Non Console gamers reviews of the Steam Controller. I bought an xbox 360 controller for MWO, and I didn't get it. Haven't had a console since the PS1. I would like to see the experiences of mouse and keyboard users with this peripheral.
I did a quick review on my YouTube channel. I don't want to spam your thread too much so I won't post it here but you can find it at YouTube.com/metaljeffmods
I watched the video, I don't usually do FPS games. Civ 5 I love, The Faerun Mod was a welcome refresh. FPS, I will stick with keyboard and mouse, other genres I just wanted to see what PC Gamers thought of it.
If you want to play games from distance e.g. at a sofa/couch/bed and not need to hulk around a keyboard and mouse, then the steam controller is perfect.
The steam controller is not meant to replace a keyboard and mouse nor a normal controller but allow people to play games that would normally require a K&M to play with a controller from a distance.
For me, the steam controller replaces all my needs for other controllers now as it is extremely comfortable. The layout is weird (because it is different) but takes about a 2-4 hours of use to become natural (just like any controller on first use).
- The trackpads are weird but absolutely amazing and the haptic feedback allows me to know exactly what I have done. They are extremely accurate and can be setup into any mode (mouse, joystick, mouse-like joystick, dpad, button pad, and much, much more).
- The gyro is my go to now for anything that needs quick precision (e.g. FPS trackpad to move to and gyro to precision aim).
- The trackpads can become touchpads and the other buttons can act as modifiers so you can virtually use all the keyboard buttons available to you if needed.
- You can even setup the trackpads and the joystick into mouse region mode so that it maps to a certain area of the screen. With this, I have a setup so I can play Torchlight (1&2) as if it was meant for the controller.
- Back grips allow me to hit buttons without removing my thumbs from the trackpads/joystick.
- Dual stage triggers, analogue output and a digital click if pull all the way in. Great for so many games (FPS, Car racing, Rocket League).
- 80 hours of battery life on 2 AA!!!
I think the controller is amazing and is better than any controller I have ever used*. It's weird but only because it is different. It's like when you picked up a controller with analogue sticks for the first time — you need to relearn how to use it.
If you are sitting at a desk then I see no need for a SC so you should just use a K&M unless you prefer a controller for some games.
P.S. A lot of the "reviews" for it are dreadful. They either treat it as an Xbox controller and say it's nothing like it, or like a K&M and say it's nothing like it. The "reviewers" "hate" it because they find it weird and treat it the same as controller/K&M.
P.P.S I am sorry for the big reply.
*Probably on par with the gamecube controller if you ignore the trackpads.
I made a whole thread on it, and my experiences with it after a month.
I would imagine the steam controller would rock with Diablo 3.
Well I have it working very well with Torchlight 2 so I don't see why it wouldn't for Diablo 3!
That's a pretty good review, Kat. I still think you shouldn't have gave it a score out of 10. It's a little pointless and meaningless but nevertheless.
The main problem with the controller is not the controller itself. It's the advertizement and initial view of it.
I really wish it was reviewed better by many of the so called "professional reviewers". It's like reviewing a manual car if you have only ever driven an automatic. It's different but not bad (in fact, better).
I think the problems with the actual controller are mostly software and not hardware. The hardware is done but the software has some way to go; it's still in alpha/beta development really. The community layout voting scheme is too basic and dreadful. Only the most basic games have decent layouts and most of the time, I have to create my own as they are not using many of the features (gyro, touchpads, mode shifting, mouse region, outer ring binding, etc.)
TL;DR: People hate change; things deviating from the norm; lazy to configure settings.
P.S. Sorry for the little rant.
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People like to compare it to a standard controller or a mouse/kb. It's not. It's a whole new peripheral on it's own with is own ups and downs.
I personally love it for first person games, and games like the witcher. In 3rd person adventure games the trackpad gives me the precision camera control that a mouse has, but with the comfort of a controller for those type of games. First person games are great with it because the trackpad acts like a trackball and I can 'roll' the ball with my thumb and then stop it from 'rolling' by putting my thumb against it. I haven't tried using it in point and click games, but that seems up to the individual weather they like or dislike it for those particular games. I haven't found a use for the gyroscope yet because I'm doing fine pretending the trackpad is a trackball. I absolutely love how you can customize the layout with great detail usng the overlay. In just a minute I was able to insta-cast signs in the witcher 3 in a very comfortable way without the need of 3rd party software that may or may not bug out on me. The negative reviews are a bit unfair because nobody seems to give an unbiased opinion. They assume that since it doesn't fancy them then it shouldn't fancy everybody hence the controller is a bad idea because they're the center of pc gaming and their opinion is fact. It's kinda shitty how the people who want to ruin the controller for us who are genuinely enjoying it by spamming bad reviews while I'm sitting here quietly using the shit out of it.
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It's better than anything any other reviewer who said it sucked without properly using. and honestly I don't think any reviewer took the time to use it. and you can see it in their reviews. they complain about the littlest things when it can be solved if you set up the controller properly.
Actually quite the opposite. the software works perfectly. though the only con is you have to set everything up from Big Picture Mode. which is understandable but somewhat dumb. people have trouble getting used to the hardware cause they are too used to using analog sticks. and the software isn't in Beta. it's a full out release. though some features are slowly being added.
the community made stuff is actually REALLY Good.. like outstanding. though for most games that have controller support the only thing you have to configure in my honest opinion is the right touchpad cause it tries to replicate an analog stick.. which it's not. it's much better to replicate the mouse movement.
Very true.
I've had problems with the software such as crashes and you have to use BPM. I understand the reason for BPM but it is annoying. The software is in a kind of beta though. The features are coming but they are not all there yet (in the stable release at least).
The only layouts I have found to be good are with games that already have full controller support. The rest are bad for non controller based games. I have to spend at least 10 minutes setting it up for most games. I usually have to tweak anyway as I use inverted-y so the gyro is cocked-up. The system needs a voting&usage based system.
I felt like the Gyrometer was just useless period. there was no logical reason to use it. unless maybe for a driving game(?) that would make the most sense. though I never turn it on. there's no need to use the Gyrometer.
Its useful in FPS games.
Well It's there. Some people use it and some don't. I don't use it but I'm not gonna rip on people who use it. It's a nice addition to the controller.
I like the gyro mainly because I used to play so many fps games on the Wii and I had the zapper gun holder thingymabob. So when I found the gyro on the controller, it felt extremely natural and very useful.
Would anyone else find a pie like division for buttons on the trackpads? At the moment, you can have 4 buttons/dpad or a touch menu; I remember Valve saying they were going to allow you to segment the button on and on.
And what about a circular touch menu?!
I like it so far. It's not a pick up and go controller. It has a bit of a learning curve. The only thing that would have made it better was a little bit smaller dpad and mousepad so I can access the A B X Y buttons a little bit better, but that has more to do with me having small hands.