The Steam Controller is a very interesting piece of hardware which has grabbed a fair number of headlines since it was first revealed. This controller has a tricky remit; it needs to facilitate gaming performance on a par with the tried and trusted PC mouse/keyboard combo, from a gamer sunk into a living room sofa. The controller devices we use and the way we use them is very personal, so to build something like the Steam Controller and put it up there as a kind of best-of-all-worlds device is bound to ruffle some feathers.
Looks nice without the fingerprints...
In a newly published interview with Robin Walker, a programmer and designer from Valve, YouTuber OMG-Chad tries to understand more about how the Steam Controller will refine the sofa-based PC gaming experience.
Walker tells Chad that the core problem Valve's product designers wrestled with was "how do we build a controller that can handle the whole, roughly 4,000 or so, Steam games?" Some games might 'expect' controller input, while others were built to expect a mouse, for example.
The main innovation present in the Steam Controller hardware is the (twin) thumb pad design. Walker explains that the pads can be 'virtualised' into behaving like a joystick, trackball or mouse, then be configuration tweaked, remapped and then the settings shared with others. So you will be able to find popular pre-set Steam Controller settings for various games. Other recommended settings might be available from Valve or the game developers.
Dual stage triggers may appeal to FPS fans
The feel of the pads can be set to change depending upon your preference or the controller you want to emulate. Haptic feedback output from the controller pads is designed to remind users of the controller they want it to behave like. Walker also showed off the Dual stage triggers which allow you to aim-then-shoot with one movement, for example. These will be particularly useful in various FPS games where you switch stances for different styles of shooting.
Valve's Steam hardware, including the Steam Machines, the Steam Link and Steam Controller are all due to be released on 10th November and are available on pre-purchase now.
Steam Controller key specs overview
- Dual trackpads
- HD haptics
- Analogue stick
- Dual-stage triggers, each with 10° of travel, a magnetic flux sensor, and a tactile switch
- Gyroscope and accelerometer sensors enabling tilt-to-steer racing wheel functionality and other motion-controlled input
- Configurable controls
- Local multiplayer capability, as supported by games
- Wired or wireless (dual mode)
- USB 2.0 via Micro USB port (cable not included)
- Estimated 5 meters of wireless communications range. Actual results may vary.
- Provides up to 80 hours of standard game play using the included AA batteries during preliminary testing. Battery life will vary based on usage and other factors, such as type of batteries used. Actual results may vary.
In-box
- Steam Controller
- 2 AA batteries
- USB wireless pairing dongle
