![]() ![]() The paddle button on the right grip feels natural to trigger with my middle and ring fingers, and it could make up for the less-than-ideal location of the A button. I had no learning curve whatsoever when it came to making quick and precise movements using the trackpad. This is where all those years of using a thumb-driven trackball came in handy. The trackpad works as advertised, and the haptic feedback from the (slightly noisy) actuators underneath is surprisingly good at making you think you’re rolling a ball instead of swiping a trackpad. It wasn’t all bad news for my right thumb. Compared to an Xbox 360 controller, where my right thumb naturally rests right on top of the A button, it was clear from the start this was a problem I’d need to address. Pressing the A button in particular required me to stretch my thumb beyond a comfortable angle. For the nitty-gritty details of the controller, though, I’m going to talk about the right and left sides separately.īuttons, joysticks, trackpads, and paddlesįor my right thumb, the button cluster opposite the thumb-stick isn’t comfortable for me. The default setup for desktop use puts the touch pads in control of your cursor and scroll wheel, the primary triggers become mouse buttons, and the paddles underneath are assigned as back and forward buttons for browsing. The controller is balanced well and comfortable to hold. My first impressions of the controller’s build quality were positive, especially once the batteries were installed in the hand grips. I’ve used the controller for a few weeks now, and I’m still scratching my head over it. The second was this video from Steam Dev Days in early 2014 where Valve explained the decision to use a trackpad instead of a trackball, and the third was the great video Valve released of Steam Controllers being assembled. The first was simply that I wanted to see first-hand what the folks at Valve had actually cooked up. Those preferences left me feeling apprehensive about Valve’s twin-touchpad design for the Steam Controller.ĭespite that apprehension, there were a few things that ultimately motivated me to pull the trigger on the Steam Controller. My dream controller-the REvolve Controller-never came to pass. I should also point out that I generally hate trackpads, and until a few years ago I’d spent almost no time with a modern dual-stick controller. ![]() I spent even more time using the Trackman Marble and then the Logitech Trackman Wheel Optical up until the M570 came out. You see, I grew up using trackballs, and I’ve gamed on Logitech’s thumb-driven models since the Logitech Trackman Stationary Mouse made its appearance in the early ’90s. To me, however, Valve was pitching a solution to a problem I felt Logitech had solved three years previously with the introduction of its M570 Trackball. Valve has also promised more changes in the future.Ī more detailed account of the information released at Steam Dev Days can be found here, but the biggest shift was Gabe Newell's revelation that Valve wants to phase out Steam Greenlight - a service it launched less than 18 months ago, and one that was greeted with no small amount of criticism at first.The Steam Controller has had me scratching my head since it was announced near the end of 2013. Valve touted its controller as the answer to PC gaming in the living room, and it wasn’t too hard for me to believe that the PC-centric developer could make something that would outdo a traditional controller in that arena. The new design was unveiled at Steam Dev Days, along with the news that the controller will have a gyroscope, will run on AAA batteries, and that the API will allow for the use of up to 16 controllers at any one time. This change brings Valve's controller more into line with devices on systems like Xbox and PlayStation, and therefore the huge range of games designed to work with their inputs. Previously, the face of the controller had a touch-screen between its two circular touch-pads, but Valve has decided to remove that in favour of a d-pad and a typical diamond-shaped arrangement of four buttons. Valve has altered the design of its touch-sensitive Steam controller in an effort to make it more compatible with existing games. ![]()
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