Valve Reveals the Steam Controller

[Dalisclock]

I'm only going to say that it looks interesting. And when it comes out in 2020, I look forward to seeing how well it works.

Maybe I'll get to play Ep 3 on it.

 

[Canadamus Prime]

That thing looks incredibly awkward to use. I'm not sold.

 

[Vigormortis]

Also: you seem to be implying that the SteamController has no buttons. It has sixteen of them. So I don't follow the issue in that...

Sentence structure mother fucker! Do you understand it!

I meant buttons in relation to current stuff. Easy mix up though.

I do. "Also:" was used as a caveat lead in to a side thought. An 'aside', if you will. (you will? great!)

But anyway, I still don't follow. Are you alluding to the layout of the SteamControllers buttons or some other aspect of the thing I'm not quite grasping?

If it's the layout, I think I can clear that up.

A lot of people are operating under the assumption that the four radial buttons; the ones bordering the touch screen; are the primary action buttons. An easy mistake to make given they are labeled A, B, X, and Y, respectively.

However, a quick glance at their sample configuration for Portal 2 shows that those buttons are going to likely be relegated to secondary functions for most games. In fact, I'd wager there's a good chance they won't be labeled with their current lettering upon the final builds release.

Most key actions will likely be mapped to the four shoulder/trigger buttons, the two under-slung buttons, and the touchpad clicks.

 

[Azaraxzealot]

This was the topic of my thesis for my final English class in college.

I got raised from a B to an A. I proved very well that the industry was in an unsustainable state and that a crash was incoming if publishers/developers didn't do certain things. However, whenever I talk about it anywhere else, people seem to think I'm full of shit.

Guess this further confirms I was right. And once again I can do this:

Spoiler: I told you so.

 

[Extragorey]

This controller is instantly far, far better than any other in my mind (Xbox, PS3/4, etc.) because "it's made to be hackable". If there's anything that can make a half-decent idea succeed, it's Valve's willingness to embrace custom modifications to both the hardware and software of their products.

 

[piinyouri]

It looks....interesting!
Obviously it looks very strange, but I have no intention of judging this thing until I can hold it in my hands and see f 'haptic technology' is the same as 'blast processing'.

 

[Do4600]

I'm a little disappointed, I was expecting a glass ampule that I break under my nose and inhale deeply to lodge the nanites deep into my brain that will control the system.

If the actuators on the controller are precise enough to form a waveform that reproduces music, I'd say we've never even seen anything like this before. It can deliver textures? By vibrating in different directions and at different frequencies? So it's like a holodeck for my thumbs? What in Odin's beard is this going to feel like?

I must know.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

It looks horrible and all the buttons are in the wrong place..... try to play Batman AA or AC with it.....

I'd be more than surprised if they've not already done in house testing on both those games. Seriously everyone is jumping on the "omg different, must suck" bandwagon way to fast. Can we at least reserve judgement until after we get more than 3 pictures and 1 whole release article on it?

That iss not your normal steam game though. Its going to work fine for all the simple 2D stuff and most of the simple 3D stuff but most of the AAA games it will be worthless on.

After years of gaming and owning different pads, some with almost no buttons...the tactile feeling of pressing a button is kinda needed even without that you can not do better than the classic dual shock design(limp analog sticks aside) if that were not the case Nintendo would have never adopted it for their classic controllers on the WII and the layout for the WIIU pad is rather close to it.

I do not mind the lack of sticks its the button placements that are silly as most 3d games the left thumb is rarely off the stick and for this you have 2 or 3 main buttons right by it, if they were extra buttons it would not be a problem..

Then again dose this thing have 3 trigger/bumber buttons? If it dose then it should work fine, hell it should work better than most if it has functional 2 bumbers and 4 triggers.

 

[Schmeiser]

It looks interesting like fuck, i mean i won't buy one but i would love to atleast try it out. It seems nice, it probably won't be close to KB+M in precision and speed but more options is good. But still i don't think you will be able to play dota on that joystick unless it's the same as KB+M which i highly doubt.

 

[GladiatorUA]

The stupidest thing Valve did with this controller reveal is naming those four buttons ABXY. Huge number of humans are not smart enough to understand that those four buttons are NOT ABXY from Xbox controller. THEY ARE NOT.

Looks promising, but I have to judge the feedback thingy with my own hands.

It doesn't seem like it requires specific support from games to emulate Xbox360/PS3 controller. Assigning two separate shift functions to two back(pinkie) buttons to switch the functions of the pads from dpad to left stick and from face buttons to right stick(including feedback) should do just fine.

 

[Overquoted]

*wonders what's wrong with analog sticks*

 

[BrainWalker]

I feel like I would be comfortable with this for Portal, but I'm really not sure I'd be comfortable with this for something like Super Meat Boy that requires ridiculous amounts of precision.

I'm definitely curious, though, and would like to give it a shot.

 

[GladiatorUA]

*wonders what's wrong with analog sticks*

Nothing? Well not exactly.
Sticks have limited functionality. In addition to sucking at FPS games. Valve's pads look like they can do much more.

captcha: you win
All arguments are pointless. I win.

Edit:

I feel like I would be comfortable with this for Portal, but I'm really not sure I'd be comfortable with this for something like Super Meat Boy that requires ridiculous amounts of precision.

http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TommyRefenes/20130928/201219/My_time_with_the_Steam_Controller.php
He(the SMB dev) played SMB with this controller.

 

[Dragonbums]

Holy wow did this thread blow up!

Relax guys. I figure this was the same reaction to the likes of the N64 controller no?

On that front, I love quite the few hypocrites on here.

They yell at suspicious console/PC fans for judging a control as shit before they even tried it, yet they then link the Wii U Gamepad as shit because it looks like shit.

Like, can you not see the hypocrisy there?

I thought the same thing too...until I tried the thing. Basically if you can hold a regular DS with ease, you can hold the game pad with ease. Which is to say, it's pretty darn comfortable.


On that note, this controller can either blow up in their face, or it might be a step in an interesting direction.

Either way, I'm not going to judge unless I have personally used the thing.
No. I don't trust reviewers on gaming websites to tell the truth.
Especially Escapist- seeing as how anything Valve does on here is worshipped to high heaven and any thread that so much as criticizes Valve is locked before it hits page 2.

 

[Vrach]

Assuming a standard controller setup where the left sensorthingy controls movement, this controller seems to have only two buttons accessible (outside two possible buttons) without taking your hands off your movement pad. That... doesn't seem like a good idea to me, the controller already has too few buttons compared to a keyboard.

 

[prpshrt]

Honest to god I thought that were pulling some sort of joke on us. Good luck playing a rts game on that. The thoughts of attempting to play Dota 2 on that thing makes me shudder.

 

[The Lugz]

There's no dpad and there's no physical feedback, granted my example below is old but it's the same issue tablets/phones have with games today. No physical sensation of buttons clicking/pressing or stick angles and you're making it very challenging to play

^

the controller has haptic feedback, you feel whatever the programmer wants you to feel. so for example you want to play a game where you pop bubble-wrap? you guessed it 'pop' 'pop' under your finger. emulating a button push would be impossible but communicating to the player they've pushed the button is easy it's basically like touching a speaker, so yes there can be feedback, you could even be a smart-ass and program several levels of feedback and one for 'the limit' of activation, similar to mechanical keyboard keys

I applaud valve for trying something new, frankly these technologies will never be accepted until someone puts them out there, hell the first 'standard' 16 button controller raised a few eyebrows from the crowds of arcade game button-mashers so only time will tell, I personally think it will work solidly as a controller, but the average gamer just wont want it on principal because they've used dual sticks for half their lives.

 

[GodzillaGuy92]

I do not mind the lack of sticks its the button placements that are silly as most 3d games the left thumb is rarely off the stick and for this you have 2 or 3 main buttons right by it, if they were extra buttons it would not be a problem..

They are extra buttons. It's the right trackpad that'll take the place of a standard controller's A, B, X, and Y buttons, as clicking the top of the pad will function like pressing Y, clicking the bottom will be A, and so on. What the Steam controller calls "ABXY" are really more like its equivalents of Start and Back (I wouldn't be surprised if they were renamed 1, 2, 3, and 4 or something upon release to make it less confusing), useful primarily for mapping hotkeys to.

Assuming a standard controller setup where the left sensorthingy controls movement, this controller seems to have only two buttons accessible (outside two possible buttons) without taking your hands off your movement pad. That... doesn't seem like a good idea to me, the controller already has too few buttons compared to a keyboard.

Without moving your thumbs from the trackpads, you can use the four triggers with your index fingers, the back two buttons with any of your other fingers, and the clicking function on the trackpads with (of course) your thumbs, for a total of eight. And since, as described, each trackpad is really four clickable buttons instead of just one, the total is really more like eleven or even fourteen, depending on how you view it. Then removing your thumbs from the pads gives you eight more buttons to relegate less crucial functions to, not to mention all the options the touchscreen opens up.

 

[Snotnarok]

There's no dpad and there's no physical feedback, granted my example below is old but it's the same issue tablets/phones have with games today. No physical sensation of buttons clicking/pressing or stick angles and you're making it very challenging to play

^

the controller has haptic feedback, you feel whatever the programmer wants you to feel. so for example you want to play a game where you pop bubble-wrap? you guessed it 'pop' 'pop' under your finger. emulating a button push would be impossible but communicating to the player they've pushed the button is easy it's basically like touching a speaker, so yes there can be feedback, you could even be a smart-ass and program several levels of feedback and one for 'the limit' of activation, similar to mechanical keyboard keys

I applaud valve for trying something new, frankly these technologies will never be accepted until someone puts them out there, hell the first 'standard' 16 button controller raised a few eyebrows from the crowds of arcade game button-mashers so only time will tell, I personally think it will work solidly as a controller, but the average gamer just wont want it on principal because they've used dual sticks for half their lives.

I'm glad you didn't finish reading my post where I had written I know there's haptic feedback, but I'll explain this anyway; the ability to 'let the programmer make you feel what he wants you to feel" is a interesting idea idea, the problem is this never works, it's a gimmick that few games take advantage of then it's just thrown in at the last minute because the console creators 'would prefer' you use it. Look at; the Wii's entire library or the six-axis, PSV's rear touch panel 3D. It's a forced feature that typically hurts gameplay. To top it off many devs rarely let you even change controls the most basic and easy thing they could implement and you think they're going to take the time to add in these features for a controller that won't be the majority on steam or steam box?

This is how it'll likely go, a few games in the first year will use it and likely be impressive in their own right, then they will default the haptic to emulating the current controllers in some way. Because that's what everyone has keyboard and mouse and a controller and this isn't likely to be a standard because everyone who has a PC has their preferred control method, those who do get this aren't going to be close to the majority so that will likely end that.

Again: it's a very interesting idea that fits little into games currently and I can't see it wedging it's way into the normal game pad world.

 

[ZippyDSMlee]

I do not mind the lack of sticks its the button placements that are silly as most 3d games the left thumb is rarely off the stick and for this you have 2 or 3 main buttons right by it, if they were extra buttons it would not be a problem..

They are extra buttons. It's the right trackpad that'll take the place of a standard controller's A, B, X, and Y buttons, as clicking the top of the pad will function like pressing Y, clicking the bottom will be A, and so on. What the Steam controller calls "ABXY" are really more like its equivalents of Start and Back (I wouldn't be surprised if they were renamed 1, 2, 3, and 4 or something upon release to make it less confusing), useful primarily for mapping hotkeys to.

Assuming a standard controller setup where the left sensorthingy controls movement, this controller seems to have only two buttons accessible (outside two possible buttons) without taking your hands off your movement pad. That... doesn't seem like a good idea to me, the controller already has too few buttons compared to a keyboard.

Without moving your thumbs from the trackpads, you can use the four triggers with your index fingers, the back two buttons with any of your other fingers, and the clicking function on the trackpads with (of course) your thumbs, for a total of eight. And since, as described, each trackpad is really four clickable buttons instead of just one, the total is really more like eleven or even fourteen, depending on how you view it. Then removing your thumbs from the pads gives you eight more buttons to relegate less crucial functions to, not to mention all the options the touchscreen opens up.

Nope, the right track pad is for looking its not for buttons.