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Valve first announced the Steam Controller way back at the end of 2013 and after plenty of revisions, tweaks and even feature changes, we finally saw it launch last year. However, it looks like Valve isn't quite finished refining its gamepad yet as reports are suggesting that another hardware revision for the controller is already in the works.
Right now, there are over 400,000 Steam Controllers out there either at retailers or in the hands of customers but further improvements could appear in the future, though a timeline is unspecified.
This information came from a GDC presentation (via PCGamesN), which talked about the design of the controller and the future. The new controller apparently won't guarantee any new functionality but will make changes to the “look and feel”.
“In the future, we are working on a hardware revision to the controller to improve look and feel. But we're pretty happy with the feature set we have now and do not intend to drastically change it, or even change it at all. Maybe we'll throw extra features in here or there, but the controller's not gonna grow a new touchpad, or a new set of buttons, or a new major feature.”
KitGuru Says: If Valve were to add major new features to a Steam Controller hardware revision then the company would run the risk of alienating those who already bought one. However, giving it an ergonomic touch-up doesn't sound like it would be as big a deal. Have any of you tried the Steam controller yet? I've heard some mixed things but I am still very interested in trying one myself.
Hi, I’m mike.
I hate the XBONE. I hate it.
But I love my XBONE controller I use for PC gaming. It’s perfect. When a game isn’t good for keyboard and mouse, I use the controller. I have absolutely no need for a steam controller, and I don’t see the advantage it offers for people like me.
When I DO eat my ice cream, and I DON’T take my medicine, and I DON’T do my exercises. I… Do… Feel… Better.
I want to give you type 2 adult onset diabeetus.
Have a nice day. Thanks for your time.
This comment was sponsored by Liberty Medical.
i wouldnt knock it until you try it.. it seems to have a way to crawl into your heart and stay there.. it has a massive amount of custom ability.. not only does the dual triggers support half pull and full pull options, it has 2 track pads that can be used as mouse or joystick and ALSO work as 4 way buttons.. even at the same time.. it also has a feature where you can bring up a gui menu and select macros.. and the best part is the gyro.. it not only does up and down and left and right but also rotation. there is also a really convenient gui screen keyboard for games that support chatting. then there is the 2 bottom buttons.. very nice for 1st person shooter games so you can switch weapons or throw grenades without moving your thumbs or trigger fingers.
how about standard Force Feedback that the Xbox pads have.. the controler only has input feedback like cellphones have
Useing the controler for like racing games and not being able to fee the apex etc really sucks big time
oh and real driver support with in windows.. the Controller doesn’t even show up under game controllers Setting in the CP ,
There is zero support for the controller out side of Steam Big Picture mode, I had the pad for like 6 hours and refunded it…Awesome hardware (minus missing Force FeedBack support) Kill completely by lack of driver support.
I have a PC I see no reason to load steam into big picture mode.. or even having to load steam in the first place to use pad for games…. it should jsut show up as a useable device that I can full map buttons etc with all game options or setting apps
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A long long time ago, on a intel pentium 2 PC not too far away..
I was a console gamer, used to joysticks… but then in 1997, there I was, suddenly playing old win 95 games on the families first PC!
I was playing SKYNET. Remember that? Cool game for the day, it didn’t work with voodoo 2 graphic cards though, so I never did get to see it with the super graphics mode thingy… =<
anyhoot… I tried playing it with joystick, and I do mean JOYSTICK as in one of those big flight joystick things… got through most the game like this… but I kept dying. It was like, I just instinctively realized, PC gaming was different and required different methods, and that was the only controller we had. SO eventually I tried this whole wasd thing.. Aiming with mouse? PREPOSTEROUS I thought thunk thank think to myself… but I thunk some more on this… tested the mouse… and realized it was really good for aiming! huh…. weird…
After some rough beginner steps…
I felt the magic…
I started to become PC MASTER RACE…
When quake 2 demo came out later that same year my family got the PC… I was hooked… Nothing but aiming a virtual gun could EVER be faster and more precise then mouse aiming! NOOOOOTHING!!! My master raceness ran deep within me already at this point now! I felt my blood change to tiny transistors, as my brain slowly converted to an x86 central processing unit. THERE CAN ONLY BE…. PC! All other forms of entertainment are inefficient and obsolete.
So yeah…
How in the world… can people prefer a steam controller to mouse and keyboard for strategy or shooter or almost any kind of game on pc?
So I don't understand why lots of PC gamers want this. What am I missing here? This doesn't seem like an official MASTER RACE device!
And for 2d games I highly doubt it's better then me old n64 controller jacked into my pc with special device, and good ole JOY2KEY for stubborn 2d games like binding of isaac. See now, console peasants don't understand what I said just now, so I better explain the glory of this to them before they get the wrong idea. They'll just say "HAH we don't have to use special apps and setup time just to play our games!"
Dearest console peasants-
On the glory that is hereby known to be PC gaming… You have wild, imaginative, experimental, and highly innovating games. Long before you peasants got to play MINECRAFT or binding of isaac, or don't starve, or terraria, or countless other amazing indy games, we on the PC were playing them… We had some odd awkward early steps into some of these games. Some like binding of isaac clearly are better on a controller, like the n64 controller. Being an indy game, it didn't support joystick natively, so we have to use an app to set that up. One such app is called joy 2 key. With a little setup time you can get anything… and I MEAN ANY GAME to use a joystick!
You might think this a nightmare, but what this means to us, the master race… is that we can use whatever the hell joystick we want, AND setup the buttons HOWEVER we want, and even turbo them, or macro them, we have way more options then you poor enslaved console prisoners will ever understand. THE TROUBLE IS WORTH IT!!!
This is just 1 example, of many such glorious examples, that prove just how intelligent we "The PC Master Race" are, and also just how sophisticated our games are.
Granted, when isaac came out to PlayStation, it had great dualshock support from the get go… you could just pickup and play… YOU CAN THANK US, THE MASTER RACE, for this. Without us, games like this would not be made in the first place.
The PC is the wild west. You gota get your boots dirty, but you get to be at the frontier of the next great things in gaming. You can play minecraft with amazing mods the console versions will never have… You can play don't starve with MODS the only way it was meant to be played… You can play 7 days to die, the MINECRAFT for adults and also the FALLOUT online we always wanted, seriously it's so fun looting old abandoned groceries stores and factories, it feels like fallout online and it's amazing!
oh but dearest me how I can go on for hours about the glory of PC gaming… how I could talk for hours about my insane creations in KERBAL space program, or the endless hours of multiplayer dungeon crawling in Unepic. Or cannibal dodging in The Forest with a team of very frightened friends!
How in the bloody hell can anyone prefere those limited, boring consoles? Because they only care about graphics and don't understand keyboard and mouse or how to setup games. They are ignorant unwashed heathens, who do not get PC gaming, so they hate it instead…
I AM TOTALLY NOT GUILTY OF THIS WITH THE STEAM CONTROLLER! I JUST KNOW IT HAS TO BE BAD! IT HAS TO BEEEWEWEWEWEWEEWEWE~!~~~
…
…
…
…
ok…
ok…
So you are correct, I did knock it before trying… I am a lifelong addict gamer. A hardcore PC gamer. PC MASTER RACE YO! Yer hard pressed to find someone as hardcore as myself about gaming. What can the steam controller offer me? I tried many controllers in my lifetime, nothing even comes CLOSE to the glory of pc and mouse- the official tools of the MASTER RACE!
I will be trying steam controller soon though, my bro got one, and when I visit him someday… I look forward to hating it, I look forward to writing songs of discontent for it, I look forward to telling the internet this is THEE WORST THING EVAR!
Sure… maybe I said similar things about WORLD OF WARCRAFT ages ago, only to finally play it and realize it was awesome, BUT I just know for sure I got it right this time, ain't no way I am gona like that steam controller yo!
I hope you enjoyed my story. And as a fellow brother of the PC master race, I bid you a grand day, in this, the 20th year of our great war against the console peasants who rebel against us. May your mouse and keyboard be blessed in your many online struggles against the heathens In those 2 games that the greedy seedy very closed console makers actually allow for cross play, because PC IS FREEDOM AND CONSOLE IS PRISON!
Have a nice day.
Split, add lock, aaand hype it as both regular & VR controller. 8/8
The steam controller is something i wanted to like….but i found it like trying to mk with boxing gloves on.
That’s only gonna get corrected over time. Remember Windows Vista and the countless drivers issues
Whut
It’s nothing to do with Windows. Drivers would be written by Valve, not Microsoft, and Valve is choosing not to write drivers. I guarantee gaben doesn’t *want* anyone to use the controller outside of Steam. He hates Microsoft and he hates Windows and he hates any other game store on Windows.
I don’t know, I’m explicitely using mine for browsing on my computer and play non-steam games anyways. I’m barely opening Steam yet using the controller daily.
I’ll buy it. I bought the Steam Controller at launch, and I’ve loved it. I’m what you call the target audience – I use Steam’s In-Home Streaming all the time to play on my TV. The controller works, it’s comfortable, very versatile, I like it. Hopefully it’s a good upgrade.