SC Controller, the stand-alone Steam Controller driver and UI has an important bug-fix release

Does it make it possible to use it with games in Wine?

So I finally got me a Steam controller last week! They have to be imported here in Norway (and thus toll and stuff adds a lot to the price) but I found it used.

It's different indeed, with the touch pads. But it's cool to use! I haven't done any serious gaming with it yet but I love how it just works in all games within Steam.

So I finally got me a Steam controller last week! They have to be imported here in Norway (and thus toll and stuff adds a lot to the price) [...]

That's strange - I am often required to write special addon/plugins to web shops, some of this work is handling non-EU (usually Norwegian specifically) customers where we have to remove Danish VAT ( 25% ).

So wouldn't it be cheaper ? or is it just that webshop doesn't support this scenario and charge you full price ?

(...)
It's different indeed, with the touch pads. But it's cool to use! I haven't done any serious gaming with it yet but I love how it just works in all games within Steam.

I've bought one about a month ago. I tried it with several games and while I really like it I must admit it has some caveats.

To my surprise some games still have a problem detecting SC properly - Tropico 5 had some strange mappings and Saints Row IV didn't recognize SC at all - I had to revert to mouse+keyboard or Logitech gamepad.

But the biggest drawback for me is short analog stick - makes racing games really difficult - it may be so because I've been using Logitech gamepads for years but still - I quickly switched to steering with gyroscope.

Despite all of that I really enjoy using Steam Controller. In most games it is as comfortable as regular gamepad and it enables to play games that are not controller-friendly which is it's biggest advantage.

Playing FPS games is still much, much easier with mouse+keyboard than with SC in regular gamepad mode (no surprise there) so next thing I'm planning to do is to try out aiming with touchpad+gyro. Steering with gyroscope in racing games made for really unique experience so I have high hopes for this one!

Does it make it possible to use it with games in Wine?

Was about to ask exactly the same question xD I truly hope it does though!

Does it make it possible to use it with games in Wine?

Was about to ask exactly the same question xD I truly hope it does though!

Already works in wine. Has done since day one.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Gamepad#Wine

So I finally got me a Steam controller last week! They have to be imported here in Norway (and thus toll and stuff adds a lot to the price) [...]

That's strange - I am often required to write special addon/plugins to web shops, some of this work is handling non-EU (usually Norwegian specifically) customers where we have to remove Danish VAT ( 25% ).

So wouldn't it be cheaper ? or is it just that webshop doesn't support this scenario and charge you full price ?

I've never seen that on Amazon at least. But regardless, there is a toll barrier into Norway on goods that cost above around 30€, so in addition to the Norwegian VAT there is a Toll import charge. I'd estimate that it in total adds up to almost as much as the controller itself.
It suxxxorz. But the real question is, why are there no Norwegian distributor?

Playing FPS games is still much, much easier with mouse+keyboard than with SC in regular gamepad mode (no surprise there) so next thing I'm planning to do is to try out aiming with touchpad+gyro.

Shortly after I received my SC I discovered the joy of using the left pad for movement instead of the joystick ... now I can't go back. Putting WASD on the left pad, activated by the lightest touch, grants me a nimbleness which is even better than a keyboard.

It takes some getting used to, but I've found the right pad/gyro experience comparable to --- and more to my liking than --- using a mouse. And since I play from my couch, in my living room, I can now say that "playing FPS games is ... much, much easier" with the SC than mouse+keyboard. I hope you will too!


Last edited by Nanobang on 29 Mar 2017 at 12:19 pm UTC

Does it make it possible to use it with games in Wine?

Was about to ask exactly the same question xD I truly hope it does though!

Yes, it does :)


Thanks for reporting that Liam. I had noticed it too, but rarely play games outside of Steam, and since it just suddenly started happening, I figured it was just my setup.

I think that the SC-CONTROLLER is very close to becoming more powerful than Steam's own configuration tool. I'm someone who creates custom configurations for all my games, so I feel fairly comfortable saying that I know my way around Steam's config tool, and more and more I find myself wanting to do something that I can only do on SC-CONTROLLER.

The day is fast coming when the SC-CONTROLLER becomes my primary driver for all my games, whether they're on Steam or not.

[quote=torrit]

(...)
But the biggest drawback for me is short analog stick - makes racing games really difficult - it may be so because I've been using Logitech gamepads for years but still - I quickly switched to steering with gyroscope.

In fact, the Gyro for racing games is probably the best part. :)

I don't know for Dirt Rally but for Grid Autosports... For my part, awesome!

And I finished both Metro games with SC with the Gyro for precise aiming. Works great too.

Edit: Bad reading from my part. Duh!


Last edited by Mohandevir on 29 Mar 2017 at 12:55 pm UTC

Does it make it possible to use it with games in Wine?

Was about to ask exactly the same question xD I truly hope it does though!

Already works in wine. Has done since day one.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Gamepad#Wine

Didn't know about this, thanks for the shout out! :)

I'm someone who creates custom configurations for all my games, so I feel fairly comfortable saying that I know my way around Steam's config tool, and more and more I find myself wanting to do something that I can only do on SC-CONTROLLER.

Can you give some examples of such things?

Is it possible to use the wireless mode with this driver??...

Is it possible to use the wireless mode with this driver??...

sure

I'm someone who creates custom configurations for all my games, so I feel fairly comfortable saying that I know my way around Steam's config tool, and more and more I find myself wanting to do something that I can only do on SC-CONTROLLER.

Can you give some examples of such things?

Glad to!

My favorite innovation is the ability for an input to have multiple mode-shifts. For example, I can set the right pad as a mouse, add a mode-shift to a directional pad on Rpad click (which allows me to do things in FPSs like reload and swap weapons without removing my thumb from the pad), and then add another mode-shift to a circular mouse scroll wheel when I press and hold the Left bumper, etc. (Of course this can be approximated in Steam via multiple Action Sets, but when I think about needing a new action set for every extra mode shift on each input ... well it can make for a lot of additional action sets! Anyway, the last time I checked, Action Sets don't work for games not launched in resource hungry Big Picture mode.)

Another, newer, innovation is the ability to map a an input as well as key bindings to the Pads. So, for example, I can map a circular scroll wheel to the outside of a pad and have something like a directional pad or trackball in the center of the pad. This is possible because of the way SCC models these areas: as if the outer "ring" is super-imposed on the underlying pad, or if it is a separate area surrounding a smaller, inner Pad. It's been awhile since I played with this feature, but I think it's also possible to place a directional pad in the center of an entirely different, outer directional pad.

Mind you, I still consider the SCC to be a work in progress, but it is a work that is progressing. In time, once the basic features are all in place, all the polishing is done to the code and UI, and the bugs are chased from the darker corners of the code, I fully expect SCC to become my default driver for my Steam Controller.


Last edited by Nanobang on 30 Mar 2017 at 1:12 pm UTC

This application should be in the official repositories of every major Linux distribution.