It’s not the clearest photo, but it clearly has both 2 thumb sticks and 2 track pads.
This seems like a prototype that they can make using the parts from the current deck.
I’m not sure the two square pads make sense on an actual controller, andI feel like those thumbsticks would be just out of comfortable reach.
It seems to me like the thumbsticks are in the same ergonomic location as on a Playstation controller, and the trackpads are just in the empty space that would otherwise be there. I’m fully into it even if this is what it looks like when complete
To me it looks like they’ve shoved the joysticks up where the trackpad is on playstation controllers. If they haven’t, that’s even worse.
There’s nothing below the joysticks on the playstation controller, because that area isn’t within comfortable reach for your thumbs.
Sure you can put stuff there, but bending your fingers theres isn’t fun. That’s already true for some users when using the trackpads on the deck.
I remember seeing the Steam Deck and thinking “the button placement is really weird, none of this looks comfortable”. Then when I took it in my hands for the first time, everything made sense.
It mostly does.
As someone with big hands, I can’t use the touchpads comfortably without scooting my grip downwards in a way that makes it precarious and less than comfortable.
I have a similar problem with the Index controllers. My thumb is too long to comfortably rest on any of the controls if I grip the grip where you’re supposed to to be able to strap your hand in.
Good economics is supposed to work for everyone, and I’ve yet to try a valve hardware product that fully pulls it off. Maybe the first controller did, but I haven’t tried that one.
I’m a big Steam Controller trackpad user, and I already nearly never use my Deck trackpads because they’re too low down. This new one just looks like a normal controller with extra bulk, and nonsense in the area no controller except the N64 used because it’s not where most people grow fingers. I guess it’ll at least have paddles, but they’re hardly a unique feature these days. I really just wanted the existing one again, but with more paddles, an option for an integrated battery, USB-C instead of micro B, and an official supply of replacement thumbsticks instead of having to bodge in 8bitdo ones that aren’t quite the same shape.
Oddly, I almost exclusively use the trackpads on my deck. I tend to play mainly mouse-driven games.
I can understand where you’re coming from, but this is realistically a better option for Valve and most consumers right now.
When Valve made the original Steam Controller they were trying to kickstart the Steam Box, which at the time played PC games that were not optimized for controller input on a TV. They needed to have a very outside the box contoller to accomplish this, and so they gave the Steam Controller a try. The touchpad inputs with enough custom mapping really were revolutionary, but only for a small crowd that wanted to play Sim City on their TV.
Nowadays, every game has standard controller input. Trying to get people who are used to the joysticks to switch to virtual trackpads is a non starter, even if it could be technically superior in some circumstances. The compromise is what we have now, a full controller layout with touchpads as extras, to maintain that backward compatibility with old PC games. I think it’s the right decision, and this is personally the controller I’ve been waiting for.
I’d love to see Steam re-make the old Steam Controller to give old fans a replacement, and I hope they do someday, but they have to pick their battles as they certainly wouldn’t sell in any volume. In a previous quest for a perfect controller I came across an open source 3D printed one called the Alpakka. Maybe DIY or a startup indie company will pick up the torch where Valve left off to give a true replacement? I hope so because the right controller for the right job is a wonderful thing.
That’s reasonable, but the market’s already flooded with generic controllers at various price points and degrees of quality. If the idea’s to make money, the new design won’t do brilliantly as things like the awkwardly-placed trackpads will increase manufacturing costs without being a killer feature that makes most people prefer to spend more on this particular controller. If the idea’s to make something viable that hadn’t been before (which is what Valve normally seem to go for), then this isn’t serving the discontinued Steam Controller’s niche as effectively as the original did, and isn’t serving any new niche, either.
By the way, the thing they were trying at the same time as the original Steam Controller was the Steam Machine, not the Steam Box. It also kind of did work, as the couch PC gaming part mostly happened, but it took a decade of improvements to Proton and abandoning third-party hardware manufacturers before Linux-based console-like PCs became viable in the form of the Steam Deck. Ten years ago, nearly no games ran under Linux, and all the Steam Machine manufacturers were just changing the logo on one of their existing prebuilts and charging an extra $100 not to install Windows on it, so you were better off with any other desktop.
You’re right, it was called the Steam Machine, my mistake. I honestly don’t think it was very influential in pushing Linux gaming forward, it was a first attempt that was ahead of it’s time and Valve kept after it.
The market is flooded with various controllers, but they’re all basically the same. I think what Valve is going for here is not really a new controller to take the world by storm, but a companion controller to help sell the Steam Deck. In order for it to be a true companion it must match all the inputs the SD had so people don’t have to change their bindings. I play the SD docked and I have to say switching between an Xbox and SC depending on the game and adapting my bindings is annoying when it all just works on the native controls.
When Valve made the SC they were starting from scratch and went with an ambitious design, and let’s be frank, no one but a small niche of people liked it because they had grown up with thumbsticks and were unwilling to relearn. With the SD they compromised with both input schemes, which I have to say we need to be grateful for. Look at all the SD competitors and they all ditched trackpads to appeal to the general market. Valve could have done this too.
So largely I agree with you, it would be nice to have a SC 2.0, but I honestly don’t think this new leaked one will sell all that well. It’s just a companion to sell Decks and I’m grateful they are willing to try that.
Looks about the same layout as the steam deck, and it’s great on there. Dunno about the pads not being squared up, though. Dunno that I would like that, even if it would make the pads easier to reach, I still might rather have them squared up.
Or since they are right next to each other, it could be just one big touch surface.
The deck isn’t great, it works for some people, and is still really good for the rest, but the touch pads are pretty awkward for a lot of us. If the new valve controllers ergonomics are equivalent to the deck, it won’t be worth ditching the DS5 for me.
I love it. Absolutely buying one.
I have the original Steam controller still in a box. I didn’t like it at the time, but others seem to love it. I’m wondering if I should dig it out and give it another try, or did another iteration come out that improved on it?
I use the Steam Controller for games like Doom Eternal, Left 4 Dead 2, Spin Rhythm XD, The Finals, etc.
Using steam input is a requirement to get the most out of it.
This is my basic approach for most games.
- Mapping mouse to touchpad and adjusting sensitivity to 180
- Mapping mouse (beta) to gyro and adjusting sensitivity until 90 degree turn of the controller turns in game camera 675 degrees for first person/450 for third person
- Setting up a dpad modeshift on right touchpad click and inverting outer ring so I can set the touchoutput 5 different actions depending on if I click up, down, left, right, center as opposed to only a solitary single click action. If I need more I set up a chord so holding left grip shifts the same actions into another set of 5 inputs. I got for Dead Zone: 181919 and Outer Ring Binding Radius: 16750 when it comes to values in the new Steam Input.
- Setting movement to left pad and and setting an outer ring sprint bind on it and mapping crouch/slide/dash actions on click
I saved the template for gamepad bindings for games that support mixed input and full mouse and keyboard for ones I don’t. So I don’t have to go through the whole thing all the time. I just apply my template and then just switch the bindings around and adjust the sensitivity.
If you want try out a config I have one uploaded for the Finals called “dualpad with gyro update…”
Wow, this is great! Thanks! I’m actually excited to pair it up with my Steam Deck for the first time.
Checking the configs I have uploaded and another game I have is Spin Rhythm XD if you have it. It’s named “Pad and Gyro for Steam Controller” in the community config. The gyro is set to activate on right pad touch, but I recommend switching it to always on.
I might go and upload my left 4 dead 2 config too when I have time since that’s a game lot of people have. You may need to lower the gyro sensitivity if you aren’t used to using it.
The configs people come up with can be really unique from user to user which is why the ones who came to like the Steam Controller have a really hard time finding a controller that matches the functionality they become used to. Since the usual default console controller experience doesn’t do it for them anymore.
They’re apparently worth a fair bit now if you’re looking to just get rid of it
Makes sense that it would match the inputs on the Steam Deck.
The thumb sticks seem high. Not sure it’d be fun to use
They look like they’re in about the same position or lower than the sticks in the steam deck.
I’m guessing it’s a little lower since there’s no screen in the middle so your hands are angled together a little more.
Idk, it just looks weird, maybe since its a render, but unless this controller is very small it does not look comfy. The steamdeck controls seems fine, due to how you’re forced to grip it, although I’ve never tried it.
They need to market it properly. The average gamer didn’t know how to use the SC to its fullest potential. I would recommend free software that showcases the controllers abilities that can be used with competitor controllers for comparisons. Software with simple games that teaches the user how to make use of all the functions would be a great boon to their sales. It would also help reviews spread the word.
Honestly, the biggest issue with the original was that it’s non-traditional layout meant that games with built in controller support didn’t necessarily work well on it. This layout will make it full featured as a “normal controller”, while offering additional input options when the game benefits from it.
As an avid and current Steam Controller user, top-down twin stick shooters are still awkward. Having a second stick while still having both pads will be a monumental improvement.
Iant that what Aperture Desk Job did?
It did, and I think it did so very well
Hopefully they don’t fuck up the angle of the sides because the Steam Deck isn’t ergonomic at all
Vs
Don’t know how they could fuck this up so much when controllers haven’t had straight sides in decades.
The steam deck is much wider than a normal controller, so much less of an angle is needed for a comfortable grip. There’s a reason that most handhelds (Switch, Rog Ally, Lenovo Go, Wii U gamepad, etc) don’t have angled grips.
I find the regular steam deck to be very comfortable for it’s size and weight.
I get cramps after 20 minutes and it’s not as if I had particularly wide shoulders. I wouldn’t consider the Switch to be ergonomic either.
The Ally has more angle
And the Legion Go has detachable controllers and is wider.
And I’m far from alone that’s complaining about it
https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/vznfjw/handwrist_pain/
https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/10r2a37/is_anyone_finding_increased_pain_in_wrists_and/
https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/18e7o9x/question_for_oled_users_do_you_get_hand_cramps/
https://steamcommunity.com/app/1675200/discussions/0/3370405530907921797/
The Deck is very ergonomic.
The flat sides don’t work for me with the Deck which is much wider.
And it’s not as if I was alone either
https://old.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/vznfjw/handwrist_pain/
Well yeah, even if you designed the most ergonomic thing that’s ever been created, there will always be some it doesn’t work for, because everybody is different.
Reviews pretty much all said the deck is very ergonomic.
the steam deck is heavier than the xbone controller.
So? The problem I have is issue points because the angle is wrong, no matter the weight it would be an issue after a while.
Down voted for the Twitter sauce. We can do better, people.
He’s a well known steam data miner, it’s not just a random Twitter user claiming to have a leak.
Screenshot it and link to twitter in the post body, so no one has to visit the cancer-site.
Agreed. I can’t access Twitter because its blocked (through some plugins). I think sotwe can display posts without using Twitter directly (not sure if this is a good site, literally just found it): https://www.sotwe.com/SadlyItsBradley
I approve.
Fantastic. I love my steam controller, I’ll buy the next one in a heartbeat
Looks good. I just hope they bring back two-stage triggers, as those are missing from the Steam Deck.
What’s a two-stage trigger? Analogue until it’s all the way down, then a click (like the GameCube)?
This is correct, linear trigger with a click at the end very useful in desktop mode to have it slow the mouse movement with a trigger pull and then the trigger click for the mouse click.
You haven’t just been using the TouchPads in desktop mode?
The Deck triggers don’t have a physical switch at the end, but Steam Input does have soft pull and full pull mappings as well as settings to change when and how they activate.
Not quite the same as you have no tactile feed back on when you are about to enter the full pull part.
Oh that’s cool, I’d not even considered using it to control a mouse
@Fubarberry Sadly caving to the need to have so many different inputs much like the Steam Deck, it looks much less elegant and striking than the original Steam Controller. Like it’s trying to be several different things in one package instead of the bold new single direction of the original SC.
Yeah, I find the controller disappointing as a Steam Controller user because I want a new touchpad centric controller for updated gyro with the old one not feeling smooth for high refresh rate displays.
The approach they went with is one that satisfies joystick users who aren’t really lacking for options when it comes to joystick controllers, but disappointing for the few half dozen users who main the touchpads and have only the option of the discontinued Steam Controller. The Deck pads were a let down for me with the ergonomics, placement, size, and shape so they didn’t end up being a good touchpad successor for my use case opting for the joysticks when I use the Deck.
I’m not surprised with the more mainstream direction they went. Just disappointed but I expected to be disappointed.
I’m pretty surprised nobody seems to like the Deck’s touchpads. Yes they’re a bit of a compromise, but I have been playing hundreds of hours using the right trackpad for camera control on my Deck and they’re pretty great. Maybe my hands are weird.
Anyone got a non-xitter copy of this news?
Thank you kind person.
Looks like they want to bring back the DukeI miss the duke
You’re in luck. The Steam Duke is coming our way!
Can someone put some blush marks and eye dots on it?
from xitter:
I shouldn’t quit my day job
There will probably be gamingonlinux/steamdeckhq articles in the morning, but for now this is the only source.
It could just be my screen, but that render is hard AF to decipher. Here’s a quick n dirty curves manipulation to get better contrast.
Those trackpads better have damn good palm reject because getting to those thumbsticks without brushing the trackpads will be impossible for many people.
The steam deck already does in my experience!
People were saying that about the steam deck before it came out. Maybe some people have had issues, but anecdotally I’ve literally never heard one complaint about that from someone who actually used the device. The way the joystick is elevated above the pad your palm really shouldn’t touch it
The steam deck does
Aside from I don’t think that will actually be an issue, the thumb sticks are likely to have touch sensitivity on top like the steam deck ones have. So they can just disable the TouchPad anytime the thumb stick is being touched.
Again, though. I don’t think it will be an issue with your palms.
Thank you - I couldn’t see the buttons between the track pads before. Does anyone have an idea what that might be?
if its the same as steamdeck, those are the steam and … (status) overlay buttons.
Awww, poor guy looks sad
I fricking love it, I am really stoked for this.
