Valve have released some interesting statistics about controller use

I suck at using the small joysticks for any precision work so for me the PS4 controller is the best. It does help to have had a xbox controller before though since the games only shows ABXY :P


Last edited by Tiedemann on 27 Sep 2018 at 7:01 am UTC

If using Steam on Linux and owning at least one controller aren't correlated, this means that at least 30,000,000 * 0.0059 (0.59%, taken from the steam survey page) = 177,000 people are using Steam on Linux.

It's been many years since the Steam Controller has released and on Linux it still doesn't work out-of-the-box, at least on Ubuntu it doesn't. You always have to tweak system configuration files to get the controller to work.

My experience is absolutly different. I use Ubuntu and the Steam controller worked without tweaking config files. I just installed the package steam-devices.


Last edited by einherjar on 27 Sep 2018 at 7:20 am UTC

I've a Steam Controller, wired Xbox 360 and a DualShock 4. Love them all. I probably like the Steam Controller best, but they're all excellent and depending on the use case I switch between them.

I'm a little surprised PC controllers (like logitech pads) are not so well represented. Still, I can understand why xbox controllers are so popular : you know what you get and you can get it easily at a fair price. I mean, xbox controllers are available pretty much everywhere (including online stores) and if you google or amazon for PC gamepads, you get an obvious reason to go for the xbox 360 controller...

I have a Steam Controller and Xbox 360 ones from when I owned the console back in the day. I do believe the Steam Controller is better, especially for its programmable features, but at the same time it's its biggest flaw. Most of the times I just want it to work out of the box, not dedicating time to test what's the best way of controlling a game, and in that the xbox controller excels.

Maybe, if I was a competitive gamer, my experience would be different and I would re-map buttons constantly seeking those extra milisec that would give me an advantage.

The ABXY buttons are fucking small -- very annoying.

Oh, Jeez! I didn't want to bring that up, but since you did ... they are like very loose Skittles or Chiclets gum sitting down there. Like you said, very loose, and VERY annoying!

Maybe is it because I have hands with real elvish finger (my fingers are really thin) but personnaly I do like those buttons a lot they are well placed just the right size everything falls perfectly in place with the steam controller.

Somebody said that on the other hand the surface of the touchpads was not ideal and on that front I do agree I bought touchpad stickers that make that surface a bit smoother and I never took em off

I have a Steam Controller and Xbox 360 ones from when I owned the console back in the day. I do believe the Steam Controller is better, especially for its programmable features, but at the same time it's its biggest flaw. Most of the times I just want it to work out of the box, not dedicating time to test what's the best way of controlling a game, and in that the xbox controller excels.

Maybe, if I was a competitive gamer, my experience would be different and I would re-map buttons constantly seeking those extra milisec that would give me an advantage.

I am a southpaw and not only I use my mouse with the left hand, the left button on the mouse seems so much more intuitive than the right button for "main" functions, and to me the steam controller looks so much like a mouse, that I can't stand the steam default of using the right button as the mouse 1 button. I switch it everytime, and steam is bugged and sometimes switches it back for no reason. Also, I strongly disagree with most default configurations for joysticks, so all together, I would remap everything anyway -- specially for complex games full of shortcuts like X: Rebirth, Total Wars and a couple RPGs.

But you're right, it is a huge amount of work. Sometimes it takes me 2 hours just to iterate back and forth from the game to sc-controller and get the configuration just right. It's kinda fun, but it's too long.

On the the other hand when developers try their hand at making a default mapping they often times show just how much they are used to use other controllers and didn't take the time to use the steam controller in full.
Seriously the steam controller offers you so many options that often times its biggest draw back is how much it looks like a regular controller. Lots of people are trying to fit a regular control scheme into it rather than trying to take advantage of its features. Its somewhat dismaying at times...

As for rumble on the Steam Controller: I'm no programmer, but if anyone can implement the concept of heterodyning and difference ("beat" ) waves between the two haptic pads (one of the few advantages of having two pads, imo) ... I think that could go a long way in becoming a valid substitute for rumble motors.

Sounds reasonable. My problem is that rumble emulation just doesn't work at all here. But my impression of the haptic drivers is that they could probably get pretty close to “real” rumble if used properly.

Since we're all nitpicking now, yes, the face buttons are a little small (they could probably stand a slight increase in size without altering the placement; they feel a bit too far apart as they are), although I don't find them too loose. On the other hand, the tactile switches on the trackpads and the shoulder buttons are too stiff and harsh. I kind of understand why they're so stiff on the trackpads - you don't want to press them by accident as you whizz your virtual trackball around - but surely they could have found nicer, quieter, ones than that? And overall, the whole thing's maybe just a tiny shade too big. But that's subjective; there are people here using the XBox Duke. That thing's gigantic. :)

And overall, the whole thing's maybe just a tiny shade too big. But that's subjective; there are people here using the XBox Duke. That thing's gigantic. :)

I thought so when I received my first one two years ago but now I actually end up in various case scenarios with some few games where I wish for it be a bit more spacious atually. (My thumbs are insanely long almost have longer thumbs than your average pianist ... therefore my thumbs never trully are in a resting postion and when I play long sessions of Geometry Wars 3 I end up feeling it more than it should really )

Geometry Wars 3 has a setting where both touchpads are considered the joysticks, so firing and moving are done through swipping on the touch pads . And after three hours of play my thumbs are crying for help it shouldn't be the case .


Last edited by TheSyldat on 27 Sep 2018 at 4:21 pm UTC

Steam controller is a good pre alpha for the actual thing.

I would have replaced the right button grid with a thumbstick, moved those buttons to the underside of the controller (where your fingers are 90% of the time).

It’s actually impressive, it’s a controller where I’ve managed to do as well as with a keyboard and mouse, as long as I don’t need to swap out weapons.

Another issue I have is that it doesn’t work as well on Linux as it does on Windows: it re-triggers when charging from the PC, it doesn’t work with games if you forgot to use big picture mode, and it can only be used with non-steam games if you install a program from a developer that won’t be producing any more drivers.

I like, but it’s exceptionally tough to recommend.

Well, the thing is, I think there's a huge amount of controllers that are in use that are read as X360 controllers but are in fact not X360 controllers, like my Logitech Rumblepad, it's shaped like a ps2 controller, but instead of PS2 labels it has xbox labels on the buttons, and on the underside of it it has a "logitech controller" mode and "x360 controller" mode, the latter of which gives it a lot better compatibility since logitechs controller drivers are shit and not as widely supported as XINPUT.

Are you sure? My old Logitech F310 has the D/X switch, but the system correctly recognizes it as a Logitech regardless of the mode. Or it did before the controller got permanently stuck in xinput. lsusb shows "046d:c21d Logitech, Inc. F310 Gamepad [XInput Mode]". There are probably some cheap clones that do present false data, but it's hard so say how much that skews the totals.

Steam controller is a good pre alpha for the actual thing.

I would have replaced the right button grid with a thumbstick, moved those buttons to the underside of the controller (where your fingers are 90% of the time).

It’s actually impressive, it’s a controller where I’ve managed to do as well as with a keyboard and mouse, as long as I don’t need to swap out weapons.

Another issue I have is that it doesn’t work as well on Linux as it does on Windows: it re-triggers when charging from the PC, it doesn’t work with games if you forgot to use big picture mode, and it can only be used with non-steam games if you install a program from a developer that won’t be producing any more drivers.

I like, but it’s exceptionally tough to recommend.

Actually what I would change personnaly is putting three grip buttons on each side . But the face buttons no I would keep them.
On the other hand I would make the triggers have a longer travel it's a bit too short. But I would keep the end press (exceptionnaly great to have an end point press like on the gamecube controller )

But yeah somebody needs to make an openhardware and opendriver version of it .

Well, it have significant flaw here. Some cheap non-brand (sometimes faked) controller are emulating/using/tricking as Xbox 360 drivers to work on Windows instead "others". [...]

So what? How's that changing anything? Neither developers nor Steam should care if the controller is fake or not, if it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck and you need to code for the duck. The more controllers behave in a same way the better. I would personally prefer it was 27 millions of Steam Controllers, obviously, because we'd get better in-game support... but in general the less widely adopted standards the better and 4 ain't bad. Could be better but ain't bad.

I would have replaced the right button grid with a thumbstick, moved those buttons to the underside of the controller (where your fingers are 90% of the time).

Hmm. Not sure about that. The grips are a nice innovation, but I don't actually enjoy using them except as a “modifier” (like crouch or sprint in third-person games).

Another issue I have is that it doesn’t work as well on Linux as it does on Windows: it re-triggers when charging from the PC, it doesn’t work with games if you forgot to use big picture mode, and it can only be used with non-steam games if you install a program from a developer that won’t be producing any more drivers.

It works fine for me outside Big Picture Mode. And does it charge from the PC? I've never tried that. In fact, one complaint I'd have is that it doesn't play nice with my rechargeable batteries. It used to be okay, but since the Bluetooth update it won't recognise fully-charged ones as such and just shuts off. I have to use alkaline batteries now. Mind you, the life seems to be excellent - still on my first set - but... grr.

I have to use alkaline batteries now. Mind you, the life seems to be excellent - still on my first set - but... grr.

Two years of daily use (and fairly intensive daily use ) I changed batteries every trimester or so.