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[Phat Michael]

Valve really put a lot of thought into this. Really excited to see how it pans out.

The thought of a steambox with this controller under my TV is going to be great.

 

[Heavy's Sandvich]

Would like to get my hands on it first before I pass judgment.

 

[SmokyDave]

I'd really like to try it. Atleast before I bought it.

I'm gonna buy it and then try it. I need it. As someone that games on a PC but prefers a controller, this thing looks like a godsend.

 

[ArynCrinn]

So how do face buttons work on this thing? Because I don't see any, wasn't there talk of all the face buttons and such having micro-switches and all that jazz?

 

[Sentenza]

Are you a proficient fighter-game enthusiest? I'm not, so I'm just going on conventionally accepted wisdom that relative positional inputs (joysticks) are preferably to absolute positional inputs (mouse).

Well, thank God these trackpads can work in both ways according to how you configure them via software, then!
Not sure why do you think they work just as a mouse, when versatility is supposed to be their main attractive.
And generally speaking gamepads are bad for fighting games anyway. If you want the best, you go with a fight stick.

1) Devs to start using OpenGL instead of/in parallel with DirectX for the sake of what exactly?

Being less dependent from Microsoft/Windows, expanding into Mac/Linux market and being future-ready for when Android devices will be powerful enough to play most of this software in few years sounds relevant enough, if you ask me.

2) Gamers to jump to the Linux platform, for the sake of loving Steam platform

Uhm, nope? They aren't asking anyone to go Linux for the sake of loving Steam, they are expanding on Linux because that's where they are realistically allowed to expand without depending from Microsoft (which isn't a good idea, when they have a competing platform and can screw you at any time).

3) Gamers to abandon mouse/keyboard for the sake of gaming in a living room

Once again, NOPE.
They aren't asking anyone to "abandon mouse & keyboard", they are offering an alternate option to it in the living room and that's pretty much it.

 

[Anteater]

I can finally watch porn in my living room

 

[Nessus]

PC doesn't have 'generations'.

It doesn't have generations but most AAA games are held back by whatever the current console generation is.

Very few developers bother to use the extra available power for their PC versions like, say, DICE does. Hell, half the time we're lucky if the PC version gets a high res texture pack or a redesigned UI suited to keyboard and mouse.

The biggest budget games are still developed for console first and foremost, with relatively few exceptions (stuff like The Witcher series).

Sure, the PC versions will run at a higher resolution, and maybe with some nice bonuses like AA, but most of the time the model detail, lighting, particle effects, map sizes, AI, and often even the texture detail are limited to whatever current gen consoles are capable of.

It's why I feel his "real next generation" or "super next generation" suggestion is a little silly.

 

[shira]

I think I'll have to get it. The X360 controller has random left stick spasms on all my steam games.

 

[ashecitism]

So how do face buttons work on this thing? Because I don't see any, wasn't there talk of all the face buttons and such having micro-switches and all that jazz?

The trackpads themselves can be configured as face buttons in multiple ways. The XBYA buttons on this are rather used for menu/start stuff.

 

[Seanspeed]

I used the term "mainstream" in measuring the resolution eras. It's not a specific science, sure, but it isn't for the consoles either (as the "next-gens" are waffling between 720, 900, and 1080).

1440 is now used across the board on performance tests for GPUs (even mid and low tier GPUs), while 4k is only tested on a handful of extreme enthusiast sites and even then only with the highest end GPU SKUs.

That, to me, and I think to many others, makes 1440p "available to the mainstream" PC market today, while 4k is not.

Saying 'its not specific science' is a massive understatement. Its a vague, and not even particularly accurate(in this case) statement. With consoles, there is no confusion. Generations in consoles are not strictly defined by the resolution they play at. BF4 on the XboxOne is a next-gen game despite it only being 720p as the Xbox One and PS4 are next-gen consoles. If you want to argue otherwise, you are again just muddling a widely held concept due to a pointless semantic difference, which are the worst sorts of time-wasting arguments around.

 

[ArynCrinn]

I still don't see how a competitive Super Meat Boy player would use this thing to any real success. No real face buttons? Instead replacing them with a configurable track position circle isn't gonna meet the demands of every game that is normally designed to use face buttons.

What they need to do really, is design two controllers. One more traditional (with all the accoutrements of the Onza, MLG, Sabertooth, Scuff and Saturn Model 2 controllers). And then this half-way controller to meet the demand of what keyboard/mouse-aimed games need to be competitive on the same level.

 

[TekGryphon]

Saying 'its not specific science' is a massive understatement.

If you're just going to read my first sentence and run with it, we're not going to be able to have an effective conversation. I gave you the criteria I used to justify a PC "generation", and you chose to completely ignore it in favor of continuing your own internal monologue.

Not interested.

It doesn't have generations but most AAA games are held back by whatever the current console generation is.

Very few developers bother to use the extra available power for their PC versions like, say, DICE does. Hell, half the time we're lucky if the PC version gets a high res texture pack or a redesigned UI suited to keyboard and mouse.

The biggest budget games are still developed for console first and foremost, with relatively few exceptions (stuff like The Witcher series).

Sure, the PC versions will run at a higher resolution, and maybe with some nice bonuses like AA, but most of the time the model detail, lighting, particle effects, map sizes, AI, and often even the texture detail are limited to whatever current gen consoles are capable of.

It's why I feel his "real next generation" or "super next generation" suggestion is a little silly.

You can call it silly all you want, but the industry DID change last-gen and it IS changing again this gen.

https://robertsspaceindustries.com/about-the-game

$30 million crowd-funded title that's being designed from the ground up for 2160p, Occulus Rift, and all the bells and whistle the industy's best and brightest can throw at it.

PC will continue to get console-centric titles, sure. However, this past generation PC diverged from the consoles with a massive and prolific independent development scene, and this generation PC will diverge again with titles like this being made to push the limits of what the PC can accomplish.

 

[Sentenza]

I still don't see how a competitive Super Meat Boy player would use this thing to any real success.

i wasn't even aware "competitive SMB" was a thing but apparently it was just fine enough for the man who made the game.
He claimed he prefers a 360 controller, true, but to put things in perspective he also claimed he would probably prefer this to a Dual Shock.

What they need to do really, is design two controllers. One more traditional

Why? You can already buy a traditional controller everywhere you want.

 

[bootski]

this is the first piece of technology in a long time i'd buy sight unseen.

 

[TekGryphon]

this is the first piece of technology in a long time i'd buy sight unseen.

I'm pretty hyped but that still maxes out my risk quota :O

With something this new I want to see more hands-on testing.

 

[DryvBy]

I Think "PC market" fits it. Unless we're at the point where "the distinction needs to be made" between PC players and rampant PC fanboys. From the master race meme onward this kind of behaviour has become quite annoying.

Dunno if I'm the only one feeling like this, but shouldn't this kind of shit be moderated by the staff and ridiculed by the users like any other kind of fanboyism? Or it gets a free pass for some reason I can't understand?

Done. It's one of the reasons I'm sort of straying back away form PC gaming again. The community is so full of themselves sometimes. SteamGAF is good, levelheaded users in the chat, but the spoken majority are on sort of mission. I wouldn't be shocked if they went door to door and ask you if you've heard the gospel of PC gaming.

 

[Hakkelus]

They should make the right touchpad bigger to give more accuracy in fps-games.

 

[Foaloal]

Valve isn't stupid, they didn't develop a controller so it could be a throwaway piece of technology only good for a select few games.

I am confident they'll have tested the controller out and designed it to be as good as possible for as many types of games as possible.

It may take a little bit of learning new muscle memory but I think once we get our hands on it we'll prefer it for at least some gameplay types, if not most, compared to a traditional controller.

Either way I don't think it makes much sense to guess at what kind of genres it will be good for until we try it out ourselves.

 

[onken]

Can't wait to disable the rumble on this. Such a 00s fad, can't believe it still exists.

 

[GeoGonzo]

Really? I really like forcefeedback and I'm really curious about the improvements done to the XBO controller.

 

[Prophet Steve]

Can't wait to disable the rumble on this. Such a 00s fad, can't believe it still exists.

I think that would make it a lot harder to use.

 

[ArynCrinn]

i wasn't even aware "competitive SMB" was a thing but apparently it was just fine enough for the man who made the game.
He claimed he prefers a 360 controller, true, but to put things in perspective he also claimed he would probably prefer this to a Dual Shock.


Why? You can already buy a traditional controller everywhere you want.

Inform yourself.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZ9eMrcGFoA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THRGzC3jk5A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMv1BQPCGhs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA37BWW3vRo&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL059E4EA741EBD5D8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7yZqqBqlWA&feature=c4-overview-vl&list=PL059E4EA741EBD5D8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh5Env8QvjQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxhLa8wGqjY

I obviously can't say for sure, until I get the controller in my hands, (btw I have two PS4 controllers and still prefer the 360-type pad for this game) whether that's Onza, Sabertooth, Scuff or MLG controllers. But pulling off shit like that using the Steam controller I highly doubt is possible and if so needlessly more frustrating. It's a twitch reflex game that REQUIRES tactile response, whether it be a controller or K+M. Hence my suggestion of a more traditional controller option.

And another thing "the man who made the game"... You do realize it was Tommy who was solely responsible for the controls in SMB, correct? Wonder what his thoughts on it are for SMB or similar twitch-type precision based games.

 

[Aostia]

I feel like this is something I would have to try out in my own hands to truly understand it. Until then, I just see two trackpads replacing analog sticks. No amount of pictures or words can change that.

me too, but I'm really curious about it!

 

[ashecitism]

And another thing "the man who made the game"... You do realize it was Tommy who was solely responsible for the controls in SMB, correct? Wonder what his thoughts on it are for SMB or similar twitch-type precision based games.

He tried it with SMB and Spelunky, thought it was fine enough. Read his impressions on his blog.

 

[ArynCrinn]

He tried it with SMB and Spelunky, thought it was fine enough. Read his impressions on his blog.

Link? I wasn't aware he had a blog.

 

[Sentenza]

Inform yourself.

You can relax. I said I wasn't aware it was a thing, I didn't call you a liar.
Beside, there's nothing suggesting this pad would be particularly inadequate for the task (except some generic healthy scepticism for new weird things).

Link? I wasn't aware he had a blog.

Can't find the original blog, but here's what he wrote: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/TommyRefenes/20130928/201219/My_time_with_the_Steam_Controller.php
And yes, I'm aware of who he is, thanks for asking.

 

[angular graphics]

Link? I wasn't aware he had a blog.

http://tommyrefenes.tumblr.com/post/62476523677/my-time-with-the-steam-controller

If you were to ask me if I would play games with the Steam Controller…I would say yes. If you were to ask me to choose between Steam Controller and a 360 controller, I would choose 360. Don’t take that as slight to the controller though because it’s more about the comfort of familiarity over functionality. I would choose a 360 controller because I have several thousand hours experience using it, however if tomorrow all game controllers were wiped off the earth and the only option was the Steam Controller, I don’t think this would be a bad thing. In fact, I don’t think gaming would miss a beat.

 

[MutonCommander]

this is the first piece of technology in a long time i'd buy sight unseen.

Same. I need to have this!

 

[JB1981]

I'm going to buy the shit out of this thing. When's it coming out ?

 

[MutonCommander]

I'm going to buy the shit out of this thing. When's it coming out ?

No one knows, this is still just the prototype. Maybe early next year?

 

[ArynCrinn]

Yeah, I just read it, a lot more optimistic now just because I respect Tommy's obsession about control and feel and function as I do. I'll probably come to the same conclusion as he did though, 360-type pads will win for me. But I'll definitely give the final Steam controller a go at countless games before passing any real judgement.

Only good thing about the Onza was SMB, btw. That adjustable tension on the sticks made some strats go from near impossible to "maybe just doable". Definitely never buy the Onza, if you can even find it anymore, for anything other than SMB speedrunning.

 

[JaseC]

I'm going to buy the shit out of this thing. When's it coming out ?

An as-yet-undetermined date in 2014. Prototypes will be included with the 300 Steam Machines Valve intends to send out to Steam users before the end of the year, though.

 

[Sentenza]

An as-yet-undetermined date in 2014. Prototypes will be included with the 300 Steam Machines Valve will be sending out to Steam users before the end of the year, though.

Didn't they (supposedly) already send those on October 25th?

 

[JaseC]

Didn't they (supposedly) already send those on October 25th?

October 25th was just the end date for the eligibility "quest".

 

[Sentenza]

October 25th was just the end date for the eligibility "quest".

 

[JaseC]

Precisely. I assume there'll be a formal announcement once Valve has chosen the participants. "30 or so" of the machines are earmarked for particularly useful community members while the other ~270 will (allegedly) be randomly assigned to those remaining in the pool. (I say "allegedly" because there's presumably some sort of selection criteria -- I mean, it wouldn't make much sense to send a Steam Machine to a bloke who only plays TF2 for, on average, 10 minutes a day.)

 

[MutonCommander]

That's pretty much the situation, the odds are almost the same as winning a lottery.

 

[Louis Cyphre]

No one knows, this is still just the prototype. Maybe early next year?

I was about the ask the same thing. I gotsa try it out.

 

[Tenck]

Oh shit, Day 1.

I love mouse and keyboard gameplay, but it's too cumbersome to play with my living room setup (not a fan of having a giant board on my lap with a keyboard and mouse on it).

It mimics WASD and mouse controls. You should be good to go with any game on PC that has ever used that control scheme.

 

[bodyboarder]

I have such high hopes for this. Comfy couch gaming needs this to be decent for fps's.

 

[Cave Johnson]

Regardless of the impressions from developers, it all boils down to Valve to showcase the controller in it's best possible light. They already have a variety of home made genre's from strategy to first-person games. The problem with the expectations around this controller is either:

A) Must meet the standards of a m/kb
B) As serviceable as your traditional gamepad

That's it, there's no middle ground for this and I don't see why. Of course the I would love to see it exceed expectations but I'd rather have something that works "practically" in the very least. Even if I lack the fidelity of a mouse or familiarity of the gamepad, the only factor that would prevent me from booting my PC to the living room if it does NOT work. And I don't mean not working like being "broken", I of course refer to the fact the many concerns about the device post-reveal. Granted, I am one of the gabepad's staunch supporters - not out of fanboyism for steam but for the fact they're trying to do something "new" in this stagnant part of the control scheme.

I really wish they would send me one. Boy, I would most definitely go into detail of the applications with this device from old school games on DoSbox to the latest games like BF4.

 

[Momentary]

I can't wait to try out a couple of fighting games with this thing. Motion inputs on the trackpad looks like it will feel amazing. And with every finger being on a button on the back of the controller, I see PS4 and X1 controllers being inferior to it with arcades sticks still being on top.

 

[ElFly]

I hate that they announced this then never mentioned a release date or anything.

Valve time is the worst.

 

[Moff]

every once in a while, there is a piece of hardware I just want to try because it offers something new. I dont know if its good of bad, I just feel the need to try it.

the alst few times, I had that feeling with nintendo consoles, namely the 3DS and the wii. both of them didnt really convince me much (from a hardware perspective). but now with the steam controller, I think this might actually be something new and really great. cant wait to try it.

consoles and pc have continously come closer together over the last 10 years, and this controller could finally be the final piece to seal the deal.

 

[kinggroin]

It probably won't. Relative positional input is great for fighting games, flight sims, and probably a few other genres (platformers?).

What the Steam controller does is bring precision needed for strategy and shooting games to a hand held controller.



I liked your previous comment better, but let's be serious here.

We've got PC looking at titles that are in development right now (Star Citizen being my favorite) that will, upon release, make use of 4k resolutions, the Occulus Rift, and the first absolute positional input handheld controller.

You're welcome to call PS4 and Xbone struggling to hit 1080p/60fps "next-gen" but, if that's the case, then we need to think up a new name for where the PC market is at.

"Super next-gen"? I don't know, but the distinction needs to be made.

Why? To stroke your ego? Provide you with a false sense of superiority? Get real.

Next generation means simply that. The next set of boxes to succeed the previous ones.

 

[Sentenza]

Next generation means simply that. The next set of boxes to succeed the previous ones.

It's also a distinction that never meant much to me when applied to games.
Coming mostly from a PC-centric background I never perceived software as something distinctly parted in different generations, more like a continuous, seamless stream of marginal technical improvements over the years.

 

[oVerde]

I hope this really turns out well, might be the chance to switch to a Steam box with Steam OS and all that jazz. Until then, i'll stick to the usual consoles.

late ediut: Didn't looked that fast for action games, still remaining to adaptation I guess.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZIdECa6VVCU

 

[onken]

I think that would make it a lot harder to use.

Humm, we'll see.

 

[LiquidMetal14]

I'll be the judge of that. Sounds like marketing drivel.

 

[Usobuko]

One guy mentions third person action games which is quite frankly one of the main reason I use a traditional controller. I am still susceptible but I am willing to try it out.