I prefer the PS5/SteamDeck joystick layout to the Xbox/Switch layout but I’m addicted to back paddles now — I even got 3rd party joycons for Switch that have two (and also are as thick as the Steam Deck so it feels familiar when I jump over to play Zelda or whatever).
They’re BINBOK controllers and have been great for my needs in handheld mode. The back paddles aren’t fully programmable and I think there’s some features missing but nothing I really notice. And they’ve probably lasted longer than the official Joycons.
What I’d really like is a controller that’s basically just the deck without a screen.
I still have my Steam Controller but I was itching for better Gyro after playing with Steam Deck so I picked up PS5 controller for PC after doing some research.
I like the PS5 one quite a lot, it does have nice upgrades over the Steam Controller like the adaptive triggers which work only in some games though and the haptics are sooo much better… But the battery life is a complete joke, it’s really annoying.
With SC I’ve just chucked in two AA batteries and was set for 3 months+ with PS5 controller I can barely get 10h with haptics and got around 15h without haptics… And it takes ages to charge too…
The only appeal of this new controller is the touch stick for gyro but other than that this seems quite lackluster imo.
I said it elsewhere, but it’s almost like they looked at the market research showing Steam PC gamers would buy a gazillion Steam Controller 2s or Steam Deck Controllers if they made and sold either one, or both.
And then they decided to make something that was neither one of those things. It’s totally bizarre.
Honest question, is vibration that important of a feature in your opinion? I don’t think I notice it all too much whether it’s there or not, so I don’t really have much of a preference and wouldn’t consider this a deal breaker. I didn’t realize people felt strongly about it. Is it an immersion thing?
Not who you asked, but I find myself turning it off more often than not. I just never see it as adding much to my experience. I tend to notice it more as annoyance more than anything else.
Immersion, yes, but also haptics provide feedback.
Lots of games use it to tell you things, like when your health is low, when to time something, when you took damage vs blocked successfully, when you’re close to a secret…
Used right, it’s another sensory input channel in addition to sound and visuals.
One of the biggest genres that I use a controller for, because I consider KBM to be unplayable for it, is racing games. And there haptics are used to tell you TONS about what is happening in the game.
You know I didn’t realize how much you rely on it for all kinds of different things until just now. When it’s done right, you kinda don’t even fully notice it is there. Dam, you totally switched me on this.
I appreciate the feedback! I’m primarily a kbm player, and I don’t really play any racing games so I see how I totally would have missed that. Thank you for your response homie!
There are a lot of games where it is a crucial or at least very useful extra layer of feedback. Some games you cant tell whats happening without it. In many cases it adds to immersiveness for a lot of people. Both Nintendo and Sony have put a great deal of effort into their current gen haptics.
I mean I hate that the steam controller is missing an entire thumb stick and a dpad, but I like the touchpad too. This just seems like an PS4 controller.
You are not logged in. However you can subscribe from another Fediverse account, for example Lemmy or Mastodon. To do this, paste the following into the search field of your instance: !steamdeck@sopuli.xyz
A place to discuss and support all things Steam Deck.
Replacement for r/steamdeck_linux.
As Lemmy doesn’t have flairs yet, you can use these prefixes to indicate what type of post you have made, eg:
[Flair] My post title
The following is a list of suggested flairs:
[Discussion] - General discussion.
[Help] - A request for help or support.
[News] - News about the deck.
[PSA] - Sharing important information.
[Game] - News / info about a game on the deck.
[Update] - An update to a previous post.
[Meta] - Discussion about this community.
Some more Steam Deck specific flairs:
[Boot Screen] - Custom boot screens/videos.
[Selling] - If you are selling your deck.
Hal effect or GTFO
I recently got an 8BitDo ultimate but so far I’ve only managed to get mint to pick it up as “generic Xbox controller”.
When it’s working properly, best controller ever.
My controller has all of these features and 3 more! Also a screen, and a whole computer
I prefer the PS5/SteamDeck joystick layout to the Xbox/Switch layout but I’m addicted to back paddles now — I even got 3rd party joycons for Switch that have two (and also are as thick as the Steam Deck so it feels familiar when I jump over to play Zelda or whatever).
They’re BINBOK controllers and have been great for my needs in handheld mode. The back paddles aren’t fully programmable and I think there’s some features missing but nothing I really notice. And they’ve probably lasted longer than the official Joycons.
What I’d really like is a controller that’s basically just the deck without a screen.
Mmm… seems rather mediocre. I am personally a big fan of the 8bitdo ultimate line
It’s funny that it doesn’t have a headphone jack but it clearly has a little notch in the center where those usually go
If it sells well they may do a deluxe/pro version for $70 or $80 with a bunch of extra bells and whistles
I still have my Steam Controller but I was itching for better Gyro after playing with Steam Deck so I picked up PS5 controller for PC after doing some research.
I like the PS5 one quite a lot, it does have nice upgrades over the Steam Controller like the adaptive triggers which work only in some games though and the haptics are sooo much better… But the battery life is a complete joke, it’s really annoying.
With SC I’ve just chucked in two AA batteries and was set for 3 months+ with PS5 controller I can barely get 10h with haptics and got around 15h without haptics… And it takes ages to charge too…
The only appeal of this new controller is the touch stick for gyro but other than that this seems quite lackluster imo.
I said it elsewhere, but it’s almost like they looked at the market research showing Steam PC gamers would buy a gazillion Steam Controller 2s or Steam Deck Controllers if they made and sold either one, or both.
And then they decided to make something that was neither one of those things. It’s totally bizarre.
50?
So they left out vibration so it wouldn’t be the usual 60?
Those savings don’t take the price down to “will buy” they take the featureset down to “will never buy”.
Honest question, is vibration that important of a feature in your opinion? I don’t think I notice it all too much whether it’s there or not, so I don’t really have much of a preference and wouldn’t consider this a deal breaker. I didn’t realize people felt strongly about it. Is it an immersion thing?
Absolutely critical feature. I’m spoiled and cannot live without haptics.
Not who you asked, but I find myself turning it off more often than not. I just never see it as adding much to my experience. I tend to notice it more as annoyance more than anything else.
Immersion, yes, but also haptics provide feedback.
Lots of games use it to tell you things, like when your health is low, when to time something, when you took damage vs blocked successfully, when you’re close to a secret…
Used right, it’s another sensory input channel in addition to sound and visuals.
One of the biggest genres that I use a controller for, because I consider KBM to be unplayable for it, is racing games. And there haptics are used to tell you TONS about what is happening in the game.
You know I didn’t realize how much you rely on it for all kinds of different things until just now. When it’s done right, you kinda don’t even fully notice it is there. Dam, you totally switched me on this.
I appreciate the feedback! I’m primarily a kbm player, and I don’t really play any racing games so I see how I totally would have missed that. Thank you for your response homie!
There are a lot of games where it is a crucial or at least very useful extra layer of feedback. Some games you cant tell whats happening without it. In many cases it adds to immersiveness for a lot of people. Both Nintendo and Sony have put a great deal of effort into their current gen haptics.
It’s a big deal.
Ah yes, the four horse-controllers of the apocalypse — Xbox, PlayStation, Gamecube, and Mountain Dew
What’s the point of an official Deck controller if it doesn’t have touchpads?
I mean I hate that the steam controller is missing an entire thumb stick and a dpad, but I like the touchpad too. This just seems like an PS4 controller.
No vibration at all? That’s a really strange choice…