PS1 controller

The original PS1 controller didn't have joysticks, and when it did, the position sucked for larger hands. I have always preferred the XBox layout.

you had to map it

Did you? I thought most games worked fine, though admittedly I only played a couple because I never got used to the trackpads.

I think it wasn't very post all popular because it was so different. Even if it worked as expected out of the box, a lot of people dismissed it at first glance. It was also only available through steam, so there was less reach.

But even then, I still don't think it failed on its own merits. I think there wasn't a compelling reason to get it without a Steam Machine, which flopped because Valve didn't commit to it.

Lol omg no

I admire the cut of your jib.

Pretty sweet. Original back shell, and battery cover?

whole new buttons or just remap face button functions?

I assume you've been mass reported in whatever game you made this for

Yeah, it seemed to be for a time when controller support on PC was shit.

agreed to all of the above. I also found the texture on the trackpads to be quite irritating after a while.

Agreed on it being a bad replacement for controller games. I got one around the time one of the FROMSOFT games came out (I think it was Sekiro?) and I tried using for that and it was just not usable for something like that. I haven’t really tried it for anything else since then because I don’t really play games away from my PC, so I don’t have a need for a worse but acceptable way to play M+KB games.

That's the key. If you're wanting to play something like Street Fighter VI, the Steam controller probably won't fly.

But because I wanted to play Dungeon Siege on my TV, it works far better than a traditional controller ever could.

For the Steam controller to work for you, you have to come in with the mentality of it replacing a keyboard-and-mouse.

It walked so the Steam Deck could run.

That last paragraph is on point. That's why I have two controllers at my desk, one regular and one Steam Controller! I love playing casual Civilization or XCOM on it and it's surprisingly great with some FromSoftware games, especially Sekiro (for no reason in particular, it just felt good and the touchpad worked without any issues).

Yea the only target audience for the Steam Controller seems to be people who want to play kbm games with a controller if they're playing on a TV or something. But I reckon most PC gamers who get a controller use it to play on their usual PC setup for games that play better on a controller, they'll just use kbm for their kbm games.

Honestly, IMO the lack of D-pad was less of an issue than the lack of a second analog stick. The lack of a second stick made the controller almost impossible to use in any game that was designed with 2 sticks in mind. For example Nier Automata 9S hacking minigame was a horrible experience with the Steam controller.

I agree that not including the D-Pad was a bad move, but if you play games that use the d-pad just for functions like map or switching of equipment, there was the option to use the trackpad like a weapon wheel where you could define i think 8 functions with OSD, and using one of the back buttons made that 16 functions you could define freely - you could replace the hotkeys of a game that used half the keyboard with this thing lol

It didn't fail because of a lack of a dpad but because of lack of two joysticks, but I'm glad the controller exists because I came to absolutely love the dual touchpads. And I wouldn't trade the left touchpad a dpad, since I like using it for movement.

I wouldn't trade the right touchpad for a joystick either, since I like using it to do quick 180s, quick swap between 5-10 inputs to bypass reloading in games like Doom Eternal by setting a dpad modeshift on a click, and touch activate gyro all on one touchpad.

Will probably be the last controller of its kind but I'm glad at least one did get made, since otherwise I'd still just be using a xbox or playstation controller like I did before getting Steam Controller.

If the Steam Controller was designed the way lot of people wanted it than it wouldn't have been a Steam Controller and just another Xbox or Playstation controller and added nothing new. Would have been more successful but in the end another generic twin joystick controller. So even if it didn't succeed it brought new things to the table like touch activated gyro and touch pads that could be considered for other controllers in the future.

It has a D-pad, though…

It actually has d-pad, it's just combined with one of the touch areas, you can press it like a button, and 4 zones behave like a d-pad. Granted, it's a bit inconvenient so if you need it often, it's not the best. But it's there.

I bought three of them when they went on sale for $5

I remember the couple of times you could pick up a controller and steam link for free. And my dumbass still didn't do it :(

Trying to find replacement batteries for integrated batteries is a pain too, since might not be able to find an OEM replacement or battery from a reputable brand. So you end up having to go with whatever random no name battery that could be worse than the OEM battery and end up dying after less than a year.

My preference is rechargeable AA or AAA. And even better if the controller itself can recharge the battery like drone controllers.

8Bitdo controllers are pretty hit and miss, but this is a big hit for them. The Pro series (and maybe others) comes with a rechargeable battery but the slot also fits 2 AA batteries.

If only they could get their software more feature rich and consistent.

Took me a long time but I settled on Xbox one controllers. I use rechargable batteries but can run the AAs if u want. AA batteries have longer shelf life if u let the controller sit long periods vs rechargeables always seem to discharge. Support in just about every game. Can be had reasonable price on sale now and then and lots of parts available for them. Id never buy a controller with a non replaceable battery!

I mocked Xbox controllers for years due to them using AA batteries… until I actually started using one with my PC. Now, I wish all controllers used them. It’s vastly more convenient than charging via USB cable.

I prefer 38650 batteries.

Fully agree. I tried to make the SC work and wrote off a lot of it as "I'm just not used to it", but it really is asking a lot. In its defence, it was a first run product. The fact that it's still ass usable and as weird is impressive enough to me. But it's better as a piece of gaming history than a good product. It was just a good try.

I also agree with the Steam deck controls being actually good. I want the SC2 that's just a steam deck without the screen or computer.

So I guess the opposite of the steam brick.

I'd gladly pay $100 to have a steam deck like control scheme for my desktop. Rechargeable batteries and a Linux first design would be awesome. I don't mind just using cables all the time, but I would like better wireless options for Linux gamepads (though to be fair, I haven't tried connecting a wireless controller to a Linux box in 5 years).

I bought it and really tried to use it, but the reality was just too clunky for primary use. It has no dpad, a single crappy convex analog stick, terribly placed ABXY buttons, horrible shoulder buttons, and just a bit too much input lag on the trackpads.

Hard truths.

Why did they feel the need to replace analog controls with these weird, inconsistently responsive, difficult to map touch controls when every other console platform had already demonstrated why that's a bad idea?

Was the SC innovative, bold and ahead of its time in many ways?

NO. It was kitsch and poorly engineered and obviously not play tested sufficiently before release. It was a hobbyist's attempt at reinventing the mousetrap that got shoved into a major distribution pipeline when Playstation and Nintendo and XBox had already demonstrated why you don't build controllers this way ten years earlier.