Thoughts on the Steam Controller

Posted by Rampant Coyote on December 21, 2015

In conjunction with the Steam Machines and so forth, Valve has launched a new game controller specifically designed to handle PC games. I picked one up, but I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with it. That’s actually an issue a lot of people have had with it. I’ve heard from some people who have used it a lot and love it, but it seems more people have been like me… tried it, shrugged, and chalked it up to a wasted $50, going back to their XBox controllers and the trusty keyboard + mouse.

At least I know I haven’t given it a fair shot yet, and I’m still trying to use it when and where I can. It’s something that takes getting used to, which means not playing a game particularly well for a while. One of the tricks, too, is that this isn’t really supposed to replace an existing USB game controller… it’s supposed to replace the keyboard and mouse. That’s a tall order.

For me, part of my problem is how I hold the controller. I tend to grip it more tightly and don’t leave my middle fingers on the shoulder buttons, which means I hit the paddle buttons on the bottom of the controller. It’s cool that they are there, but they are also kind of in the way. However, if I hold the controller more gently with two fingers resting on the shoulders, this shifts my grip and I hold it more easily.

I also keep hitting the right touchpad with my thumb, which moves the mouse around. That pad is just a natural place to rest my thumb. Maybe it’s just a learned thing from using other controllers over the last 20 years, but I have to get used to either keeping my thumb absolutely still in the dead-center of the touchpad, or resting it on the buttons.

Whatever the case, I suspect there may be some changes in a year or two with a Steam Controller 2.0, but I don’t feel the controller is fundamentally flawed. I’m not sure I’ll ever prefer using it over a keyboard and mouse, though. This controller is primarily for “couch gaming,” which was never really my thing. It may be a better way to play some PC games, however. And if I do make some forays into VR gaming, this might be just the thing.

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