Valve Reveals the Steam Controller

[CriticalMiss]

How will in emulate an entire keyboard? I know that not every game requires dozens of keys, most for obscure and minor things, but it seems a bit of a stretch to do everything with one controller. Especially for games that have a lot of quick action bits going on. It also looks a bit like the disembodied head of a robot with a thousand yard stare, looking in to your very soul... /O_O\ obeythecontrollerobeythecontrollerobeythecontroller

 

[shiajun]

Haptic sounds cool and all. I'm mostly skeptic about the whole "emulating keyboard and mouse setup". The controller has nowhere near the amount of keys on my keyboard, and replacing the right look thumbstick for a trackpad does not emulate, at least in my case, the precision of a mouse to point around. I have never felt comfortable pointing with my thumb, it feels awkward. I guess I'll have to wait and see. It doesn't translate to emulating a mouse/keyboard setup, it translates to emulating the mappings of console controller limited controls to a keyboard/mouse setup.

 

[Vigormortis]

First impressions weigh far, far more than the average person wants to admit.

Just some food for thought.

Oh, absolutely. I know that.

However, that doesn't change how incredibly ignorant it is to pass judgement on anything without first looking into it.

Hell, like I'd said prior, most didn't even read the info page about the controller. They just looked a the picture, saw something "different", and went straight to dismissive.

Even more to the point, some of the people I've talked with so far who at first thought the controller was dumb are now, in the very least, intrigued. Simply because, upon hearing their complaints, I explained a bit more on what the controller is proposed to do and what kind of features it has.

It's the classic case of "a little bit of knowledge...". I just wish the internet at large would take heed of such an adage. Most of us are too quick to judge.

All that said, who knows? Maybe the controller is a colossal pile of "fail". It could be the worst concept since the Virtual Boy controller.

None of us will know until we get our hands on it.

 

[Entitled]

How will in emulate an entire keyboard? I know that not every game requires dozens of keys, most for obscure and minor things, but it seems a bit of a stretch to do everything with one controller. Especially for games that have a lot of quick action bits going on.

As lomg as those minor and obscure things can also be activated in menus, and on-screen icons, then simulating a mouse and cursor is bigger deal than the keyboard. And most games do have that possibility, hotkeys are more of an addition than a requirement.

Having extra hotkeys is sometimes a nice to have if possible, but it is the joystick vs. cursor limitation that is the bottleneck of keeping strategy games, or simulators, from consoles.

 

[EHKOS]

Right, because the trackpad on my laptop works so well.
Sigh, I am just so sick of hearing about VALVe anymore...in fact, I'm sick of almost all news about any company.

 

[fluxy100]

This is nice and all but the main question is going to be price isn't it? Haptic gobbledygook and resonant actuators are nice and all but if all this fancy tech costs more than 60 bucks or so because of all the things in it, I think I'd rather just have a nice old fashioned controller.

I'm not sure about anyone else but I know my controllers get banged up and putting fancy sounding tech in something that will be dropped, thrown and possibly kicked seems like a stupid idea

 

[lacktheknack]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

You've missed a bunch of details in your rage. Things like the trackpads being clickable, the triggers, the three buttons on the bottom front, and a COMPLETE misunderstanding of how the trackpads even work.

Tactile feedback? They've covered it.

Different-than-normal controller components? It worked when Nintendo did it.

D-Pad has been replaced by touchscreen (which automatically overlays on the screen when used).

If you actually examine the bleeding picture you posted of Portal 2's default scheme, you'll note that the "badly placed" front buttons all have secondary use. They're expecting you to access your normal functions via shoulder triggers and rear triggers as well as clicking your trackpad.

So much rage over so much wild guessing and half-read sources. Give them a chance to let us try them, for God's sakes.

 

[Robot Number V]

OK, can someone please explain to me how those trackpads are supposed to be better for mouse-based games then an analog stick? I mean, you're still just moving your thumbs around, right? It SEEMS exactly like an analog stick, but with less physical feedback.

I'm gonna reserve making final judgements until I get a chance to use the thing, but right now...It kinda seems like they're trying to get the best of both worlds and ending with neither. But, again, I have no idea. Maybe the thing works great.

 

[barbzilla]

Yeah, I honestly see no way this thing is going to effectively emulate a mouse and keyboard setup without being awkward or clunky, even if it does have 16 buttons.

Exactly my thought when I read the article. I don't know how they intend to have it emulate k/m input for anything more complicated than a FPS. Say I want to play Marvel Heroes with a controler, how does it manage to emulate my 10 hotkeys, my spacebar, and my shift button? It just seems to be kind of gimmicky. I am interested in testing the haptic feedback though, it could be rather interesting or even useful in some scenarios.

Also if the hotkey buttons are supposed to be on the middle touchscreen, then I say poor design. It will be very difficult to get my thumbs back and forth between they movement pads and the middle touch screen and back without growing one of them an extra inch. What I need is a Finglonger!

 

[ungothicdove]

It's hard to see how a controller will feel until you hold it in your hands, I'll reserve judgement until then.

Oh come on! This is the internet! Rage and call it stupid and say it will never work. Who needs to actually use it to know if it's a failure or not?! You know Valve has a long history of putting out sub par work just to get a quick buck.

 

[Saviordd1]

Nope.

Not Half Life 3 and not at all interesting. This was a meh announcement valve decided to make.

 

[mad825]

Another controller with a touchscreen, another controller that's gonna get broken.

I love touchscreen tech but it's just too bloody fragile to have it for something worthwhile having for a long period of time.

 

[lacktheknack]

Nope.

Not Half Life 3 and not at all interesting. This was a meh announcement valve decided to make.

Happy 2000th post!

Also, I'm pretty sure that "We're going to populate the Linux platform and offer an alternative, customizable console and different, customizable controller" is much more interesting news than "Valve says words about some vaporware".

 

[Vigormortis]

snippity snip

You...didn't actually read the info page, did you?

They aren't just slapping some shitty, off-the-shelf laptop trackpads on this thing. They're high resolution trackpads. If they're at all like some of the high-res trackpad tech I've seen elsewhere, then they'll be incredibly accurate. (assuming they're using that tech, of course)

They're including a suite of haptic feedback tech into this thing as well. Something that will provide far more sensory feedback than rumble motors and simple thumbsticks.

As for buttons; direct from the info page: There are a total of sixteen buttons on the Steam Controller. Half of them are accessible to the player without requiring thumbs to be lifted from the trackpads, including two on the back. All controls and buttons have been placed symmetrically, making left or right handedness switchable via a software config checkbox.

So not only can you press more buttons without lifting your thumbs than you can on, say, an Xbox controller, but the symmetrical design let's lefties feel more comfortable.

You have a point about the d-pad, but then...the trackpads can be configured to function just like a d-pad. Complete with clickable inputs.

You also seem to be ignoring the clickable touchscreen in the middle. So not only can you configure it to display whatever you want, but the entire thing can function as a button.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

I'm not saying this thing is perfect. In fact, I'm still not entirely sure what to make of it. It's extremely unorthodox. And as I've said previously, it could be a completely worthless piece of junk.

However, I reserve judgement on new ideas like this until I try it.

After all, remember how many people poo-poo'ed the N64 controller for adding an analog stick? It wasn't reviled, at first, just for it's superfluous third handle. Many thought it was the dumbest idea "ever" to have anything but a d-pad and some buttons on the thing.

 

[synobal]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH

You've missed a bunch of details in your rage. Things like the trackpads being clickable, the triggers, the three buttons on the bottom front, and a COMPLETE misunderstanding of how the trackpads even work.

Tactile feedback? They've covered it.

Different-than-normal controller components? It worked when Nintendo did it.

D-Pad has been replaced by touchscreen (which automatically overlays on the screen when used).

If you actually examine the bleeding picture you posted of Portal 2's default scheme, you'll note that the "badly placed" front buttons all have secondary use. They're expecting you to access your normal functions via shoulder triggers and rear triggers as well as clicking your trackpad.

So much rage over so much wild guessing and half-read sources. Give them a chance to let us try them, for God's sakes.

You notice that most people didn't actually read or think about what they read before rushing off to post on their favorite websites their oh so important opinion on the controller too huh?

To me when I first looked at the controller I saw a risk, the sort of risk that most large corporations cannot afford to take.

 

[neppakyo]

Looks interesting, won't pass judgement till people have used it.

So, basically, the left track pad is WSAD, and the right trackpad is the mouse. Just my observation from the quick glance at it.