Megalith
24-bit/48kHz
- Joined
- Aug 20, 2006
- Messages
- 13,000
Based on the design of the controller... can you imagine how ugly the Steam Box is going to be.
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...well except for those of us who dont have infinitely large mousepads.![]()
If all you ever play are hyper-competitive twitch shooters, then, no, this isn't for you. If you, on occasion, play something else, you might enjoy a good controller.
"yawn" Not for me. Looks like valve is trying to attract the masses.
Me thinks users of this would get schooled in multi vs mouse keyboard users
You mean like a wireless 360 controller?
I am trying to reserve judgement till I get some hands on, but I am just not seeing this as being an improvement over the current PS3 or 360 controllers. Valve definitely has an uphill road with this controller.
Yeah, that's a good controller. As are the DualShocks. And, probably, the Steam Controller.You mean like a wireless 360 controller?
Chris Remo, designer and writer at The Cave developer Double Fine had a hands-on of the Steam Controller at the San Francisco studio. Remo played a couple different games: Double Fine's upcoming point-and-click adventure game Broken Age and the already-released platform-adventure game The Cave. "We just plugged it in, and it worked," he said. "We didn't have special support for it or anything. It worked really, really well. I was really impressed with the mouse imitation. It doesn't feel like a trackpad."
Remo said the controller has a tiny speaker in it that offers audio feedback a subtle "tick" sound that increases and decreases in speed (he compared it to the Wheel of Fortune wheel's sound), depending on how you use the track pad. If you "fling" your thumb across the trackpad if it's mapped to the mouse the ticking increases in speed, and slows down as the virtual momentum of your action slows. "It sounds like there's actually a mechanical device in there, which really makes it feel mechanical, but not in a clunky way," Remo said. "It just feels really high-tech and precise. I can't stand trackpads on laptops, and this felt really good to me. There was almost no learning curve as far as accuracy goes."
"It feels like you're moving your thumbs over a rough surface, though it's all virtual," Ichiro Lambe said. "From a tech standpoint, think about something that can click whenever you tell it to... Simple example: you move your finger 1 inch up, and it ticks 10 times...You flick it up, and it starts ticking, like you've spun a wheel."
Remo added that he doesn't really consider the pads to be "trackpads," which, to players and developers, often represent poor feedback. "This is just the opposite of that," he said.
Valve invites several developers to test out the Steam Controller:
http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/...the_Steam_Controller_Heres_what_they_said.php
The last thing I'm waiting for is whether or not it has an incredible price tag too.
That's not what its about. You can't kb/m from the couch and you can't have a tower case and wireless keyboard and mouse thown on the couch in the living room and have domestic harmony.
At the same time it isn't like Steam coming out with this will stop keyboards and mice everywhere from working, Or force you to tie your pc to your TV if that's not you thing.
That's how you build marketshare. Console players obviously make up the bulk of gaming marketshare (look no further than GTA5 sales), so Valve isn't trying to convert the already converted (PC players) - they're looking to apply the Android effect to the currently vertically oriented and closed console market.
As I was telling my console friend- "the Steambox is, among other things, a console that will play mods. Meaning you could move past your feelings of incredible emptiness when seeing the Skyrim mods at my house and realizing your xbox can't play them."
Except that 99.999% of console only players really dont care.
I think it looks amazing and Kudos to Steam for INNOVATING.
While Sony and Microsoft take the deer in the headlights approach with controller design, Steam came up with something new and I think that is great.
Hopefully it handles as well as it looks.
I think I'll stick with my EEG controller
I'm sure it impresses all the chicks.
Exactly. Valve isn't trying to replace the kn/m for PC gaming. It's just trying to put out something superior to console controllers when used on PC's.Also we all need to keep in mind that this IS NOT going to beat a keyboard / mouse, all it needs to do is beat a xbox / ps3 controller or whatever other controller people are using in living room type conditions'
Yeah, that's a good controller. As are the DualShocks. And, probably, the Steam Controller.
I'm sure it will collect a lot of hate from controller/console fans. Its attempt at differences are a testament that controllers are inferior.
That's the whole point, Valve isn't trying to beat a KB/M.They'd have to do Xbox360 controller vs Steam Controller.
have you tried gaming with a trackball?
I remember having an awesome time in unreal tournament 2003 with the Madcatz Panther XL...
So, how did it feel to be completely destroyed by everyone![]()
Yep, it looks retarded. This is the exact reason why gaming sucks so bad on modern phones. No physical thumb sticks is a big fail. Controller is already bad for most games and this is a complete fail. It might works for some games but as a general purpose controller for all games I just can't see how it can be good.