I just had to try this thing out. I mean really, how can you not love the Steam Controller's sheer goofiness? Well maybe until you pick it up, but it's a matter of taste and time. The real question is though, did Valve build the perfect PC controller? Or is the Steam Controller just as silly as it looks? Lets find out.
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| Size compared to an Xbox One Controller and a DualShock 4. |
This controller has been in development for couple years now and it's been met with mostly skepticism. One detail has remained the same for the most part and that's the twin haptic feedback touchpads. This is probably the biggest oddity about this controller as it replaces both the traditional D-Pad and the right joystick with these pads and the controller is designed to make use of them as well as it can. Being accustomed to console controllers for so long I knew this was going to be difficult to get used to. Hell, even mouse and keyboarders are going to struggle. There isn't a single person out there who can pick up a Steam Controller and jump into a game without any issues. It takes practice and fine tuning, and that's where things get interesting.
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| Side profile versus an Xbox One Controller. |
First of all this thing feels slightly different from most traditional controllers. One thing notable is that the grips of the controller curve inward rater than outward. This is to focus your thumbs in onto the trackpads to make them easier to operate. The triggers are also two stage, for example: give it a half pull to aim your gun and then a full pull to fire it. Also, all your fingers are touching something that can control your game, for example there are two paddles on the back of the controller, something normally not found on regular controllers. I have fairly average sized hands and this controller feels completely normal to me ergonomically, oddball crap aside. I will note that this controller lacks rumble, but each part of it has haptic feedback so it more than makes up for it.
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| Battery tray detail. |
The controller takes two AA batteries which can be annoying if you are into rechargables. I can't judge on battery life just yet but some people say it's pretty darn good. Considering this is going to get used less than any of my other controllers, this won't be an issue. If you want you can wire it using a Micro USB cable but it begs the question; if the controller has a USB port, why the hell does it not have rechargeable batteries? Oh well.
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| Controller customization screen. |
The greatest thing about the Steam controller is it's customization which makes it work with damn near every game out there. Yeah, even the ones with no controller support. And it's not just setting keyboard and mouse buttons to controller inputs too, you can delve really deep into how you want the Steam Controller to work for you. Setting up for racing, strategy, and simulation type games is pretty easy but some shooters take quite a bit of work to get just right. This might seem tedious so if you hate doing the mapping work yourself, you can download publicly made controller maps right off Steam.
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| The twin paddles on the back can be used however you like. |
All this sounds very dandy but does it actually work? Well... sort of... I tested the controller on several games and there are some that it does fine with, others not so much. Cities: Skylines and Command & Conquer 3 are about the same as playing with a laptop trackpad, with the benefit of extra button for hotkeys if you need them; that I was expecting of most top down strategy titles. Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit works well too, very much like with a traditional controller with almost no edits to be done, as was Skyrim. How about Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2? I couldn't hit the broad side of a barn even using a full retard M240B using this thing. You see, the Steam controller works well with most slow paced games right off the bat, racing games being the exception because you just need steering, gas, and brake; all of which are covered. You try and use it with something as fast paced and precision demanding as CoD or CS:GO, bad things are going to happen.
This is where I go into depth about the Steam Controller's steep learning curve. Okay, some people may catch onto this thing a little faster than I did but like I said before, any seasoned console or PC game is going to have a hard time adapting to this controller. For shooters, which are a complete pain in the ass to play with this thing for starters, require trial and error. You have to practice, get used to feel of the controller and build maps that can work for you. It's not like the DualShock 4 or One Controller where it's just plug and play, you have to put some effort into using the Steam Controller and that one of the biggest reasons why I feel like this trackpad powered oddity won't quite catch on. But when you do get it down, oh boy. This controller can be a lethal addition to any PC gamer's arsenal and it packs more precision than anything I've used prior to it. Yeah, you're going to play like shit for a while, believe me I did, but once you get the right setups and you feel comfortable with the controller's feel, it can be very rewarding and the compatibility with every game out there makes it that much better. It's not for everyone but the Steam Controller is worth taking a shot at, and make sure you take your patience with you.
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