I hated the previous Steam Controller, however Valve’s new one appears to be like promising

Valve understands the Steam Controller’s largest mistake

Microsoft’s Xbox controller is the de facto commonplace for PC gaming, though you can technically use a Sony DualShock controller or perhaps a Nintendo Swap Professional controller. (Study extra about all this in our no-BS information to recreation controllers for PC gaming.)

What’s the one factor all these controllers have in frequent? All of them have two joysticks and a directional pad. In the meantime, the unique Steam Controller didn’t—it had a single joystick and two haptic trackpads.

Whereas these trackpads really feel good to make use of and their haptic suggestions is sweet, there’s an enormous drawback: it’s a nasty expertise for video games designed with commonplace controllers in thoughts. You’re caught utilizing the left pad as a directional pad and the correct pad instead of the correct joystick.

In Valve’s quest to make keyboard-and-mouse PC video games work with controllers, the Steam Controller delivered a worse expertise for these exact same video games. Shortly after shopping for the unique Steam Controller all these years in the past, I discovered myself reaching for an Xbox controller as a substitute. The inputs and design simply made extra sense.

Valve realized from all this after they finally designed the Steam Deck. The Steam Deck nonetheless has haptic trackpads on both sides, but it additionally has two actual joysticks and a directional pad. It doesn’t abandon the traditional controller expertise, however as a substitute builds on it. The brand new Steam Controller retains it going with its Steam Deck-style structure of two joysticks, a directional pad, and two haptic trackpads.

Enter layouts weren’t prepared for the lots

The unique Steam Controller was overwhelming. It mixed parts of a controller with these of mouse and keyboard, requiring video games to map configurations to the Steam Controller’s inputs. Fortunately, you didn’t must do it your self—Steam was stuffed with community-made layouts for particular person video games. However they different wildly in high quality.

Briefly, the Steam Controller had an enormous studying curve with complicated controller layouts and multi-functional buttons that modified what they did relying on what different buttons had been being held. It didn’t simply fluctuate from recreation to recreation—it even different inside video games. I had a tough time build up muscle reminiscence and I spent method an excessive amount of time peeking at enter guides. It was simply simpler to make use of an Xbox controller.

Chris Hoffman / Foundry

When the Steam Deck arrived, the general expertise was way more polished. Video games designed with controllers in thoughts “simply labored” with the Steam Deck’s controls, in contrast to with the unique Steam Controller. That excites me as a result of video games that “simply work” on the Steam Deck must also “simply work” on Valve’s new Steam Controller!

The rebirth of the Steam Machine and the Steam Controller together with it

Valve is launching the brand new Steam Controller alongside the revived Steam Machine: a Linux-powered gaming PC that runs SteamOS in a tiny console-like field that’s meant to be performed on TVs. The Steam Controller, then, ought to make it simple to play PC video games in your front room with none fuss or interference wanted from builders or gamers.

Valve

This wasn’t true of the unique Steam Machine. The ecosystem was nonetheless far too younger and SteamOS couldn’t play many video games in any respect. In the present day, it could actually run an entire universe of Home windows PC video games because of the Proton compatibility layer, fixing that vast drawback as soon as and for all. However again then? Only a few Steam video games supported Linux at launch.

That’s one big purpose why I wasn’t motivated to speculate severe time in my Steam Controller. If I couldn’t play most PC video games in my front room, what was the purpose? I’d as properly stick to standard keyboard-and-mouse and use an Xbox controller for controller-focused video games—and that’s just about what I did.

Chris Hoffman / Foundry

Valve has come a great distance since then, and the reborn Steam Machine front room gaming PC console machine accommodates an ecosystem that’s able to do what it all the time needed to do. And this time, as with the Steam Deck, Valve is making their very own {hardware}.

The longer term is shiny for Steam units

Choosing up the unique Steam Controller as soon as extra and utilizing it alongside a contemporary Xbox controller, I’m struck by how a lot better Microsoft’s controller feels in my fingers. The Steam Controller feels extra awkward and fewer strong, slightly too “hole” and “plasticky” for me.

After I activate the Steam Controller and listen to the beep performed over the speaker—and really feel the hole, clean plastic shell in my fingers—I can’t assist however assume: “This seems like an engineering prototype.”

The Steam Deck isn’t like that. I just like the Steam Deck’s design! In actual fact, it feels extra ergonomic than the bigger, heavier Home windows-powered handheld gaming PCs I’ve used. Valve realized their classes, and it appears to be like like they’ve utilized them to the second-generation controller.

I’m excited for Valve’s new {hardware}. The Steam Controller and Steam Machine deserved a reboot. Carry ’em on!