Developers: Steam Controller "Doesn't Feel Like a Trackpad"

[james.sponge]

I still hope they will announce some games to go along with this hardware and stuff.

Also I'm getting the impression Valve will make their fans work on steamOS optimization, improvements and compatibility with games whereas they will focus on making hats and running away with all the money.

Any linux games will work.

This isn't a console, its a scaled down Linux PC meant to work with Linux PC games. Its no different from a linux PC hooked up to your TV.

.... Which steam put incentives for devs to make ports and linux games in the first place for a while. Their catalog of linux games has been growing well before this.

Games aren't the issue. They already exist.

I didn't mean there won't be a library of games to play on this machine it's just that Valve started as a game developer I was hoping for some information concerning possible sequels to half life/portal/l4d or perhaps some other ip they've been working on and didn't announce.

 

[rofltehcat]

Hm... so the track pads can be set to feel like there are buttons underneath? At least this is what I understand from the articles about it (here, Kotaku etc).
Sounds interesting.

 

[Vrach]

Some of the confusion seems to be that the ABXY buttons serve the same purpose as the ones on the xbox controller, when they really don't. They are more like the start and back buttons, plus this is meant for pc, don't like the default controls? Rebind them.

Then what buttons do serve that purpose? Cause you kinda need something to click to do stuff

The trackpat can serve as button. Want to press the right button? Press on the right side of the trackpat.

Was my first thought, yeah, but don't see improvement in it :/

The trackpads are clickable but there are also trigger, shoulder and back buttons, you have access to 8 buttons without having to lift your thumbs off the trackpads.

It will definitely be an adjustment and it'll take getting used to but only time will tell if it works.

Ugh, not too good on the terminology... shoulder buttons are the usual 4 right (L1/L2/R1/R2)? What would the trigger and back ones be then?

Sorry, recent console user (after a long, long while), always been a PC player

If it's 8 buttons without having to give up moving around, that's fantastic, but I didn't see them here.

 

[JayRPG]

Some of the confusion seems to be that the ABXY buttons serve the same purpose as the ones on the xbox controller, when they really don't. They are more like the start and back buttons, plus this is meant for pc, don't like the default controls? Rebind them.

Then what buttons do serve that purpose? Cause you kinda need something to click to do stuff

The trackpat can serve as button. Want to press the right button? Press on the right side of the trackpat.

Was my first thought, yeah, but don't see improvement in it :/

The trackpads are clickable but there are also trigger, shoulder and back buttons, you have access to 8 buttons without having to lift your thumbs off the trackpads.

It will definitely be an adjustment and it'll take getting used to but only time will tell if it works.

Ugh, not too good on the terminology... shoulder buttons are the usual 4 right (L1/L2/R1/R2)? What would the trigger and back ones be then?

Sorry, recent console user (after a long, long while), always been a PC player

If it's 8 buttons without having to give up moving around, that's fantastic, but I didn't see them here.

I'm not 100% sure myself but after looking at the diagrams on steam, it looks like there are 2 shoulders buttons and 2 trigger buttons where your traditional L1/L2/R1/R2 are and then 2 large buttons on the back close to where your fingers would normally rest.

Those 2 buttons look long/large though so I will assume that they are 2 buttons each (like press the bottom of it and it's 1 button and press the top for the other button) which would account for the 8 buttons valve says are reachable without moving your thumbs.

All the pictures and info are here:
http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamController/

 

[Double A]

Yes, because the most reliable way to get information about a new product's quality is from the press release announcing it.

Yeah, but a guy from Double Fine said it was good, and Tim Schafer is PC gaming's super jesus.

 

[Amaror]

Some of the confusion seems to be that the ABXY buttons serve the same purpose as the ones on the xbox controller, when they really don't. They are more like the start and back buttons, plus this is meant for pc, don't like the default controls? Rebind them.

Then what buttons do serve that purpose? Cause you kinda need something to click to do stuff

The trackpat can serve as button. Want to press the right button? Press on the right side of the trackpat.

Was my first thought, yeah, but don't see improvement in it :/

Just of the top of my head i would see it as an improvement that it's digital. Depending on the framwork Developers might be able to adjust the number of buttons for the game.
You could have one button, 4 buttons or maybe even 8 buttons.

 

[Vrach]

Some of the confusion seems to be that the ABXY buttons serve the same purpose as the ones on the xbox controller, when they really don't. They are more like the start and back buttons, plus this is meant for pc, don't like the default controls? Rebind them.

Then what buttons do serve that purpose? Cause you kinda need something to click to do stuff

The trackpat can serve as button. Want to press the right button? Press on the right side of the trackpat.

Was my first thought, yeah, but don't see improvement in it :/

The trackpads are clickable but there are also trigger, shoulder and back buttons, you have access to 8 buttons without having to lift your thumbs off the trackpads.

It will definitely be an adjustment and it'll take getting used to but only time will tell if it works.

Ugh, not too good on the terminology... shoulder buttons are the usual 4 right (L1/L2/R1/R2)? What would the trigger and back ones be then?

Sorry, recent console user (after a long, long while), always been a PC player

If it's 8 buttons without having to give up moving around, that's fantastic, but I didn't see them here.

I'm not 100% sure myself but after looking at the diagrams on steam, it looks like there are 2 shoulders buttons and 2 trigger buttons where your traditional L1/L2/R1/R2 are and then 2 large buttons on the back close to where your fingers would normally rest.

Those 2 buttons look long/large though so I will assume that they are 2 buttons each (like press the bottom of it and it's 1 button and press the top for the other button) which would account for the 8 buttons valve says are reachable without moving your thumbs.

All the pictures and info are here:
http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamController/

Ah, it has grip buttons... crossed my mind, but didn't see that picture, thanks for the link

Looks decent. Which is enough really, the rest is up to how it feels, won't know that until we try it out... but I'm a bit suspicious still over what the trackpads add. Digital isn't better than analog, it gives more options, but there's no palpable feedback from actually pressing a button (or at least, not the same way, I know you CAN click trackpads, but the feedback is not really great, to me at least)

 

[Entitled]

I'm a bit suspicious still over what the trackpads add. Digital isn't better than analog, it gives more options, but there's no palpable feedback from actually pressing a button (or at least, not the same way, I know you CAN click trackpads, but the feedback is not really great, to me at least)

The trackpads are not supposed to "add to" analog joysticks, or to buttons, approximating their use is good eough, the main point is to also add an absolute positional control input (like a mouse) instead of only directional control (like a joystick).

With joysticks, you can only "steer" a cursor (or a crosshair) in a preferred direction, with a speed dictated by the pushing angle. With a mouse, the screen is directly mapped out under your wrist, and with a laptop trackpad, under your index fingerm so you can jump anywhere with a single quick movement.

You are right, in that this "Steamroller" is not necessarily an improvement over a standard console controller alone, but the point is not that, it is to have multiple input methods, to imitate BOTH analog joysticks AND mouses.

 

[loa]

If this works the way I imagine it works, this might just revolutionize controllers.

 

[Sight Unseen]

Some of the confusion seems to be that the ABXY buttons serve the same purpose as the ones on the xbox controller, when they really don't. They are more like the start and back buttons, plus this is meant for pc, don't like the default controls? Rebind them.

Then what buttons do serve that purpose? Cause you kinda need something to click to do stuff

The trackpat can serve as button. Want to press the right button? Press on the right side of the trackpat.

Was my first thought, yeah, but don't see improvement in it :/

The trackpads are clickable but there are also trigger, shoulder and back buttons, you have access to 8 buttons without having to lift your thumbs off the trackpads.

It will definitely be an adjustment and it'll take getting used to but only time will tell if it works.

Ugh, not too good on the terminology... shoulder buttons are the usual 4 right (L1/L2/R1/R2)? What would the trigger and back ones be then?

Sorry, recent console user (after a long, long while), always been a PC player

If it's 8 buttons without having to give up moving around, that's fantastic, but I didn't see them here.

the controller has a total of 16 buttons, with several that are confirmed to act as several buttons depending on where you push them and how you map the controls. Allow me to list the buttons below. I'll mark buttons that can be pushed without lifting your thumbs with a * and buttons that can be mapped to be multiple buttons with a + .

Left Trackpad. * +
Right Trackpad. * +
Left Shoulder Button (equivalent to LB or L1) *
Right Shoulder Button (equivalent to RB or R1) *
Left Trigger Button (equivalent to LT or L2) *
Right Trigger Button (equivalent to RT or R2) *
Left Back Button (completely new to controllers, to be pushed by your middle to pinky fingers while they support the controller) *
Right Back Button *
A Button
B Button
X Button
Y Button
3 Buttons along the bottom bar
Touch Screen (which is not like most touch screens in that it's an actual button that you have to push down before it registers, hovering your finger over the screen will just bring up the overlay on your TV screen so you can see what you're pushing) +

Hope that helps everyone confused by this controller

 

[hentropy]

I dunno, I'm sure Steam tested it out quite a bit before deciding on it, but I can't imagine trying to control a computer or play my current games with a trackpad. It might be a lot better than a laptop trackpad, but at least those I can control with any finger I want that feels comfortable, forcing me to do it with my thumbs just doesn't seem right or precise to me.

It seemed like we had finally figured out a pretty good basic design when it came to controllers that everyone has sort of agreed on (except Nintendo but eh), and now it seems like we're going back to the N64/Dreamcast era of novelty controllers. I just don't see what it will offer that the next-gen controllers won't.

 

[uchytjes]

I'm withholding judgement until I see a price point. I already want one (badly, even) and will pay a fair sum for it, but if it is over $100 (which I HIGHLY doubt, but you never know), it'll just be too expensive for its worth.

 

[Something Amyss]

Did they not kinda explain that in the announcement? Didn't people read it

Yeah, I mean, if you can't trust a company's assessment of the quality of their own product, who can you trust?



The only way it doesn't really look like a track pad is in terms of texture, and I've seen them with ridges before.

Of course, my first thought was more the Turbo Touch 360 and "No More Numb Thumb!"

I mean, I'll wait and see on this before I actually render a serious judgment, but "it's a trackpad, but totally not like THOSE trackpads" doesn't instill me with confidence when it's part of the marketing.

I'm slightly worried about how the X and Y buttons are apparently meant to be pressed by your left thumb rather than your right, as is usually the case. So if you need to, for instance, reload, you need to take your thumb off the left trackpad and therefore stop moving? I'm sure they've foreseen this problem and have a way around it, but for the moment I'm pretty confused about how this is supposed to work. There's a reason all four face buttons have been on the right hand side of the controller since the original PlayStation.

Doesn't that assume "reload" is mapped to one of the left buttons?

I would think any game built with this in mind would do something different.

 

[aegix drakan_v1legacy]

I not totally convinced. I'd need to try it myself.

I mean, not having analog sticks would feel really weird...

Then again, that neatly solved the problem of analog sticks getting loose and being forever stuck on "move forward" like my last 360 controller. >: s

 

[synobal]

Then again, that neatly solved the problem of analog sticks getting loose and being forever stuck on "move forward" like my last 360 controller. >: s

That is the worst, well okay not the worst. The worst was when you played too much mario party on the n64 and the analogy stick broke on your controller and all you were left with was that evil metal stick that tore up your palm/finger/first born child.

 

[Anachronism]

I'm slightly worried about how the X and Y buttons are apparently meant to be pressed by your left thumb rather than your right, as is usually the case. So if you need to, for instance, reload, you need to take your thumb off the left trackpad and therefore stop moving? I'm sure they've foreseen this problem and have a way around it, but for the moment I'm pretty confused about how this is supposed to work. There's a reason all four face buttons have been on the right hand side of the controller since the original PlayStation.

Doesn't that assume "reload" is mapped to one of the left buttons?

I would think any game built with this in mind would do something different.

Oh, I'm sure you're right about that. Like I said in my original post, Valve will definitely have thought of stuff like this and planned around it. It just confuses me a little, is all, because I'm so used to the face buttons being pressed by my right thumb. I'd need to see the controller in action before I can make any judgements, and ideally try it myself.

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

I'm glad it doesn't feel like a trackpad. I absolutely despise those on laptops. I look forward to trying one these in the future.

 

[Psychobabble]

Well nice, so they are more sophisticated than the crappy laptop track pads. But does it feel like a better way of doing things than the controls we already have? How much rough and tumble can these things take with all this new sensitive tech inside them? How much will these high tech controllers cost, because of all this sensitive tech inside them? How much crud do the trackpads pick up off users fingers, skin oil, food residue, etc? How much wear and tear can these trackpads take? This clicking noise to tell you where your fingers are on the pad, does it get annoying for users after awhile? I'd really like to hear about those issues. Not empty platitudes like "Wait wait wait, it totally doesn't suck as much as you guys think it will."

 

[Requia]

Looks decent. Which is enough really, the rest is up to how it feels, won't know that until we try it out... but I'm a bit suspicious still over what the trackpads add. Digital isn't better than analog, it gives more options, but there's no palpable feedback from actually pressing a button (or at least, not the same way, I know you CAN click trackpads, but the feedback is not really great, to me at least)

These have little linear actuators in them and will move the trackpads slightly to let you know what you're doing.