A place to discuss and support all Steam Hardware, including Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and SteamOS in general.
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This should not be a problem on linux. The old controller has a basic linux driver included in the upstream kernel, and there is a userspace driver too called sc-controller which I have used.
It's supposed to have Linux drivers. Fuck windows. No problem here.
Uh interesting 🤔 I will probably just wait and see if that is actually the case and working. Right now I have an xbox one controller with the wireless dongle for which I need to compile a kernel module to work and I'd like to get rid of that 😅
You should generally always wait and see with basically all tech products. There is never really a reason to buy freshly released products except for FOMO stupidity. Same applies to games.
The controller requires some sort of drivers to get out of lizard mode and work as a general controller (with remapping and everything). This has been known as it acts identically to Steam Deck and the OG Steam Controller.
If you want to use the controller without Steam being used (which, it's worth noting, you can add non-steam games to Steam to use the controller, or adjust the default desktop profile to be a normal controller), then you should be able to use SISR (formerly GloSC and GloSI): https://github.com/Alia5/SISR
Or, on Linux, use sc-controller: https://github.com/C0rn3j/sc-controller
Lizard mode?
The default mouse+keyboard layout the controller starts in before Steam takes over. I think they call it that as a play on the phrase "lizard brain"
It is kinda the same as with the steam deck where I noticed that the inputs just don't work until steam is launched.
That's just the moment when Steam is launching and in the process of taking over the controls. You can try it by shutting down Steam. The controller will continue working like the default desktop profile.
By default it presents mouse and keyboard functionality. And when you hold down the start button it switches to the pure gamepad mode. I play plenty of none-Steam-games that way. All with the native Linux FOSS driver. Without Steam or any other additional userspace software.
Oh interesting 🤔 So yeah maybe this isn't actually a problem for me (using Fedora and the deck)
Wait, this is a 'problem'?
People didn't know this?
... can people not read?
Its... stated repeatedly, pretty plainly, that it works ... with Steam.
???
Just pretend that that installing Steam is installing the driver software and you're fine.
What's that? Hmm? Oh, you say you don't need an 3rd party account to install driver software?
Have you touched a windows PC in the last 5 years?
It should really come with an XInput mode. That's pretty much a basic feature for any PC controller.
I’m surprised people think this is odd since the original Steam Controller was the same - it’s a Steam Input device, not XInput.
If you consider what it was designed for, it makes sense. This isn’t another generic controller but a controller designed for a Linux/PC-based video games console (Steam Machine).
If you boot into a desktop UI without Steam running, desktop UIs don’t support xinput devices to navigate around them.
The Steam Controller thus defaults to presenting itself as a keyboard and mouse so that the UI can be navigated without Steam running.
If it was xinput, you’d be reaching for a keyboard and mouse to plug in just to click Steam and then immediately no longer need them.
That’s why it’s not an xinput device.
It makes sense for Valve trying to create a walled-garden ecosystem of the kind we all rightfully shit on Nintendo for creating. It does not make sense for the consumer.
If it needs to present a KB+M device for OS navigation, it can fucking well do so at the same time as presenting a game controller device and having a way, using its many inputs, to switch between the two. Then it would work on everything that works on Windows and Proton. Then it would work on XBox, and any console that works with standard USB HID devices.
It’ll have that on Linux like last time. You just need to set the uinput driver for the device. They had a generic gamepad one in the kernel for the OG. But not loaded by default as it’ll look like a kb&m out of the box unless you set a user-level driver config for the HIDs.
Valve were very supportive of Linux if people didn’t want to use Steam/Steam Input but other OS didn’t get their efforts beyond the Steam client.
The fact that this isn't a new thing doesn't mean that it's a good thing. Especially since nowadays there are good third-party controllers with remappable buttons that can also switch to a KB/M functionality at the push of a button. Also, I paid 5,50€ for my brand new original Steam Controller, so Valve kinda has to convince me to spend about 18 times that. I don't know if this is a dealbreaker for me, but I'd definitely consider it "not great".
You should definitely use those alternatives and they sound superior.
At the end of the day, this is the Steam Machine’s controller and it’s designed for use in the Steam and Linux ecosystem. Its behaviour and lack of generic xinput is intentional.
It's at least available with the generic Linux driver. When Steam isn't running you can switch between mouse/keyboard and gamepad mode by holding down the start button.
Why would you buy a steam controller and not use it with steam?
Why would you drink rum out of a whiskey glass?
The whisky glass brings out more notes in the nose of the rum.
For the same reason I use PS3 and PS4 controllers to play PC games. I don't even own a PS4. A controller should preferably be usable as a generic gamepad. Not that the PlayStation controllers necessarily are, on windows I always needed shady programs for that, but I'd expect better from Steam
Maybe you received it as a gift or found it for cheap secondhand?
So gifts and second hand items should magically work in a way they weren’t intended to?
there were community build userland drivers for the original steam controller i hope for something similar for the new one.
but valve support for such things would be great.
I plan on using this specifically with my docked Steam Deck, so I don't mind. However, it's a good point to make.
I don't think it's a big deal, though. The entire reason to buy this thing is for the integration with Steam Input and all the cool things you can do with the track pads, Grip Sense and everything else. Steam Input absolutely blows away any third-party input app I've ever used in the past from Logitech, Corsair, or whoever. I suppose to be fair, they should release a stand-alone Steam Input program.
If Apple did this, and required... I dunno... fuckin' iTunes to run their Apple controller, I'd mock them and anyone who buys it, but I guess Valve gets a pass because I'm a fanboy.
I own one Epic game (Fenix Rising), and a few Humble games, and maybe a couple GoG, but 99.9% of the time I'm playing a Steam game anyway. I imagine the controller works fine for running a non-steam game that you've registered in your Steam Library.
This is a dealbreaker for me. I was tempted by it despite the price, but fuck this. I refuse to run everything through steam
I wonder what's stopping them from releasing dedicated win drivers if the native ones are inadequate.
You can add non steam games to steam, not sure if this works with the controller or not but possibly something to look into. No idea how that kind of thing works on windows though as I haven't used steam on windows
Yeah you can work around it, but it is still intentionally restricting you from just using it with non-steam games. I don't want to have to play every game through steam, even though I intentionally bought it from GOG for example
This is only off putting if there weren't 3rd party apps and drivers, which there probably will be. Librepods made airpod premium features work on Android, no reason why it can't be done here.
You literally just make a shortcut in Steam to where ever it's from and it works fine. It even had a default desktop profile which you can set how you want. While it's no ideal, there is no problem.
I don't have the impression that supporting xinput/directinput is a time consuming effort. Yeah extra buttons and trackpad wouldn't work, so what? The community will make something long term for Linux/Windows I have no doubt, but this was an easily avoided L on good will PR.
Personally doesn't matter much to me, I have 8bitdo controllers already. After owning Steam Deck for years now I really want the trackpads and gyro wherever possible.
For me, the fact that your thumbs can touch when pressing the sticks to the middle is unfortunately enough for me to pass on this. Plus I hear the ergonomics of it doesn’t feel nice, pulling your elbows in to your body so you can hold it properly.