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Day one buy when it's available in my region. My original steam controller was amazing until the wireless adapter crapped out (plus its Bluetooth mode was not great, sadly) and the A button membrane broke. I even tuned that fucking thing to play 2d platformers competently, let alone shooters with gyro aim. I missed it.
My Steam Deck has been rock solid and I've wanted something with an identical layout for my PC and docked Deck since it released. I can't wait
FYI someone managed to make another dongle based on the same chip work by flashing the original dongle firmware on it. I'll try and find the article later
My original Steam Controller is still kicking, but the thumb stick pad has eroded away. Really want to replace the stick if I can 😓
You can pop off the joystick after opening up the controller and replace it with either the 8bitdo joystick or steam deck joystick. Whatever is cheapest. This video shows shows the process https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH8CmCkltzY
GN is not at all where I would go for controller reviews.
This is a $100 controller and i'm struggling to see how this contends with the various budget 'premium' offerings out there like a vader 4 pro or whatever 8bitdo is slinging, or something else. At $100 i'm pretty sure you've eclipsed the great majority of premium options for price and the offbrand choices seem to be better than ever.
I'm still convinced that a cheap $25 controller is as good as any of the expensive ones, so long as it isn't using bluetooth anyway. I don't need touch options on my controllers and I don't use fancy macro/keybind/crazy stuff, so low latency, good tactile response and no problems is all I care about. It's been a long time since the days of the wired xbox 360 controller where competitors sucked.
I don't need touch options on my controllers and I don't use fancy macro/keybind/crazy stuff
It's good that you know what you want in a product, but this product is clearly not marketed at you in this case. It's kind of silly to compare apples to oranges especially when you're allergic to citrus in the first place, you know?
Weird that you call out macros/keybind/crazy stuff as why this isn't for me, which makes a lot of assumptions. I don't want to macro all kinds of shit, but I do use my controllers for all kinds of games. I do keybind certain things to the extra buttons. This isn't even what Valve is going for really. They have effectively three unique features, One extra front button for the quick access menu, the touchpads and a "grip enabled gyro"
Every 3rd party controller has extra buttons that you could setup for that quick access menu.
I have a steam deck. I know how the little pads work. They aren't great. I still fallback to the touch screen or grabbing a real keyboard instead of trying to type with the stuff.
Nobody is going to have "grip enabled gyro" but where is this going to be useful day 1? A valve tech demo title if anything? There's no screen like the deck has, so even switch "homebrew" won't quite work as you'd like without a display touchscreen.
So that leaves the rest of the features which are run of the mill.
Once you start looking at competitors then you start seeing the downsides
No way to adjust stick tension
No short trigger switches (the clicky on the vader is beyond addicting.)
No support for consoles (mentioned anyway)
No color choices
No RGB, programmable or otherwise
Somebody's gonna have issues bumping into that touchpad when they hold their controller a certain way
A lot of competitors add a 3rd button to the top on each side as R4/L4. This doesn't.
Some competitors also add a couple extra buttons below XABY
TMR on sticks, but not triggers
Joysticks not offset like a typical controller. They are very centered and favor the dpad over the stick, and they're squished upwards because of the touch pads
Anywho, obviously I haven't held this thing.. but on paper it's just another overpriced controller unless you REALLY want that quick access button and touch pads.
straightup if you don’t immediately recognize the touchpads as game-changing, then this is NOT the controller for you.
just be content with knowing that scores of people saw the $100 price tag and said “oh that’s actually fine.” and moreover that offering a dissenting opinion to folks who like it is akin to saying “i get this Mona Lisa is popular, i just don’t think anyone should pay that much for a painting!”
it’s got a unique stank threat no other controller replicates. also valve hardware is pretty faultless up to this point.
Joysticks not offset like a typical controller.
What's a "typical" controller? Playstation controller joysticks haven't been offset since they invented the concept in 1997.
Also, I didn't assume anything. I quoted your own words.
I feel like your negatives, while subjective are just completely meaningless to me, who would gladly buy this over anything else, especially considering the terrible battery life my Dualsense has had.
Not having RGB to me just seems good, no battery drain and stupid "gamer" styling.
Colour choice sure, but I would have picked black.
Offset sticks would mean I wouldn't be interested at all.
Console support is entirely meaningless to me, I guess not for everyone but Steam devices are already geared towards PC gaming so it should come as no surprise.
If you have a Steam Deck you should be aware the touch pads can be unbound if that is your preference, so any accidental touches are avoided.
And regarding the price that is the price of an Xbox or PS5 controller in my region already, What is the price for you?
I can't speak for triggers using different tech as I don't know enough (or care lets be honest) but I would've appreciated the adaptive trigger tech in this one, while underused I think it can be great, especially for driving games.
I feel like you are some sort of power user with a very strict preference, which you seem to make the mistake of thinking your average user is. I just want a controller that does the job and does it well, with some few requirements, like non offset sticks. I might enjoy adjustable sticks. but I will not be bothered by it not being there.
just want a controller that does the job and does it well
This one portion is the reality. This controller will work just fine, but still be one of the most expensive ones on the market. Enjoy, but know you’ve done no research and don’t really care about the outcome per your own admission.
I grew up with shitty third party controllers that ruined reputation of said off brand controllers, but times have changed. With how the steam software works you can use basically any controller in the world and configure it however you want with your pc games.. which is exactly why there’s no compelling reason to go with this model over any other so long as it’s a good controller and just works.
There’s countless stick layouts and choices for people with specific niches. That wasn’t a list of mine, just some potential ones. Most people don’t even know that common and cheap controllers exist with tension settings or adjustable triggers… but hey most people just follow the brand brainwash that advertising and echo chambers on the internet encourage.
This is way cheaper than the "Elite" Xbox controller and PS equivalent though? As stated in my region 100 usd is the rough price of a Dualsense or Xbox controller.
The only competitor with a touchpad I know of is the Dualsense, but the battery is trash and it has a mic and speaker which is more annoying than useful to me.
Valve has built a lot of trust with their hardware snd every indication is that is will be a very servicable device.
IMO people who are really only familiar with microsoft, sony, nintendo and valve controllers really are missing the world of amazing value out there with dozens of competing high quality devices with better features and often more reliable than a $200 xbox controller that develops a stuttering bumper button right after the 1 year warranty expires (or before, requiring a replacement that breaks again and again.) This isn't 1998 anymore, "generic" controllers are often better than the originals.
Anywho... There's 198 other controllers here than the three you mentioned. https://gamepadla.com/
The original steam controller really was the first one to have it. A niche of users are obsessed with the feature but no major manufacturer has come out and made a copy because it's just not a popular enough thing.
like I said in my other comment:
Valve was targeting the $40-$60 range originally with this controller. I don't know what happened, given that the competitors are just a little bit over that.
Vader 4 pro was ~$45 last year, at least according to spam in my inbox and my order history. $67 today.
Vader 5 pro is $63 now, but I haven't looked at reviews and I don't need a controller, but on paper they made improvements
8bitdo ultimate wireless 2 is $56 right now even.
Gamesir G7 Pro is another solid option, $80, I don't have one but they're also supposed to be excellent. [...]
Best bang for your buck is still probably the 8bitdo ultimate 2c. It's a fairly basic controller with a 2.4g dongle, bluetooth and two extra buttons. You can find them on sale for for $22 at times or sometimes less but full price is just 30.
Effectively nobody went out and threw trackpads or touch controls on controllers. It just wasn't popular enough after the original steam controller. If you absolutely adore the touchpads on the deck and that's your reason for picking up a controller, this is the exclusive choice for you lol
Honestly would not have given any of the options you provided a second glance, I have looked, albeit briefly, at third party options. Every option you provided has the offset sticks which I don't want. The touchpad is a bonus, the Steam one a larger one at that - there's a ton of things you can do with them. You can even make your own console style radial menus for them.
Asymmetrical sticks are more popular. I really went all in on the xbox style after the 360... but there's a lot of options that aren't what I mentioned.
all of them:
https://gamepadla.com/?f=spec_physical_sticksymmetry%3Asymmetric&fo=1
Just the ones with TMR sticks, most of these are high cost options:
https://gamepadla.com/?f=spec_components_typesticks%3Atmr%3Bspec_physical_sticksymmetry%3Asymmetric&fo=1
$70 Gulikit TT Max is probably the closest thing, if TMR is a must anyway. I don't really see a difference between hall and TMR personally. 4 Rear paddles included that are optional, switch for triggers to be between long throw hall effect and short throw microswitches. Swappable buttons (extra set for the switch). Swappable thumbsticks. Swapple dpad. So many features i'm almost tempted, maybe i'll check out one of their asymmetric options. https://www.amazon.com/Bluetooth-Controller-Switch-Ultra-Fast-Adjustable-Multi-functional/dp/B0GJ5HWKK6
My research is daily driving an og steam controller from day one. I have had some gripes and issues with it, and this seems like it fixed most of them. This is clearly an improvement over it. You don't need the features the steam controller brings. Fine. There's nothing wrong with that. Feel free to purchase any of the trillions of Xbox controller clones.
The trackpads are amazing, actually. It's fine to not like them. In that case, get a cheaper controller and have fun! 100€ is very expensive, but there is no other product out there that offers what Steam Controller does. Also, touch enabled gyro (be it the sticks or trackpads) is a complete game changer for me.
A few notes:
First-party support for Steam Input's deep configuration is a big selling point for a lot of people, myself included. It also means the lack of some of the extra buttons you mentioned present on other premium controllers doesn't hurt so much, because there's already so many options for layering in more inputs. Not wanting to mess with most of that doesn't mean the controller is "not for you," but it does mean it's going to align less with what you value.
I absolutely love the Deck's touchpads. I consider them non-negotiable inclusions for any future PC handheld or controller I buy. I will agree though that they aren't ideal if your main use case for them was typing any more than a couple words at a time.
Citation needed on no one using grip-enabled gyro. It's not something you need a game to support to make use of. Also, touch-enabled gyro was awesome on the original Steam Controller, and grip sensing on the Index controllers enabled some cool functionality.
I don't think lack of console support or color customization are going to register as negatives for most people in the market for this. I can't even remember the last time I used a console.
Valve has a pretty good track record with ergonomics, so I doubt accidentally activating the touchpads will be a common problem. Even if you find yourself in that spot though, you can have Steam Input disable a pad under certain conditions like when its thumb is on a stick.
Symmetrical sticks being a downside is extremely subjective.
You clearly didn't watch the video. If you had, you'd change your tune, it's an outstanding review.
I'm a big proponent of https://www.8bitdo.com/ultimate-2c-wireless-controller/ which is a great controller at a low price. That's why I cannot really sympathize with people complaining about the SC price. Just get an alternative. There are plenty.
I got a good deal for their older Pro 2 model last year and yeah it's pretty good for the price honestly. Linux functionality is a bit dodgy though. Like, it kinda works but I need to set it up regularly for some reason. Switch mode is only partially supported and I can't get the back buttons to work whatsoever on any mode. I switched to the Sony DualSense for most things but I'm willing to pay a premium price for the Steam Controller.
Back to your point though: Yes, there are good alternatives. Especially if you're looking for something specialized like N64 emulation. 8BitDo got it for you. But man the Steam Controller seemss neat.
8BitDo regularly releases firmware updates for their controllers (and dongles!). You might want to try the missing functionality after an update.
I have one of those, they go on sale for $20 or less all the time. Works great.
That being said... i'm not here complaining about price, i'm complaining about value. Show me why this is worth what they are asking. I can and have dropped hundreds of dollars on quality peripherals many times. So far all it has is a valve logo on it. I'd buy two vaders over this any day, and that's just one direct example.
Just a point to consider that I didn't see you mention: a lot of times those aftermarket controllers don't work well with linux. The auxiliary/extra buttons aren't able to be used. This won't really be the case for steam controller since it's made by valve and will have all the proper driver support built in.
My Razer wolverine V2 is a prime example.
Try switching between Xinput and Dinput mode. You can get the extra buttons to work with one of them usually (AFAIK).
Im full time Linux these days at work and at home.
I have gotten four different third party controllers to work, and really only PopOS gave me issues with them. All just are recognized and “just work” on cachyos.
I just haven’t struggled with peripheral compatibility on computers really since the olden days when we transitioned away from dos and early windows to USB… and then again from 16bit drivers to 32 or again to 64bit. But I do know some devices are a problem for some people I suppose.
I'm not here complaining about price, i'm complaining about value. Show me why this is worth what they are asking.
You already have a Steam Controller built into your Steam Deck. If you haven't made custom steam input mappings to utilize the touchpads and capacitive sticks with gyro, then this is not going to appeal to you.
If you want to see what that's all about there are videos on Steam Input for the Deck and all the cool things you can do with it. Once you have that the way you like it you wish all controllers could do it (or at least I do).
So this is a niche product for people who utilize all the control surfaces that the Deck and the original Steam Controller offer. If you don't then it's overpriced and not worth it.
If you haven’t made custom steam input mappings to utilize the touchpads and capacitive sticks with gyro, then this is not going to appeal to you.
We have a winner. A niche like any other… and steam input isn’t exclusive to steam hardware at all lol, third party controllers get all this and more. We all win!
Steam Input is not exclusive to this controller, correct. However the inputs that this controller has and exposes to Steam Input are. There is no other controller in existence that supports dual touchpads and capacitive gyro. I'm not sure why youre being so argumentative. It's not for you, move on.
Can't talk for Vader but 8BitDo's repairability is going downhill while prices go up. Just based on repariability I would trust this Steam controller to outlive anything else at the moment.
Why the hate for GN? You just clearly dont like the controller, but whats that got to do with them?
GN simply isn't a peripherals review channel with no particular expertise in this field.
Gamers nexus, a channel that has been a top resource for gamers looking for hardware reviews for over a decade, doesn't have enough experience gaming to talk about peripherals? What kind of expertise are you looking for exactly? What review source would you recommend to someone interested in buying the new steam controller?
I do get their point. But, it's not a GamerNexus exclusive criticism though, since it's like giving a gaming mouse to someone who only uses a controller to review it then being surprised the type of insight you'd expect from a review channel centered around gaming mice. Like covering latency which is useful and general feel, but not really getting into how it translates to different grip styles and doing tracking and flick tests to see how their aim translates over.
For a good review I would expect some coverage highlighting the unique features of the Steam Controller like the gyro, touchpads, capacitive joysticks, and grip sensors along with some basic Steam Input information on what exactly are the settings available for the grip sensors. Those are after all the features that are missing from cheaper alternatives. Coverage on that for gyro gamers interested in the controller because of that tech and how well it works as a gyro activation features has been lacking, since these are inputs that many reviewers are not familiar with. Along with how the gyro compares to existing controllers and how prone to drift it is and how smooth the gyro is when mouse is bound to it on high refresh rate monitors.
Lot of the controller perspectives have felt like they are coming from the point of view of Xbox controller users who pick up a mouse for everything else, so not having much understanding or experience in how to really utilize these features or not having enough time in the two weeks they got to try it to really understand it. So coverage has been just some few second long clips of this feature exists and being more mentioned because it is on the spec sheet. It's like getting a review on a motorcycle from a channel that only reviews cars and hasn't driven motorcycles before.
I guess what I'd at the minimum expect is an example like this old 10 year old clip at the 1:21 mark of someone showcasing mouse input on the touchpads, gyro being activated on touch, and then demonstrating it being used to aim at multiple targets and getting forth a lot more information in those 40 seconds than 20 minute long videos to people who hadn't seen that type of input use before and actually coming across as though they have put in time to be actually proficient at it.
100% get that it’s a niche controller, but I am that target market. I play a ton of strategy and old point and click games from my couch because I hate sitting at a desk, and crazy enough I still have the original steam controller for that reason. Honestly the price point it’s at and the feature set it has are entirely justifiable for me. Even though I don’t play a ton of shooters, the gyro on it is a must for me since I can’t do basic stick aiming. Just with the old Steam Controller, and even the Steam Deck, it’s not gonna be for everyone, but this is like a dream come true for me. And I’m not opposed to cheaper options as well, wife has an 8bitdo that does feel fantastic for the value too.