Valve Announces A Steam Controller With No Thumbsticks

[Lady Lilith]

http://kotaku.com/valve-announces-the-steam-controller-a-new-way-to-cont-1411558137?rev=1380301414

 

 

 

We've got the operating system, we've got the hardware, and now we've got the human interface device. The third prong of Valve's all-out attack on living room gaming is the Steam Controller, a hackable gamepad with dual trackpads, haptic feedback and a touch screen. P

RELATED

Valve Announces Steam OS

Steam is getting its very own operating system, Valve announced today. It'll be a combination of Steam's current platform and Linux. Read…

Valve Announces 'Steam Machines,' Hopes To Improve Living Room Gaming

Hope you weren't too attached to the name "Steam Box"--Valve is partnering with various companies to release hardware that… Read…

Two clickable trackpads are the most prominent feature of the Steam Controller. a pair of touch-sensitive pads with resolution approaching that of a desktop mouse. It's the logical halfway point between mouse and gamepad control. P

SEXPAND

Adding physicality to an otherwise light-touch experience, Valve has outfitted the Steam Controller with advanced haptic feedback, delivering in-game information about "speed, boundaries, threshholds, textures, action confirmations" and more to players' fingertips via highest-bandwidth haptic information channel of any consumer product on the market. P

The Steam Controller's central screen might seem like a Wii U me-too, but Valve promises an interesting feature that would resolve one of the challenges of playing games that display graphics on a TV while also showing things on a controller screen. When a player touches the screen on the Valve controller, whatever is on that screen will be overlaid on top of whatever is being shown on their TV, " allowing the player to leave their attention squarely on the action, where it belongs," the company said.1P

SEXPAND

The controller will have a legacy mode built-in, allowing it to be configured as a keyboard and mouse. A configuration tool will be made available so the Steam community can create and share their own configurations. P

For much of Steam's existence, Microsoft's Xbox 360 controller has proven to be the popular controller for PC gamers who wanted something other than mouse-and-keyboard. The new Steam controller moves many of the buttons of the the 360 controller, drops the d-pad altogether, and trades in sticks for the two big circular trackpads. It's main fealty to the 360 form factor is in its overall shape and the position of its shoulder and trigger buttons. 

Valve themselves knocked traditional controllers in today's announcement, stating that "Traditional gamepads force us to accept compromises. We’ve made it a goal to improve upon the resolution and fidelity of input that’s possible with those devices. The Steam controller offers a new and, we believe, vastly superior control scheme."2P

SEXPAND

RELATED

How The Xbox One Controller Has Changed

For more than two years, 105 people at Microsoft have been trying to improve the video game controller. The results go on sale this fall in the form… Read…

The 360 controller will continue to work with PC games, of course, and we'd be surprised if it can't work with a Steam Machine. Meanwhile, Microsoft is prepping the release of its own new controller, the subtly upgraded Xbox One controller that is basically intended to be an improved 360 model. That controller won't work with PC games until 2014, according to Microsoft.P

The Steam Controller will be made available first to lucky Steam users who get into the Steam Machines beta test. Steam, Steam, Steam. P

You have questions? Valve has answers. P

Is this the same beta as the Steam machines one, or is it separate?

 

Same. So you only need to sign up once.

How does the beta work? When will it start? How will you choose participants?

 

Please see the FAQ on Steam Machines, because it covers lots of important questions.

 

I’m a happy Steam customer happily using my happy mouse and keyboard. I don’t want a controller?

 

You can’t make a sentence into a question by just putting a question-mark at the end. But we’re happy you’re happy, and by all means keep using whatever input method makes sense for you. Rest assured, we won’t abandon you. We love mice and keyboards, too.

 

Can I use a controller if I don’t have a Steam machine?

 

Yes. It’ll work very well with any version of Steam.

 

I’m a developer - how can I include support for the Steam Controller in my game?

 

On the same day that our prototype controllers ship to customers later this year, the first version of our API will also be made available to game developers.

 

How will the beta controller differ from the one that’s for sale next year?

 

There are a couple important differences: the first 300 or so beta units won’t include a touch screen, and they won’t be wireless. Instead, they’ll have four buttons in place of the touch screen, and they’ll require a USB cable.

 

What’s next?
We’re done with our announcements, and we promise to switch gears now and talk specifics over here in our Steam Universe community group. Also we’ll talk soon about the design process and how we’ve arrived at our current prototype. (We’ll post detailed specs next week for our living room SteamOS prototype, too.)

 

 

This is the third and final of three announcements scheduled this week in order to show the world what Valve's new hardware initiative is all about. On Monday, Valve unveiled SteamOS, a Linux-based operating system designed for living room gaming. On Tuesday, the company talked Steam Machines, formerly-known as Steam Boxes, living room systems from multiple manufacturers utilizing SteamOS, due out in 2014. P

RELATED

Can Valve create the perfect game machine and win against MS and Sony?

Steam is the most popular electronic desktop game distribution method in the planet. So popular that its developers think it will be a great idea to… Read…

Together with the latest announcement, Valve is effectively breaking down the few remaining obstacles standing in the way ofPC gaming dominance in the living room. 2014 is going to be one hell of a year in gaming. P

 

 

 

I can't possibly see why they would do this. 

[CasaDeBen]

The track pads are supposed to help people accustomed to mouse and keyboard feel at ease with a controller. I wouldnt know if I would like it, but apparently you can use a regular controller with a steam box too. If I read the FAQ correctly earlier. Fingers crossed I am one of the 300 people that get to beta it

[Parker]

To be honest, I think that controller looks pretty terrible and not comfortable at all. I'll hold final judgement until I actually hold one but for now give me a DualShock any day of the week over that. 

 

 

Parker

[DEMON]

I'm with Parker.. the controller looks awful.  If they are trying to appeal to console gamers with that, they should have just stuck with what works.. the button positions look weird as hell.. no playing fighting games on that.. that's for sure.

[ElfenSky]

I'm very interested in how this turns out, in the end, I'll probably buy either a Xb1 controller (when PC supports goes live) or this one... I want to get Valve's but I'm unease about the touch-joysticks.

Fingers crossed I'm one of the 300 Beta testers as well.

Edited September 28, 2013 by ElfenSky

[antithesis]

I can't possibly see why they would do this. 

 

 

 

I can see the Steam Machine, Steam Controller and Oculus Rift being my next-gen weapons of choice. The great thing about Valve's design decisions is we don't need to unlearn what we have already learned - we can use our existing PCs, mice, keyboards, displays etc, OR we can plug this kit into a TV and build a PC as a console.

 

Keep in mind, the hardware, OS and controller can all be customised, so the sky's the limit for all kinds of new ways to play games.

Edited September 28, 2013 by ant1th3s1s

[damon8r351]

When I saw the top photo I thought that was the back of the controller, at first.

[Ichiban-Hybrid]

Why does this look like a thumb warmer?

[FluffyAssassin64]

 

http://kotaku.com/valve-announces-the-steam-controller-a-new-way-to-cont-1411558137?rev=1380301414

 

 

I can't possibly see why they would do this. 

 

 

Don't you mean y u do dis?

 

Anyway, it certainly looks interesting. As the top commenter on IGN said "This controller is so innovative that I don't understand it".

 

It certainly is very different to any we've seen before. In my mind, this could be a very good thing. Hopefully it goes well for Valve. However, like Parker and others said, it's the kind of thing that you've got to experience for yourself (or give more time) to see how it works out.

[Yoshi]

I'll reserve judgment till i actually use it...

[PaladinBane]

That's a nice Xbox One controller you got there.

[Death]

Looks awful. The shape is like a "Duke" flipped around. I don't like the idea of thumbpads.

[Lady Blanc]

That is one of the worst designs I have seen, it looks like it'll be uncomfortable as hell to hold for prolonged periods of time, I'd say even 30 minutes would be pushing it. I must be one of the few who is getting less interested the more I hear about it, I thought this would change my mind, but no.

[yellowwindow7]

looks more like a cell phone speakers with a touch screen in the middle then a controller.

[Parker]

So one of the developers from Team Meat had some hands on time with this controller and these are his views...

 

 

My time with the Steam Controller

 

 

When I started Super Meat Boy, I knew that proper controls would be the make or break for the game. I’m very picky about controls in games, to the point if the game doesn’t control well, I don’t care who makes it or what it is, I will stop playing it. I often get asked which formulas I used for movement, friction, air physics, etc. in Super Meat Boy. Truth is, there are no formulas…it’s just a big huge hack. I spent two months on the controls for SMB to get them perfect. Everything from the weird “friction” that happens when you change directions in the air to the 200MS delay that happens when you’re on a wall and pull away is based on how it feels to me when I play it. None of these formulas are based on physics concepts, they are 100% based on feel.

When it comes to hardware I’m, again, very picky. We have a Razer controller that Shannon bought a while back that has strange buttons that click weird. I refuse to play with it. I hated playing the PS3 when it first came out because the SixAxis had no DualShock in them and were too light. I didn’t fully play any PS3 games until I bought a DualShock3 SixAxis controller. I didn’t even bother with the Ouya controller because if other people are reporting latency problems, I know for a fact I will experience them.

I need to press a button, feel good pressing it, and have it react accordingly on the screen. So, ladies and gentlemen… if I say I’m sensitive to controllers you will agree.

The Steam Controller (or whatever it’s officially called) is strange. Where your thumbs normally rest when holding a controller, there are just the two little circular track pads just like what you see in the pictures. In the center you have your A,B,X,Y buttons surrounding what I was told would be a touch screen display at some point. The touchpad / screen in the center of the controller wasn’t enabled so I can’t really speak on that. The A,B,X,Y buttons surrounding the touch screen seemed to be used more for your standard “Back” button configuration. Think of them not as A,B,X,Y but additional buttons that can perform some functionality. You obviously wouldn’t play a game with those buttons being your primary action buttons. You use the left and right circle pads as your primary inputs.

On top of the controller you have your standard Left/Right Bumpers and Left/Right Triggers, they work and feel as you would expect. On the back of the controller are two additional triggers that you can hit with your fingers naturally by just squeezing your hand but aren’t so sensitive that the act of holding the controller depresses the buttons.

The controller I held was a 3D printed functional prototype. It is thicker than an Xbox 360 controller at the base where the sides of the controller rest in your palms. The weight is about the same. I didn’t feel as if the controller was too heavy or too light. I did notice the bulk of the controller, but only as a differentiation from the PS3 controller I’ve been playing with recently (GTA5) and the 360 controller I use for PC gaming. The bulk didn’t bother me.

After becoming familiar with the controller I started to play Meat Boy. I played from muscle memory so the more advanced tactics were being used (wall slide, jump height curving, etc). At first I noticed significant lag, and thought to myself “Oh shit, I’m going to have to tell them that their controller is laggy and bad”. They told me the latency was very low so I figured it had to be the TV because without a low latency “Game Mode” most reflex driven games are totally unplayable. Sure enough, I got into the settings of the TV, turned on Game Mode, and the real play session began.

The configuration they had set up was simple enough. The left circle pad acted as the directional buttons, the right acted as a big giant jump button. The big problem with touch pads/ touch screens is you never know when you are actually over a button or pressing it. Valve has tried to rectify this by having some adjustable haptic feedback fire when you press one of the circle pads. Throughout my play session the haptic feedback helped with the problem, but wasn’t enough to solve it.

The circle pads were configured so that they could be touched to register input. Having input register without a firm, familiar press feels weird and the reason being is that it was set to both touch AND press. You could make Meat Boy move right by pressing on the pad, but he would also move when my thumb rested on the pad. This naturally didn’t happen often, but did happen enough to be noticeable. Once I pointed this out one of the engineers (I’m sorry for not remembering your name, I’m horrible with names…true story I constantly called my ex-girlfriend Jessica instead of Lindsay. Jessica is her sisters name. It was for no other reason than I’m terrible with remembering and saying names…I could describe your face and what you were wearing to a sketch artist and the cops would pick you up in like 2 minutes…that’s where my memory is allocated…) he went back to his desk and updated the firmware to only react on press. Once this happened the controller felt like a controller. Pressing directional buttons made sense and I felt a greater sense of control.

One drawback to undefined physical buttons is that your thumbs need tactile contact in order to accurately know what button you are pressing. As the engineers and I were talking about this, the idea of little nubs being on the controller that would be noticeable enough where your thumbs would find them, but not so abrasive that the circle pads couldn’t comfortably used in mouse / trackpad mode came about. They had been thought of prior to my being there, but weren’t on the controller I was using. I expressed that they needed to be put in. They might show up in some form after my feedback…so…you’re welcome Valve / Valve customers.

The button configuration worked fine for SMB, I was able to get to the Salt factory no problem. I was able to sequence break C.H.A.D. by getting the keys before he could do his attacks. I was even able to do the bandaid the super fast way in the second level of the hospital shown here (though I didn’t wait on the platform above the bandaid, I always fall straight through): http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=JHJsnXRb_Es#t=1392

I was able to play Meat Boy the way Meat Boy can be played on an advanced level (and I’m rusty at it). The right circle button was the jump button and we had both Triggers mapped to the Run button just like a regular Xbox 360 controller. We also had the Run button mapped to the back trigger buttons I mentioned before that can be pressed with your fingers on the back of the pad. This worked great but did lead to a bit of hand cramping. I think this is due more to the way you use the run button in Meat Boy and not the design of the controller or the buttons.

But that’s Meat Boy, I wanted to see how it would do with a game where multiple inputs were required. Naturally, I requested Spelunky. Spelunky requires Whip, Jump, Bomb, and Rope buttons. We configured the controller to play like an Xbox controller. So the left circle pad was once again used for the directional buttons, and the right circle pad was used as A, B, X, Y buttons in the orientation that you find on an Xbox Controller.

I played through Spelunky and the controller worked great. As I was playing I was describing to the engineers the twitch movements that go into Spelunky. Anyone that’s played it knows what I’m talking about, but to explain further there are often times in Spelunky where you will find yourself in a situation where you will panic and need to compensate. For example, lets say you are jumping on a platform, below it are spikes, above you is a bat. If the bat hits you, you’ll die because you’ll fall into the spikes. If you try to jump on the bat, chances are you’ll hit the bat and fall and possibly die. So in situations like this you find yourself tap jumping with air compensation to whip a bat while still staying on this one tile platform. The Steam controller handled this just fine. The nubs I mentioned above would have solidified the platforming experience better, but again, those might get thrown in as they approach final hardware. I got to the Ice Caves and then a stupid Skeleton knocked me off a platform to my death…then I attempted a daily run and died immediately…pretty much the standard Spelunky play through.

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. I’m excited to see what final hardware feels like because I think with the upcoming iterations of the controller we’ll see something that is different, but still feels good.

TL;DR; Great Start, needs some improvements, but I could play any game I wanted with it just fine.

 

 

 

Directly from his blog here.

 

Parker

Edited September 29, 2013 by Parker

[Guest]

I like it! not only if it comes in white! and have bling bling lights!

[ProGamerX56]

Painful

[Doom]

The trackpads feel like genius. I hate the analogue sticks in conventional controllers.

[Lady Lilith]

http://kotaku.com/this-is-the-latest-steam-controller-1544021992

 

 

 

 

123SEXPAND

RELATED

Steam Controller Ditches Touchscreen For Real Buttons

The strange-looking Stream Controller Valve introduced to us in September was innovative, ambitious, and unworkable from a backwards compatibility…Read…

Valve just sent us this image, a more clear depiction of the latest Steam Controller prototype that they detailed back in January.P

Likely in the interest of backward compatibility, this latest prototype has eight clear buttons on the front, which will doubtless make it easier for the controller to support Xbox 360-style XInput controls. It'll be at Valve's booth at GDC next week, where I'll be sure to check it out.P

The full two-part image Valve sent, for the sake of comparison:P

 

Much better, but it still looks weird to me.  I'm a bit confused, if it ditched the touchscreen controls, why are those two giant what I assume to be touchpads still there? I guess those might have joysticks later? I'm not sure, since it seems that's where they'd go if anything.  Or will we have to do without thumbsticks in favor of touch controls?

[Doom]

I hope they stick with trackpads. I wanna see if the analogue sticks in current controllers can be thrown into oblivion by this new approach.

[Sakraali]

When I saw the top photo I thought that was the back of the controller, at first.

 

Wait, what? It isn't? Looks quite bad then...

[lporiginalg]

Interesting. The first controller looked pretty ambitious to me and my first honest instinct was that I would like to feel it in my hands and see what it can do. Their updated version seems like a lot more of a compromise to old standards and I feel a lot more ambivilant about it. I thought the touchscreen made a lot of sense, there's a lot of functions that console controllers should have that they just don't have, like being to jump to your current chat room or inbox with one button press (or screen tap). The touchscreen also hinted at possibly interesting things that could be done with customized firmware and whatnot so I'm kind of sad to see it was nixed.  If the track pads work well I could see myself develping a preference for that over thumb sticks. It's probably more durable that way as well.

Edited April 5, 2014 by lporiginalg