5 ms·
Steam Controller
- tart-lemonade 11mo agoAs someone who bought the original Steam Controller, I'm very excited it's finally getting a successor, especially since it supports Bluetooth. It is always annoying having to move my USB dongle between my desktop and my Steam Link whenever I want to change where I am playing from.
- Tajnymag 11mo agoWait... didn't the original Steam Controller already feature Bluetooth?
- tart-lemonade 11mo agoYou're right, it does. I completely forgot about that; the Bluetooth broke on mine years ago. (Sadly it's too late to edit my comment.)
- lewispollard 11mo agoTo be fair, it didn't originally support it, a firmware update came out some time after release that enabled BTLE connection.
- rft 11mo agoI have to say, I am nearly as hyped about this controller as I am about the frame. I can hook up my gaming PC to my living room TV to play on the couch and a decent controller is all I was missing. I always thought a steamdeck just as a controller would be great, especially the touch pads. I hope the latency feels great over wireless, but I don't mind the USB-C connection if needed. Valve really did great here with providing all three connection options (BT, dedicated wireless, USB-C).
- Intralexical 11mo agoThey're saying 8ms real-world latency on the proprietary 2.4GHz protocol with up to 4 devices per hub. Worse when using Bluetooth compatibility. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbNI0rNJVt8&t=1m13s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbNI0rNJVt8&t=1m13s
- rft 11mo agoYepp, saw that number and I am very hopeful about it. But numbers are not everything and can be gamed (heh), the "feel" during gameplay is most important. I hope to try it out "early 2026" :). I get very annoyed by the atrocious audio delay of Bluetooth, so I'll keep my long USB cable ready. P.S. I am aware of USB also not being zero latency, but it is the lower bound, the dongle is USB as well.
- estimator7292 11mo agoTypical Bluetooth latency (in my experience as a HW dev) is 9.5ms. I'm pretty skeptical of 8ms for a proprietary protocol, but in an optimistic sense. I would be shocked if the latency is that high for a custom protocol. Raw 802.11 with no IP stack can get below 5ms IIRC
- pxc 11mo agoRIP Steam Controller. This headless Steam Deck is no substitute. The only halfway decent FPS controller has no substitute.
- deleted 11mo ago[deleted]
- mostlysimilar 11mo agoYou're in luck! New one coming out. https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamcontroller https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamcontroller
- ChrisArchitect 11mo agoDiscussions: Steam Frame https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45903325 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45903325 Steam Machine https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45903404 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45903404
- precompute 11mo agoIt's a shame patent trolling killed the OG Steam Controller. But this one's got trackpads and seems like a decent substitute.
- gausswho 11mo agoIndeed a massive shame. The case was ultimately thrown out but by then Valve had stopped production. I still boycott Corsair today over this.
- sand500 11mo agoWhen was it thrown out? It seems the ruling against Valve was upheld https://www.gamesindustry.biz/court-upholds-jurys-decision-in-steam-controller-patent-dispute https://www.gamesindustry.biz/court-upholds-jurys-decision-i...
- hinkley 11mo agoI have the OG steam controller. I didn't realize it had turned into a collector's item.
- estimator7292 11mo agoReally? I'd assumed it was just a commercial failure because Valve tried to replace an analog stick with a trackpad that performs worse in almost every way. Pretty much everyone I know bought one, tried it for a while, and determined that the trackpad simply did not work well enough. It's a really cool device and I've been trying for years to actually use it. It's great hardware, but the ergonomics and UX is really just not good.
- elxr 11mo agoAt this point, the controller is the most exciting thing for me. Steam machine is cool, but with how good handheld PCs already are, I'd be ok spending a bit more and just using those instead and docking it for TV gaming.
- jonny_eh 11mo agoThe non-handheld will likely be pricier than the handheld, due to the beefier specs. You may as well just buy one now.
- p1necone 11mo agoidk about that - integrated buttons, battery, screen, size constraints and the R&D work that goes into all of that is probably significant compared to 'box with hardware and usb ports' (oversimplifying to make a point here though - of course lots of design work went into this as well).
- whatevaa 11mo agoOled screen in particular is literally same screen used in oled nintendo switch (1st gen). This is a good thing, better reuse, lowet costs.
- rpdillon 11mo agoDoesn't the switch have a smaller screen than the deck?
- garciansmith 11mo agoThey are not the same: the OLED Switch has a 1280x720 7" screen, the OLED Steam Deck's is 1280x800 7.4".
- SparkBomb 11mo agoTheir previous generation controller wasn't great (I have one). I got it on sale and the haptive stuff didn't work to well IMO. I have a 8bitdo controller and they are really good. They work perfectly with Debian 13 and probably pretty much every other distro. https://www.8bitdo.com/ultimate-3-mode-controller-xbox/ https://www.8bitdo.com/ultimate-3-mode-controller-xbox/
- chazeon 11mo agoThe one thing I wish it has is 3.5mm audio jack. Both Xbox and SONY's dualsense controller have this. But SONY don't support audio via Bluetooth. The Xbox one need a USB adapter but its build is not as good as SONY's. SONY don't have a USB adapter. Given Steam controller is already using an USB puck, it should be able to support it.
- tmtvl 11mo agoNice to see a symmetric controller for PC. As someone whose hands are mirror opposites of each other (they put my second left hand on backwards) I really appreciate such controllers.
- lucyjojo 11mo agoi feel deeply confused...
- mgnn 11mo agoXbox-type controllers have the left stick where the dpads are. PS-type controllers are symmetric. I, too, agree that the symmetric layout is the correct one.
- tmtvl 11mo agoI have two left hands but the one on my right arm is backwards, making them mirror opposites of each other. Because of that I prefer symmetric controllers.
- furyofantares 11mo agoI think I understand - by backward do you mean the hand is flipped palm up? So the hand in your right arm is palm up and thumb on the left?
- estimator7292 11mo agoThey have two normal hands which are (as all normal hands are) mirror opposites. The point being that a symmetric controller design makes sense for people with symmetrical hands. (And that asymmetric controllers do not (which is correct))
- furyofantares 11mo agolol, ok - so they're being cheeky and describing having two normal hands in a strange way to uh emphasize the symmetry? Confusing but kinda funny if that is indeed what was being expressed.
- k_sze 11mo agoWrong layout. The Xbox layout is the only correct layout. I’ll die on this hill. :P
- eltercero 11mo agoit has the same button layout as the Xbox, or what do you mean? which is wrong, btw, the only good layout is the OG Nintendo layout :)
- estimator7292 11mo agoAsymmetric joysticks
- acters 11mo agoI still have the og steam controller, three of them in fact. They still work but I lost the dongle and rely on Bluetooth. It was an experience. Definitely won't consider buying a controller from them again. The Xbox controller is perfect. Simple and good enough to use.
- kaleinator 11mo agoSimilar yet opposite experience here. I had 3 Steam controllers, 2 of them started having issues after a few months. However, I really enjoyed them for certain games, and even played through most of the Dark Souls franchise with them. Definitely excited for the next generation of them and personally will be preordering one as soon as I can.
- masfoobar 11mo agoI have the original Steam Controller. It's OK, and a nice alternative even for general usage to move the mouse cursor, etc. I also have a GameSir Cyclone 2 controller. Works great for Steam, Epic/Heroic, and works well for Switch (though the button layout was "incorrect" but perhaps it can be changed) Personally, I prefer the Cyclone/X-box style controllers better. Well, Xbox does not own that style but, in my opinion, they helped to perfect it. (I guess it was Game Cube the started that style officially) Never liked the Playstation controller where the analog sticks were at the bottom. However, this new Steam one might be OK as the sticks are higher up. We shall see.
- estimator7292 11mo agoPerhaps the most astonishing thing to me is seeing a company as big as Valve try making some hardware (steam machine, controllers, the weird steam box streaming thing), watch them fail spectacularly, and then listen to feedback while they bravely work on a new conception of the hardware. Valve heard everyone hating on the og controller and seem to have fixed it. Same for the steam machine. I'm less certain about the headset, but if anyone has the hutzpah to make VR happen, my money is on Valve. Valve added a second joystick to the controller. That's utter insanity in today's market. The expected play is to find a way to force consumers to buy the single stick, and a subscription, somehow. Or gaslight everyone into thinking single stick is somehow better, actually. It's just crazy to me to see a big company acting with rationality, sense, and forethought
- Arrowmaster 11mo agoThe OG Steam Controller didn't really fail though. Valve stopped production and sold the remaining stock because of a patent lawsuit over the rear paddles. With more time on market it probably would have grown and evolved.
- rpdillon 11mo agoI attribute this to the fact that they're privately held.
- VikingCoder 11mo agoMy wishlist for the next version: 1. Microphone. 2. Headphone jack. When I'm trying to not wake the kids, this would be nice. 3. Dedicated Volume Buttons. 4. A quick way to make it act like a Roku Remote. This would prevent me from needing yet-another-controller. 5. A beep speaker just for "find my controllers". (Similarly, a dedicated "find my controllers" button on the Steam Machine.) 6. I hope the Indicator LED can turn different colors, to make it easier to figure out which controller matches which player... 7. I'd love an e-ink one-line display on it. By default, when it's not playing, have it show a string I set - "Property of VikingCoder" for instance. When it is ready to play, it could show "Controller 1". In some multi-player games, it could be a cool way to send secret messages to only one player. 8. A tiny front-facing camera for QR code / barcode scanning. 9. Maybe an NFC reader, or RFID reader. 10. The e-ink display could also help me choose which device I want it paired with. Steam Machine. Steam Frame. My phone. The Roku.
- yencabulator 11mo ago> 5. A beep speaker just for "find my controllers". In many circumstances, the haptics will probably be able to make enough noise for that.
- nothercastle 11mo agoI’m hoping the controller is popular as it will encourage pc indie developers to make console friendly user interfaces and make games work with the deck. Excited for deck 2.0 in a few years too, maybe 2027/8.