Valve's Steam Controller now has a thumbstick

[dalekphalm]

there are plenty of games that I think just dont feel right on a keyboard. Hack and Slash is a genre that comes to mind right away.

Driving games also tend to work better with a controller, same with flight games. Granted both of those have dedicated control devices such as a Wheel and a Joystick, but those devices are #1 pretty big and clunky, and #2 a lot more expensive.

 

Also I personally feel that 3rd person action/adventure games with free-flowing movement systems, such as Assassin's Creed, benefit greatly from being used on a controller.

 

Anything RTS, RPG, 3rd person dungeon crawlers (point and click games like Diablo), and of course FPS all are best on keyboard and mouse, but some PC "elitists" seem to think that a Keyboard/Mouse is the ONLY THING that should be run on a PC to be a true PC gamer and that's simply not true.

[dalekphalm]

Again, I said the Dualshock stick is in the center of the range of motion for MY hands. I find the xbox to be too far forward for my hands and it makes extended sessions of play fatiguing. Like, no joke my thumb is usually resting on the rim of the stick when pushing it forward rather than resting in the center of it. I'd rather bend my thumb back a bit and have comfy control than have to stretch for stuff and put indents in my thumb.

 

People with big hands don't have this problem, that's why I'm not parading around pretending my opinions are everyone else's facts.

I personally have small-to-medium sized hands for a guy, and the Xbox controller is perfect. I'll grant you that if your hands are too small it may be uncomfortable. I'm just glad you're acknowledging that it's simply your opinion and your hands, not the controller itself. You sir are more enlightened then many Dualshock "proponents" I've come across.

[Xorbot]

What buttons are you going to use for actions then with the trqckpads there?

 

I don't know the specifics, but what I do know is the amount of disappointed fans there were of single analog sticks on un-changable hardware (the PSP and 3DS).

[killers993]

there are plenty of games that I think just dont feel right on a keyboard. Hack and Slash is a genre that comes to mind right away.

 

True, but a normal controller would work a lot better then that. 

[NInety]

I liked the first design the best tbh, a lot like the gamecube controller where every button is within easy thumb mashing reach (aside from the c-stick)

RIP Best Controller </3

[carolkarine]

for racing this is a big +

 

and for movement, this is great too.

 

for shooters I have no problem with the thumbstick for movement, I just like having a mouse-accurate aiming system... which is possible with the steam controller. I like this. this is good.

[TheProfosist]

Again, I said the Dualshock stick is in the center of the range of motion for MY hands. I find the xbox to be too far forward for my hands and it makes extended sessions of play fatiguing. Like, no joke my thumb is usually resting on the rim of the stick when pushing it forward rather than resting in the center of it. I'd rather bend my thumb back a bit and have comfy control than have to stretch for stuff and put indents in my thumb.

 

People with big hands don't have this problem, that's why I'm not parading around pretending my opinions are everyone else's facts.

The rim thing is likely due to the fact that the stick is concave versus convex. In order for me to reach the analog sticks on a dualshock I need angle my wrists in quite substantially while with a controller like the Xbox's is far closer to a handshake.

For things where your not mainly using the analog stick I actually prefer it. A example would be RPG whhich are a huge part of the playstations demographic.

Driving games also tend to work better with a controller, same with flight games. Granted both of those have dedicated control devices such as a Wheel and a Joystick, but those devices are #1 pretty big and clunky, and #2 a lot more expensive.

 

Also I personally feel that 3rd person action/adventure games with free-flowing movement systems, such as Assassin's Creed, benefit greatly from being used on a controller.

 

Anything RTS, RPG, 3rd person dungeon crawlers (point and click games like Diablo), and of course FPS all are best on keyboard and mouse, but some PC "elitists" seem to think that a Keyboard/Mouse is the ONLY THING that should be run on a PC to be a true PC gamer and that's simply not true.

I agree with everything you said. I played dishonored on a controller but would have probably preferrred my normal setup which is actually a orbweaver and mouse. I much prefer using a orbweaver to a keyboard as its easier to make the controls how I want and have them consistent across games. Also my thumb, which is quite capable, gets to do a bunch more than just jump.

I don't know the specifics, but what I do know is the amount of disappointed fans there were of single analog sticks on un-changable hardware (the PSP and 3DS).

The trackpads can run in "analog stick mosde" though so i really don see why the stick is on there I would think the Dpad would actually be more useful for selection on things. Also you can add a second stick to the 3DS and 3DS XL Doesnt the PSP's replacement the Vita now have a second stick?

[ajoy39]

With every revision Valve gets closer and closer to realizing that controllers haven't change for a decade because there's nothing left to do to them. 

[GM_Peka]

I like the idea of the thumb stick+track pad design, because some things are just better with an anolog stick, like player movement etc. But it still has track pads to bridge the gap between thumb sticks, and mouse as far as aiming is concerned and stuff like that. I respect that they are applying the ol' valve time philosophy.

[BallGum]

In theory the touchpads should be better than an analogue stick for things like FPS games and so on, but there is the problem of haptic feedback. Either way, i'll just wait and see, but the touchpads are what make it promising for me.

[Xorbot]

Also you can add a second stick to the 3DS and 3DS XL Doesnt the PSP's replacement the Vita now have a second stick?

 

That was my point exactly.  People are not satisfied with just the one.

[totjup5]

Controller gets stranger and stranger.

[THE NVIDIA FANBOY]

I just want Valve to go back to the trackball design they originally had whan prototyping

[TheProfosist]

True, but a normal controller would work a lot better then that.

how so?

RIP Best Controller </3

Its coming back for SSB Wii U.

With every revision Valve gets closer and closer to realizing that controllers haven't change for a decade because there's nothing left to do to them.

and thats why there is no innovation.

I like the idea of the thumb stick+track pad design, because some things are just better with an anolog stick, like player movement etc. But it still has track pads to bridge the gap between thumb sticks, and mouse as far as aiming is concerned and stuff like that. I respect that they are applying the ol' valve time philosophy.

Why not just use th trackpad in thumbstick mode?

That was my point exactly.  People are not satisfied with just the one.

So they need 3?

I just want Valve to go back to the trackball design they originally had whan prototyping

they had a trackball design??????? Care to share? I ask because I have a soft spot for trackballs.

[sqwidee]

I personally have small-to-medium sized hands for a guy, and the Xbox controller is perfect. I'll grant you that if your hands are too small it may be uncomfortable. I'm just glad you're acknowledging that it's simply your opinion and your hands, not the controller itself. You sir are more enlightened then many Dualshock "proponents" I've come across.

 

thank you sir

 

I'm not saying any controller is "better" than the other. Xbox has its good sides and Dualshock has good sides too.

The whole arguing about controllers thing is just left over from console fanboyism. I'm not going to claim that a controller is OBJECTIVELY bad unless it's actually objectively bad (low durability, buttons that don't work, etc.), not over stupid stuff like how big it is or how it feels in the hand. That's all up to the end user.

[pk-man]

Just bring back the D pad pls.  There are games which I prefer using a d pad.  That touch pad will be like playing mario on a phone, not good at all.

[BallGum]

That was my point exactly.  People are not satisfied with just the one.

 Yeah but that's not really applicable to the steam controller, where the trackpads are supposed to be used as the analog sticks.

[shujin]

I personally hate stick I find them to impresise so it's still cool they have 4 button left

[TheProfosist]

Yeah but that's not really applicable to the steam controller, where the trackpads are supposed to be used as the analog sticks.

*can be used as* There are multiple ways they can be implemented that is just one.

[BallGum]

*can be used as* There are multiple ways they can be implemented that is just one.

I know, it was just appropriate to say analog stick in that response ; )

[THE NVIDIA FANBOY]

 

they had a trackball design??????? Care to share? I ask because I have a soft spot for trackballs.

 

Yes they did indeed have multiple trackball designs early on in prototyping. Oh and i also have a soft spot for trackballs =-)

 

http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/4/5062940/valves-steam-controller-and-steam-machine-prototypes

[TheProfosist]

Yes they did indeed have multiple trackball designs early on in prototyping. Oh and i also have a soft spot for trackballs =-)

 

http://www.theverge.com/2013/11/4/5062940/valves-steam-controller-and-steam-machine-prototypes

Cool but man those trackball are massive for a controller. I imagine they would be quite heavy.

[GM_Peka]

Why not just use the trackpad in thumbstick mode?

 

Because joysticks are good when you aren't required to go part way accurately, I've probably got a different usage scenario in my head that what you have though, and what I'm thinking, is that in some situations a stick would be better than a track pad in analog mode. 

[darth_bubbles]

I won't be getting one until they get rid of the touch-pads.

Such a stupid idea.

You don't know that until you try it.

[NICKT]

You don't know that until you try it.

Grab a controller that has a thumb-stick. Now, tilt it slightly to the left, let go and watch as it returns to the middle.

Now, tilt it further to the left, then watch as it returns to the middle when you let go.

Neutral point, mouses and touch-pads don't have this aspect. You might even often find that you'll generate your own neutral point on your mouse-pad, potentially.

 

Originally this controller had two circle touch-areas, no joy-stick. Bad, bad, bad.

Have you noticed that, at least as far as I know, majority if not all PC games that place you in control of a character never have you manage the characters movement by the mouse? It's always WASD and maybe Q and E as well, because managing the character's movement in the 3D space is easier with buttons and then easier than that with a thumb-stick, which is why you see their implementation in the N64 and PSX era, where we first started getting games that played in a 3D environment.

 

Now, I'm not saying that the touch-pad would be completely useless, most things have their uses, but it's like Nintendo's recent attempts at innovating the controller, it's neat for some things but overall it's just ridiculous and pointless and we'll always go back to the same design because it works, simple as that.