Valve Steam Controller

Valve Steam Controller

Imaginative Nintendo peripherals aside, the video game controller has been somewhat stuck in place after reaching its current, agreed-upon form many years ago. We've seen small tweaks like the rumble triggers on the controller or the light bar on the DualShock 4, but the amount and arrangement of buttons and analogs sticks has remained mostly unchanged.

However, for PC gamers, a keyboard-and-mouse combo is king, not a controller. And as Valve attempts to merge PC- and console-gaming sensibilities with its Steam Machine initiative, it realizes that the controller as we previously knew it isn't going to fly. The Steam Controller ($xx) is Valve's solution for providing the best of both worlds for video game control schemes. The device's innovations excite, but its mediocre build quality and lingering compatability issues suggest the hardware is still a work in progress.

Design
The Steam Controller has gone through several revisions since it was first revealed two years ago. The initial design featured little more than the two circular trackpads placed where analog sticks usually go, but the final model is less radical by comparison. It sports four face buttons, four triggers, and a single analog stick, which are inputs you'll find on most other game controllers. To power the controller, you can either plug it into a Steam Machine over micro USB or use two AA batteries. (Note: It will stay powered if you keep it plugged in over micro USB, but it won't hold a charge without batteries.)

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Fortunately, the controller also retains some unique hardware features that give it capabilities beyond the typical gamepad. In addition to the top two levels of triggers, you can click each handle for a third, "grip" level of triggers. These buttons are a bit odd to look at, since their bulges make it seem as if the controller's back casing didn't fully snap in, but they're firm and responsive. Unfortunately, the other triggers feel mushy by comparison, and overall the controller feels almost too light. I plugged it into the I used for testing to power it over micro USB instead of wasting batteries. But without the two AA batteries inside (the only batteries included with the device) weighing it down, I feared the cheap plastic would fly out of my hands. Compare that with the metal parts and weighted, luxurious feel of the , also compatible with Windows PCs. Granted, that controller costs three times as much, but it's disappointing that the Steam Controller doesn't even feel as premium as a standard Xbox One Controller, DualShock 4, or Wii U Pro Controller.

The Steam Controller's biggest advantage over the competition is its set of trackpads. If you're accustomed to analog sticks or keyboards and mice, you might not immediately wrap your head around this new control method. However, after a few minutes of play, I was convinced it's a great compromise between mouse-level precision and controller convenience. Both pads provide haptic feedback and can be clicked in. The left pad also features a D-pad overlay, although it doesn't feel like there are any additional buttons for the cardinal directions.

The quality of trackpad implementation will vary from game to game, but I was able to easily perform actions typically accomplished via a stick or a mouse by touching the trackpads instead. I rolled my thumb along the surface to control a cursor in a Web browser and accurately aim the scope of a Portal gun. You can even use both thumbs in concert for tasks like typing on a virtual keyboard, which would otherwise require a tedious amount of scrolling with a single thumb.

Connection and Compatibility
After plugging the included USB dongle into your PC, whether it's a Steam Machine or a PC connected to your TV via Steam Link, just press the Valve logo on the controller to start pairing. The dongle can link up to four controllers at once, making it by far the most convenient way to play local multiplayer PC games like Samurai Gunn or TowerFall.

SteamOS's Linux-only status may cause some unexpected headaches over game compatibility on Steam Machines, but the Steam Controller will work with all games available on the Steam marketplace, even if they're only on Windows or Mac. Any game that supports standard controllers will work just fine with a Steam Controller. However, for older PC games that are only intended to be played with a keyboard and mouse, you'll have to make some adjustments to your control scheme. Fortunately, the trackpads serve as a fine mouse replacement, and you can map any action to any of the numerous buttons. If you don't feel like creating a layout from scratch, Steam will suggest one for you. More developers will hopefully update their games with recommended Steam Controller setups over time, and you can even download control schemes created by the community. Still, it's annoying that it's not a guarantee every game will just work without manual button remapping. 

I played a variety of games to try out the Steam Controller's versatility. The twitchy platformer Super Meat Boy, AAA shooter , 2D fighter Skullgirls, wobbly fatherhood simulator Octodad: Dadliest Catch, and methodical action game Hotline Miami all played great and didn't require too many tweaks to the default button layout. I would've tried to put together a quick Source Filmmaker project, but the program wouldn't run on my machine. Plus, a controller probably isn't the best way to edit video.

When Mac users first got their hands on Steam Controllers, they reported numerous compatability issues. Valve ended up giving them free games along with the promise of a future fix, and fixes have been and will continue to roll out on a regular basis. However, I still encountered a handful of these problems even while using the most recent beta firmware available at the time of this writing. Single-player games eventually worked great, but multiplayer games like Nidhogg and RocketsRocketsRockets would either ignore the controller entirely or tie both controllers to one character. The issues persisted even after I tried manually remapping inputs. Perhaps the fault lies with developers and not Valve, and it's not like Mac has the most robust gaming scene, but for now you should think twice if you plan on playing Mac games with your Steam Controller.  

Steam in the Palm of Your Hand

As a fan of fresh ideas in video games, the stagnant state of video game controllers has bothered me for a long time. So I was pleased by how successfully the Steam Controller pushes the console controller forward with ideas from the PC. As exciting as these ideas are, though, the hardware itself feels like a rough draft waiting to be polished by either Valve itself or intrepid users, which is the most PC-gaming idea of all.