and you’d be smarter doing it that way, too, because not restricting sales beyond the strictly steam software horizon.

   that said: every fart that comes out of valve is called steam. i saw its name more as a general branding thing than a statement of this piece of hardware being meant only for this very narrow application ecosystem. if it is indeed meant to be only and exclusively the official steam(tm) controller for steam(tm) machines in your steam(tm) room running only steam(tm) software, then i’m even less its intended target demographic than i initially assumed.

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10. I guess I just don’t get the logic of expecting a thing called a Steam Controller to not need Steam to work.

    But, also, as I said above, it just requires the client, mainly for configuration purposes. Rather than requiring people to download another piece of software separately. I think that’s a fairly smart move.

    You don’t have to invest in Valve’s ecosystem; non-Steam games will work just fine.

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11. as said – i didn’t read steam controller as ‘the controller meant for use with the steam client’, but as ‘steam brand controller’. if valve made snacks, they’d be called steam snacks and while i’d expect some more or less smart integration between the gaming thing and the snacking thing (like a snack-pause button that pauses for the duration you need for one chomp or something, and stacks in duration when you hit it twice or thrice for 2– and 3–bite breaks), i’d also fully expect being able to eat the snacks without having to run steam, and even eat them while not playing a game at all, if i so desire.

    i dunno, this just rubs me in multiple wrong ways. and one of them is steam being a closed platform for video gaming, and tying use of a peripheral that could be used just as well in non-gaming situations to running the client for said platform.

    sure it’s ‘smart’ for valve to disseminate their platform software to people who wouldn’t have used it before, but now have lowered barrier of entry. but it’s smart from a valve business point of view. from a consumer perspective, it looks more on the douchey side. even if you don’t see it as douchey, it’s the manufacturer claiming to know better than you how to use their product, and i’ve never seen anything particularly good spring from that line of thinking.

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12. Thanks for the review! It looks like motion/gyro controls may be useful for shooters: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B43ibnztDLc

    Have you gotten a chance to play with that?

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13. I thought it seemed interesting when it was up for pre-order, but I’m glad I didn’t get it. I watched a few other reviews and they all say that it just really isn’t good for most things that require the mouse.

    The Steam link seems great, but in my current situation my PC is actually close enough to connect to the TV with HDMI, so that’s what I do. I do have to use a wired Xbox One controller with along ass cable, but I think I would much prefer the wireless Xbox One PC controller over this. For games like Witcher 3 and Dirt Rally the Xbox One controller is perfect. For a game like Counter-Strike I would much rather play at a desk anyways.

    When the Xbox One dongle comes out I’ll probably just go for that.

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14. I am fascinated by the typing… i assumed that was a niche thing for weirdos like me, but… is there a big wish out there for it?

    IE Can I play King’s Quest I on a 50 inch flatscreen? Can I watch the Astronaut twitter and instagram accounts in full screen glory? Is WebTV finally here?

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15. I’m much more interested in Steam Link than the controller. Put that through its paces for us, Norm.

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16. I pre-ordered the dongle… Sorry Valve.

    They apparently also will sell a chat pad in November (an official one) like the one norm mentioned for the Xbox 360.

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17. Norm, I’m going to assume the woman doing the camera work was your ‘special lady friend’, as this segment was presented from your house. She is clearly visible in the reflections off the TV, which is something you might want to consider for future videos in front of your home TV. Hopefully you guys are both fine with her appearing in this video..

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