Do you ever use your trackpads?

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Gatecrasher3000

Gawd
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Mar 18, 2013
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While I wait for my Steam Deck order to come in I was wondering what using the Steam Deck is actually like, and I just can't see myself ever using the track pads. As I have other handhelds, with a D-pad and joysticks, and I have never thought "I would like a third option".
I might be 100% wrong, and the track pads might end up my go-to choice for input, it's just in all the youtube I watch about the steam deck I rarely see people using them.
Anyways, just wondering what any of you Steam Deck owners felt about the track pads.

As I think about what the Steam Deck 2 might end up looking like, I was wondering if the track pads would end up getting removed in order to save space, if not many users are using them that is.
 
Some people say games with camera controls benefit from the trackpads but besides that I only use them in desktop mode.
 
Gatecrasher3000 said:
While I wait for my Steam Deck order to come in I was wondering what using the Steam Deck is actually like, and I just can't see myself ever using the track pads. As I have other handhelds, with a D-pad and joysticks, and I have never thought "I would like a third option".
I might be 100% wrong, and the track pads might end up my go-to choice for input, it's just in all the youtube I watch about the steam deck I rarely see people using them.
Anyways, just wondering what any of you Steam Deck owners felt about the track pads.

As I think about what the Steam Deck 2 might end up looking like, I was wondering if the track pads would end up getting removed in order to save space, if not many users are using them that is.
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I sometimes use the ps5 trackpads for navigating a virtual keyboard, dunno if the Deck's pad would be useful for that (or necessary).
 
Yes, when aiming sometimes I switch to the trackpad as it feels more accurate.
Mouse games like rim world or really any rts.
Keep in mind when using them... they don't feel anything like a laptop track pad. In most games it emulates a track ball.
The left track pad is useful for radial menus to bind keys to.
 
I saw some youtube videos (Nerd Nest I think) where he did some fairly sophisticated control mapping examples using the track pads & layers to map multiple functions to single buttons based on having other modifier buttons pressed. I haven't had time to try out his examples but the possibilities look pretty nuts.

Also, he showed how you can define regions on the screen, like for an RTS or FPS. That way when he pushed a button & used the track pad it was locked just to the mini-map area, so he could scroll around just that map area with the track pad without having to mouse over to it. Also an example where he locked the cursor to an area with a set of buttons like an MMO abilities bar, so you can select them easier/quicker.

Saw other examples where you can combine the gyro with the trackpad to get macro camera movement on the trackpad and then use the gyro to fine tune aim. Haven't tried that either yet but that also looked pretty nice.

Also as equinox said above, you can map the track pads to act like radial buttons so you can map several functions to the one track pad, i.e. swapping weapons in an FPS. Those radial options can take the place of several inputs.
 
I use them for the Steam virtual keyboard since the touch on it SUCKS ASS. Half the time it just doesn't respond...clearly a bug they need to fix.
 
forced to use trackpad as mouse of XCom Chimera Squad which I finally picked up in the 2K HB for $16.
 
I tried using the track pads for the virtual keyboard but it kind of sucks on the desktop. I go to search in discover app but using the track pads constantly reset box. So I'd try to type "emulator" but it would start to type "emu" then reset the box and continue as "ato" when pressing down on the track pads or using the L2/R2 triggers. Also using the track pads disables L2 for Shift. You'd think Valve would notice this and maybe map L1/R1 for left and right shift when in track pad mode. So mostly I just use the dpad to type stuff which is slow.
 
I use them when I need to use a mouse, otherwise I use the joystick and always enable the gyro option, it feels more natural compared to gyro disabled.
 
i beat dark souls 1 with a steam controller, and these track pads feel similar. i mostly use them for any mouse functions on the deck though
 
If I'm in a mouse pointer-based game, I use the trackpad for its expected function as a mouse.

If it's an FPS, it's a bit too awkward to reach down that far for extended periods while holding the Deck, but the sticks having capacitive sensing for toggling the gyro aim works marvelously for that. Thus, I instead use the trackpads as emulated keypads/radial menus, usually for weapon switching - especially in older FPSs like Unreal Tournament, Postal 2 and so forth where you have a bazillion weapons using the whole 1-0 section of the number row, and there's no native, in-game radial menu like more recent titles.

Also, if I need to call up the virtual keyboard, the two trackpads are by far the best option short of finding an actual, physical thumb keyboard to graft to the Deck somehow.
 
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