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Valve replaces Steam Controller touchscreen with new analog face buttons
- adt2bt 13y agoI'm not familiar with the original design. Can someone post a before/after picture here?
- hadem 13y agoIt can be seen in this article. http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/01/steam-controller-impressions-a-case-of-love-and-hate-at-first-sight/ http://arstechnica.com/gaming/2014/01/steam-controller-impre...
- bunderbunder 13y agoThey've got pictures of the original design still up on the controller's webpage: http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamController/ http://store.steampowered.com/livingroom/SteamController/
- pmichaud 13y agoThere's a small picture to the right of the article text near the top of the article that shows how it used to look.
- bane 13y agoNow that the original d-pad patent has expired, a controller without a good d-pad is a non-started IMHO. Analog controls are great, and this new design looks cool, but for certain uses, a nintendo style d-pad has basically proven to be the best 8-direction digital interface ever conceived...and it's amazing how much the experience suffers when it's just a little bit off.
- anonymfus 13y agoLooks like they want their controller to be fully symmetric so it could be reprogrammed for left-handed users without making compromises.
- Scryptonite 13y agoWhat makes a controller right handed?
- NoodleIncident 13y agoAsymmetry. It's not an accident that movement is on the left and aiming is on the right, both on controllers and PC. On PC, though, you can move the mouse to the left side of the keyboard and rebind your movement keys if you want to.
- erwanl 13y agoI've never heard a left-handed complaining about the traditional gamepad layout.
- baby 13y agonow they will.
- PhasmaFelis 13y agoAnd yet, many popular console FPSes have optional "southpaw" layouts that switch the left and right sticks.
- scrame 13y agoKid Icarus on 3ds was completely unplayable as a lefty.
- sizzle 13y agoany have stats of the left handed population in the world?
- lutusp 13y ago11% overall. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handedness Quote: "Globally, roughly 12% of men and 10% of women are left-handed."
- eropple 13y agoI came here to post this, but with "Sega" instead of "Nintendo". The Genesis/Saturn D-pad is still king, as far as I'm concerned. Easier to roll the pad than a Nintendo one and it isn't a cross-shaped cutout from the plastic so diagonal presses are more comfortable.
- Al-Khwarizmi 13y agoI guess it is subjective but for me, being a cross-shaped cutout is precisely what makes the Nintendo D-pads superior. It means that you have obvious tactile feedback to tell "diagonal" from "non-diagonal" directions. In Sega-like D-pads, I often find myself pressing a diagonal when I wish to press a non-diagonal, and vice versa; that's practically impossible in Nintendo controllers.
- eropple 13y agoI've heard that before, but Sega D-pads have a raised cross with rockers in the corners. I grew up with both, which might be part of it, but I'm not sure how you'd press a diagonal accidentally.
- TillE 13y agoThis isn't for games that would use a d-pad. That's what an Xbox 360 controller is for. This is for games that would otherwise require a mouse and keyboard.
- null_ptr 13y agoShouldn't the goal be to have a controller that's good for most games, though? Why have several lying around?
- jerf 13y agoThe goal of this controller is to be good with most Steam games, which have been designed for computers. Traditionally, console controllers predate the games, the Steam box is trying to be a "console" that goes the other way. Basically, imagine trying to create a "controller" that works well with Civilization, and you're on the right track. (That isn't the only example, but it's a nice, concrete one to try to think about.)
- bane 13y agoThe xbox 360 controller d-pad is pretty bad.
- Pxtl 13y agoThere are millions of great controllers out there with good D-pads you can buy. There are a tiny hadnful that have a decent pointing-device (eg. the Wiimote), and none that come even close to comparing to a mouse. That's why this pad is important. Anything to do with d-pads is just going to be gravy.
- bane 13y ago> There are millions of great controllers out there with good D-pads you can buy. I'm open to suggestions. The Xbox 360 controller I have hooked to my PC is about the best I can find, and the d-pad on it is pretty terrible, but just on this side of usable. I have drawer full of other old controllers as well because the d-pads were virtually unusable. The original NES d-pad, which Nintendo has wisely brought forward on all their consoles, is simply the best 8-directional digital control interface ever designed -- it's so good it absolutely ended the age of joysticks as a home control interface. A few comments here mention the Sega pads which are a very close second IMHO. About the only device I've found with a reasonable d-pad alternative is my GP2x Wiz, which is weird at first, but ends up being a pretty good control interface. Even Sony's d-pad alternatives, which are better than the 360s, barely compare. Since it's now basically free to use, there's very little reason for everybody to not just put the Nintendo d-pad on their stuff. > none that come even close to comparing to a mouse. True, but a mouse is a terrible interface for platformers, fighters, and basically the entire genre of gaming genres from pre-N64 pre-dual shock times. That's why, if you're going to offer a controller with a new style of analog interface intended to replace a mouse, the complementary 8-way digital parts better be rock solid awesome.
- ekianjo 13y agoThe OpenPandora Dpad is excellent, however.
- scrame 13y agoGet the Saturn USB re-release from about 2006. They are white with blue buttons (ugly, I know -- they should have kept the black and grey). They have a "Play Sega" sticker in the middle. Do NOT get the "saturn-style" knock-offs. I got a few new off of eBay for about $6 a piece, they are great for classic / MAME / shmups.
- nazgulnarsil 13y agoSaturn D pad is better than nintendo D pad.
- NoodleIncident 13y agoDon't forget that the two touchpads can still be configured to work as dpad + buttons.
- Orangeair 13y agoThey throw around the word 'analog' a lot, but I'm not seeing how that applies here. Typically, buttons are a digital affair. Do these buttons have continuous states, like a trigger? The article never explains this.
- bunderbunder 13y agoIt usually means pressure-sensitive buttons. For example, a car driving game might use them to give the player more control over throttle and braking.
- simias 13y agoIIRC the PS2's dual shock 2 had pressure sensitive buttons. It wasn't a feature used by a lot of games. Nowadays only the shoulder triggers are analog I think.
- kingcitrus 13y agoIt's a shame, really. For example, Metal Gear Solid 2 used this to great effect. If I recall correctly pressing square on the control would raise your weapon but not automatically fire it until you actuated the button all the way? It was finicky, but very cool.
- ditoax 13y agoI hated how they worked. The buttons did not have enough travel in them to be comfortable to use in this way plus the way the thumb sits on the buttons it is not a very comfortable way to control pressure like with your fingers on the shoulder triggers. I am glad the Dual Shock 4 got rid of them and just has two decent shoulder triggers.
- eropple 13y agoFor automatic weapons, yes, but it was even neater for handguns. Square raised the weapon, releasing quickly fired, easing off slowly eased the hammer back. It was a really neat trick.
- thefreeman 13y agoI love the fact that they responded to feedback and adjusted their design accordingly. While the original concept of a programmable touch screen interface in the center of the controller was pretty cool, in practice it was unwieldy. Controllers are meant to be interacted with by touch. You should never have to look at it. A touch screen interface is completely useless for this type of interaction.
- dgarrett 13y agoThe entire point of the clickable touchscreen, as I recall, was that resting your finger on it would bring up an overlay on the monitor, mirroring what was shown on the touchscreen. You would then move your finger to hover over what you wanted to select, then click down the touchscreen. All without ever having to look at the actual touchscreen, since it was all mirrored up on the monitor.
- mpalmer 13y agoThat use case would be easily covered by the touchpads and buttons though - your argument for a touchscreen is so the user wouldn't ever have to look at it; so why does it ever need to emit an image?
- greyskull 13y agoI imagine they would replace the touchscreen with a touchpad like they had on the prototypes sent to the 300 testers.
- Jasper_ 13y agoCorrect. They then realized that they could take the screen part of it out, and then they realized that they already have a touchpad on the left and right sides. The team went over the full story in their SteamDevDays talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfN5WK7OzU8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfN5WK7OzU8
- TazeTSchnitzel 13y ago
- hajile 13y agoThe people who use these controllers are going to be at a massive disadvantage compared to those playing with keyboard and mouse. Valve needs to conduct more widespread testing with a trackball variety. That would allow controller users to have a more even match.
- Pxtl 13y agoThe intent is that the touchpad function as a trackball, and until I hear otherwise I'm going to consider the possibility that the touchpad can function as a trackball pretty well - the motion is similar, all your missing is the haptics of the thing physically moving under your thumb. Either way, there are no pro-gamers in the twitch-oriented genres that use trackballs. So no matter what, the gamepad/trackball is going to be a handicap. I think we're all just hoping for "good enough", not "as good as a mouse". I'd settle for "good enough". The gap between a mouse and a thumbstick is such a massive ocean that a substantial improvement, even if it doesn't reach "as good as mouse" would be worth buying.
- hajile 13y agoTrackpads can't mimic the precision (a dot the size of a pinhead vs a fat thumb). They can't get rid of their terrible z-axis problem (far worse than mice -- and not present in trackballs). They also can't handle inertia well due to lack of feedback (When you use a trackball, you become very adept at flinging the ball and stopping it at the exact position you want). As to pro-gamers, some of us remember when over half of the pro gamers used nothing but trackballs (in preference to optical or mechanical mice). The short story here is that trackballs didn't keep up with the newer laser technology needed for better resolution, so the pros moved on to mice. There are now some trackballs that use laser technology, but everyone (for better or worse) has moved on.
- pikachu_is_cool 13y agoThey have already tested trackballs http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfN5WK7OzU8#t=206 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UfN5WK7OzU8#t=206
- Pxtl 13y agoYeah, the touchscreen seemed like a solution looking for a problem. The Wii-U pretty-well demonstrated that gamers aren't really that interested in having a screen nested in their controller, and it's already got a good pointing-device in the thumbpads. The only use for the touchscreen is private information display... and I think the SteamBox is going to be predominantly a single-player console so I doubt there would be enough usage of this feature to justify this. I mean, Nintendo has demonstrated a handful of games that use private information for exciting effect, but not enough to justify the cost of a screen in your gamepad. Simple good old-fashioned reliable face-buttons will get far more use.
- PhasmaFelis 13y agoThe Steam controller gets less interesting with each new announcement. Well, the twin touchpads were always the most exciting part, and they're still here for now. Hopefully they'll survive 'til the end, and not get replaced with another XBox pad clone.
- faddotio 13y agoIt's remarkable to witness a company that responds to criticism instead of powering through it via reeducation campaigns and hype.
- lostlogin 13y agoReeducation and hype is the middle course. Punishment, banning and denial is the far end of the spectrum. Recent situations I can think of include forum bannings, post deletions, account closings and statements denying there is a problem.
- tiquorsj 13y agoThat d-pad design is horrid.
- hetman 13y agoThis may not be as sexy/novel as the previous design, but it looks supremely more functional. I'm glad to see them using empirical results from testing rather than trying to push some grand vision on the hapless gamers.