After recently tweaking Steam Input and the Steam Client, Valve has now upgraded the main Steam Store to show off controller support for games.
They've updated the main Controller-Friendly Game Hub, allowing you to filter specifically by controller type between Xbox and PlayStation DualShock and DualSense. Making it easier than ever to ensure you're finding games that support your main controller. Example below:
Store pages for individual games also had their controller support status expanded. Down the right-side of pages were features are listed, you'll now see bits like this to indicate what controllers they work with:
There's more too including new search filtering options for specific controller models, Steam Library updates to show controller support more clearly and new filtering for your Steam Library (including for Big Picture Mode).
Speaking about why they're now expanding all this they said there were "over 3 Billion game sessions that included a controller in the past year" and of that 60% were with an Xbox controller, 27% PlayStation and the rest a mixture of Steam Deck, Switch Pro, and hundreds of other controller models. Four years ago that controller gaming session count was only 990 million, so it's a huge increase in people gaming with controllers and back then only 19% were using PlayStation controllers so their popularity has increased a lot too.
What do you prefer to game with?
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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16 comments
I noticed this start showing up when browsing Steam a few days ago - it's a neat little addition!
QuoteWhat do you prefer to game with?Steam Deck primarily, and if/when docked I use an Xbox Series X controller.
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buckysrevenge Nov 21, 2023
I have a Steam Deck, a couple Steam controllers, a Stadia controller, and a third party Xbox controller that all get used regularly
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QuoteWhat do you prefer to game with?
1. MKB
2. MKB
3. MKB
4. MKB
5. Controller. Maybe :)
I've only ever used xbox controllers (and steam deck), so I can't really make a good choice between them. But I suspect that I'd not be a fan of the left stick placement on PS controllers.
Last edited by Ehvis on 21 November 2023 at 2:00 pm UTC
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Is the details button in each game's library page, next to the manage button, also new? Or did I just noticed and kept looking that info on the store page for years because I'm blind?
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Quoting: EhvisQuoteWhat do you prefer to game with?
1. MKB
2. MKB
3. MKB
4. MKB
5. Controller. Maybe :)
Same here.
However, I'm wondering if my Logitech F310 controller counts as an Xbox controller, since it has the same buttons.
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It's nice but I've yet to see a game where you couldn't add support in 10secs to your controller using Steam input community profiles. Such an amazing feature.
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I use my PlayStation controller whenever my Steam Deck is plugged in, mainly because it comes with gyro and I have a PS4 anyway. I wish Steam could implement a feature that automatically replaced the Xbox controller textures with PS4 glyphs. But I can understand how much of a nightmare that would be to implement.
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Quoting: PyreticI use my PlayStation controller whenever my Steam Deck is plugged in, mainly because it comes with gyro and I have a PS4 anyway. I wish Steam could implement a feature that automatically replaced the Xbox controller textures with PS4 glyphs. But I can understand how much of a nightmare that would be to implement.Technically it already does: if a developer uses Steam Input for their input handling the game can automatically get whichever glyphs are appropriate for whichever controller is being used, provided it's a controller that Steam knows about (which is all the major ones). Developers that pick some other library to handle controller input end up with Xbox prompts because Microsoft declared that Xbox is the Windows "standard," and developers have to put in extra effort to also have anything else.
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I'm kind of wondering, if they are preparing this for something they are working on internally, like they said, we're doing HDR for external displays...
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I only play with controllers, I wouldn't even know how to play with MKB although I used to, many years ago. I blame the Steam Controller for that, once I got it in may hands I forgot about MKB, is that good. Besides, I'm now a couch player, no place for MKB.
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rustybroomhandle Nov 22, 2023
MKB for almost everything on PC. And on my Steam Deck it's the controller, obvs.
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Quoting: CatKillerTechnically it already does: if a developer uses Steam Input for their input handling the game can automatically get whichever glyphs are appropriate for whichever controller is being used, provided it's a controller that Steam knows about (which is all the major ones).
True, but that's only for games with Steam Input. Sadly, it isn't widely used and I wish that Steam would implement an official feature to replace controller textures.
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Quoting: PyreticTrue, but that's only for games with Steam Input. Sadly, it isn't widely used and I wish that Steam would implement an official feature to replace controller textures.
The Deck with its heightened importance of mixed input and the shaming of sloppy controller support in the store are the kinds of things that would encourage developers to let Steam Input handle things automatically.
There isn't a general external solution when developers have locked in one set of glyphs: some mods are just going to change the assets, and others are going to be hex-editing binaries, and whatever else they can come up with; not something Steam can do.
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Why separate Dualshock and Dualsense? Do we have Sense's extras going on PC?
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hardpenguin Nov 23, 2023
QuoteWhat do you prefer to game with?Steam Controller, obviously 😎. Not even a mention of it in Valve's announcement...
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Quoting: dubigrasuI only play with controllers, I wouldn't even know how to play with MKB although I used to, many years ago. I blame the Steam Controller for that, once I got it in may hands I forgot about MKB, is that good. Besides, I'm now a couch player, no place for MKB.Oh I did the same thing myself haven't gamed on MKB for 3 years now since I got rid of the desk and 21" monitor and put in a nice couch and a 50" TV and it's the best thing I ever did I started enjoying gaming much more again like I did when I was younger.
I use a controller from the couch to navigate the desktop as a mouse instead of the Stream Big Picture mode mostly so having the new controller thing saying it supports my Xbox controller in green along with the bar that appears in the library and updates in real time as you connect/disconnect a controller is a clear and welcome reference to see that some older games have native support now and the old little white icon used to be on so many bright backgrounds it was sometimes hard to see.
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