Seneste anmeldelser af ShelLuser

...but not perfect: it will take time to get used to!

I'm a former PS3 player who picked up a high end PC, ended up with Steam and because I read stories that the Logitech controller I wanted wouldn't work too well with Windows 10 I decided to grab the Steam Controller ('SC') instead, and honestly: I am very pleased with this gizmo!


Most gamepads that I know off use 2 analog ('thumb') sticks where one is used to move you around and the other to look around. As you can see from the pictures on the product description: the SC has only 1 analog stick (on the left) and then 2 weird round "pads". Those are touch pads (although the d-pad on your left usually requires you to also press it) and trust me: it's going to take a serious attitude adjustment before you get more familiar with it and get to appreciate this one.

I've been playing several hours of Grand Theft Auto V and I am not disappointed at all. But... it really takes getting used to.

The touch pad caveat

The touchpads are decently sensitive, and can even be adjusted, but in the end it's still a somewhat small touch pad which means that when using some directions you may not get super precise results, definitely not during your first runs. For example: when I try to switch the radio in my GTA car then I sometimes have problems reaching the bottom ("off") or a specific station (like "Non-stop pop" or "Soulwax FM"). I move towards the location, but because my thumb keeps moving a bit the selection doesn't stay in one place and thus ends up with a bit of jitter. And sometimes you also don't use the tip of your thumb either.. But practice does make perfect!

I've also completed some contact missions and once you become more familiar with the pads you will notice that you can aim pretty precisely. All it takes is practice, maybe some (small!) configuration tweaking but most of all practice. I've been in a few fire fights already and although it was quite difficult at first I'm actually starting to get better. Even killed 2 enemies in one go (I use assisted free aim in GTA V; auto targets but doesn't lock on).


When you start playing with this controller you may need to re-learn how to use one if you're already fully used to something else (like a Sixaxis dual shock), and this can get tricky. Seriously: some people criticize this product but it mostly boils down to the CS not being the same as the game controller you're used to.

Never forget that this is a Steam controller and that means that it tries to cater to a wide variety of game types, just like Steam itself does. It's not only FPS, but it's also not only RPG either. This controller tries to work on all those genres.


Pro's

• Very easy to use: if you automatically start Steam then all it takes is a press on the Steam button (the big button in the middle) after which the Steam client can automatically fire up big picture mode; then you can fully control Steam using your controller.
  
• Large variety of buttons and options. This honestly baffled me at first: the d-pad on the left can easily be used as both a touchpad and a four way d-pad all at once. By pressing you 'click' the pad options and by touching... you get the idea.
  
• Easily customized (but...). So I was in GTA V and wanted an easy way to open my context menu. Couldn't be easier: first I paused the game, looked at the key assignments and learned which key opened it (I believe it was 'M', not sure from mind). I then pressed the Steam button (to open the overlay) and simply assigned the 'm' to one of the buttons. Done. However: this may have been a glitch or a mistake I made: at first I wanted to change an option and ended up with 2 functions assigned to the same button. Restarting the game fixed that, but that can be confusing.
  
• Even provides a little bit of "force feedback". Don't expect the controller to rumble (and be glad, because that only drains the batteries) but the touch pads can give you some "click" feedback and I really enjoyed that.

Con's

• Uses normal batteries, and cannot recharge those by itself (by using the USB cable for example). This means you're going to have to pay attention to your battery charge and replace them if needed.
  
• Touch pads are seriously different and take an attitude adjustment. Example: I was very used to moving my camera around while driving in GTA V so that I could constantly look around. While I can move my view it doesn't stay there and automatically moves back again. That's different from using a stick: you can hold a stick and 'stay' focused in one direction. With a touchpad you only do one swipe; a short move which gets reset soon afterwards.
  
• Some buttons are a bit harder to reach. There are 6 buttons at your fingers disposal: one below the controller, the (analog) trigger and then the button above that one at the front. It feels solid, but can be tricky to reach at first because there are 3 instead of 2 buttons.
  
• Not every Steam game provides native Controller support. So you may have to tweak some settings yourself as well as remember them yourself (so when a game tells you to press 'F' you should remember that this is the right "finger trigger").

And there you have it!


I'm giving this a solid 8 out of 10. I think it's an awesome controller and does exactly what it's supposed to: provide support for a huge variety of different games. I even managed to get Minecraft somewhat working with this thing (that's still work in progress)!

But do keep in mind that because of this "versatile approach" it doesn't specialize and tries to be a bit of everything. And that could work against you because it sometimes requires a change in your gaming style. Don't expect this to be a full replacement for your keyboard & mouse, but you can look forward to one heck of an addition! I definitely recommend picking this up, I'm having a lot of fun with it.

(edit): Fixed several dumb typoes