Good Morning from my Robotics Lab! This is Shadow_8472, and today, I am reviewing the Steam Controller. For anyone who cares, this post is not sponsored. Let’s get started!
I first heard about the Steam Controller in detail from a YouTube video where the reviewer said it was an amazing controller after you persevere through the configuration process, something most reviewers at the time were not taking the time to do before unloading their frustrations into a review. With that said, this post will only be a report on first impressions, and not a final review.
The moment I saw this supposedly brilliant controller on 90% markdown at $5, two thoughts popped through my head: ‘I might as well see what the fuss was about a few years ago,’ and ‘They must be moving inventory with a discount that steep. (The controller itself is discontinued). After buying, I did a little more research and found that it really doesn’t seem to like running outside Steam, but there is an open-source stand-alone driver for it that sounds like it could be a project.
I don’t have a dedicated gaming budget, so when I’m considering a new game, it needs a lot of replay value or to be culturally important to me in some way.
I’ve only ever owned a GameCube and a Wii, so I’m not well acquainted with any console controllers. I have done zero research into relative prices, so if you were after how it compares to similar products directly, look elsewhere.
Shipping took way longer than I am used to with Amazon. While I waited, I researched a little and found the thing needs Steam open to run correctly. I also found an open-source, stand-alone driver. It’s primarily aimed at Linux, but fiddling with that sounds like an educational experience. I might even like to program it to respond to Morse Code when the on-screen keyboard is up.
The unboxing was a little exciting, but reinforced my expectations to not fall in love with it right away. While the box itself felt like a paper treasure chest, the loot inside did not feel like it was worth any $50. It came with a pair of batteries, a dongle, and a dongle stand. Digging in deeper, I found a cord hidden in a blue sleeve at the bottom of the box, under the “paper foam” support. I had a little chuckle when I read that. Basically, this is a classy box that politely asks you not to throw it away.
Plugging it in, the Steam Controller feels just like a rearranged mouse. Courser control is handled with a circular touchpad on the right, but it drifts. Triggers handle the mouse buttons while the scroll wheel is on the D-touchpad on the left. Don’t expect the D-touchpad to work correctly right away. I found it scrolling the direction I wanted about 64% of the time on the first try, but circling your thumb around the outside seems to work more reliably. I don’t know it it’s learning curve or driver issues. Back and forward are on the underside of the controller on buttons I have no idea what they are called. The bumpers, analog stick, and letter themed buttons each seem to have mappings to keyboard keys.
The on-screen keyboard or “soft keyboard” is accessed by pushing the analogue stick. Each of the two touchpads are then mapped to their hand’s half of the keyboard. there are all sorts of shortcut keys on the different buttons on the controller. I won’t say I’m a huge fan. It is definitely something you can get used to –I am using it for this paragraph, then I am going back– but it isn’t like any keyboard I have ever used before.
My assessment is that the soft keyboard is mainly for when you want to enter short strings of text. Again, it’s something you can get used to, but the multiple ways of doing a few actions mean it’s simultaneously harder to figure everything out, and easier to adjust to a scheme that works for you. It’s faster than an on-screen keyboard with a mouse, but slower –at least without practice– than a smartphone or tablet on-screen keyboard.
In summary, it’s a novel controller with potential, but I am in no position to pass judgement on it. I look forward to learning about hardware drivers with this unit.
Final Question: Have you ever written custom hardware drivers before?