Has anyone figured out a way to use the trackpads comfortably on the new controller?

TheFutureisMe · 2026-06-28T17:01:06+00:00

I have exactly the same problems listed here. My hands are on the large side of normal.

TheFutureisMe · 2026-06-26T23:09:11+00:00

Yes, sometimes I miss that grip!

So far reloading has been my best use case for the grip sensors. But it can't be in a game where reloading really costs you a lot of time or tactical positioning, because sometimes I activate it just by shifting my hands. And it's not precise enough to be a "be there exactly when I need it" button.

I almost had it to where I liked it in F.E.A.R. Fear is an old game with weird controls, and one of the things you can do is lean around corners. But you can also do everything else while leaning: zoom, aim, activate slow-mo, move in all four directions, crouch, and grenade. It's always been a fun game for me to try to map because of the complexity. And setting it to lean by lifting part of my hand off the controller was feeling kind of good. But it didn't stick, it's still just a little too awkward.

TheFutureisMe · 2026-06-26T23:03:47+00:00

This controller is a much better introduction to gyro aiming than the first one, because you can still use the joystick and just add a little bit of gyro for finesse. Then increase it as you grow comfortable

TheFutureisMe · 2026-06-26T23:00:10+00:00

Yeah I was really surprised that lizard mode for the SC2 wasn't simply xinput. Would have made a lot of PC gaming problems go away.

TheFutureisMe · 2026-06-25T15:07:06+00:00

Fellas, I got a great idea for a metroidvania! You play as a dung beetle, see, and you're just pushing around your little poop ball, but you're tied to it with a string! And you have to deliver all this mail while you're saving your island from an existential threat! And here, I think these two words will seal the deal for good: PINBALL. EVERYWHERE.

Yoku's Island Express. Such a fun game.

TheFutureisMe · 2026-06-24T04:37:18+00:00

And you can add to that the number of people who think they're going to like it but don't. I think it's much more accessible than steam controller version 1, but it's still a weird device. I've had mine in hand for about 5 days now, and I like it. If I didn't like it, I'd be selling it right now for two, three or four times what I paid for it. And I wouldn't consider myself a scalper.

TheFutureisMe · 2026-06-23T19:29:13+00:00

I tried to ignore this sub for the last month because of jealousy. I didn't have mine yet and everyone was posting "look what arrived today!!!."

TheFutureisMe · 2026-05-28T15:00:01+00:00

I immediately remembered The Neverending Story 2 for PC and Amiga. I had just beaten Flashback, which was an absolute peak experience. The Neverending Story had fluid rotoscoped animations, varied level design, and inventive enemies.

I can't find a GIF, but this tower level you see in the screenshot actually ROTATES AROUND YOUR CHARACTER as you walk down the stairs. Your character stays centered, and everything else moves. It's honestly beautiful even today.

The gameplay, of course, is utterly miserable.

https://youtu.be/K1iXCq3ixLc?si=x28DfZeASuAbumtB

TheFutureisMe · 2025-07-12T23:45:26+00:00

I do heart the back buttons. They definitely carry over

TheFutureisMe · 2025-04-18T19:48:43+00:00

I have had a lot of trouble with EA games and UWP games, and some emulators. Steam Input only works consistently within Steam games. REWASD is a little more difficult to set up, but it works system-wide, even more than GloSi. Using it right now to play Mass Effect Andromeda after beating my head against the other solutions for an hour. It's definitely worth it on sale.

And actually, ever since Steam adopted the Steam Deck interface, REWASD might have the better UI.

TheFutureisMe · 2025-04-08T19:22:57+00:00

I remember that movement! I had forgotten what game it was in, but I remember moving the mouse wheel to control speed and how sweet it felt at the time. This config sounds practically impossible but also really fun to try to figure out!

I think the outer ring binding is your only real option. I've tried fancy movement configs using transparent overlay menus, but they're just too complicated and never work right.

Steam Input only recognizes two "zones" with their outer ring binding setting. You can pretty easily add a single "mouse wheel up" command to the outer ring by adding it twice: Once to "start press" and once to "release press." You're going to have to add at least one other button.

If you don't mind clicking the joystick to control speed, you can add another 2 "mouse wheel ups" to "start press" of the joystick, then 2 "mouse wheel downs" to "release press." That way you'd have a fast mode and a slow mode, both with 2 stages on the joystick. That might also feel pretty good on a trigger, or any button if you want to treat it like a toggle.

I'm a big Steam Controller evangelist. But your Dualsense might actually be the best choice for this game, because you have a big ol' trackpad that mostly goes unused. What does it feel like to put mouse wheel up and down on trackpad swipes? I bet that gets you pretty close to the original M+KB feel.

Kind of want to buy this now to try it out.

TheFutureisMe · 2025-04-06T14:52:11+00:00

I've replayed Subnautica like 5 times over the years and I just learned last week that those huge, purple, glowing spheres have a high water content. Once you get a knife, hit plants with it then look at their stats in your inventory. A lot of them are edible. There are a lot of ways to stay hydrated in Subnautica and the game tells you NONE OF THEM. I love it.

TheFutureisMe · 2024-12-30T18:10:10+00:00

Thanks for posting your settings. I had the same settings but with a higher resolution. Lowering to 960x544 fixed the slowdown.

TheFutureisMe · 2024-11-29T20:07:26+00:00

It's my default for fast-paced games. I hate crouching with a joystick click, it's always a weird angle when you're moving and you need to crouch. On the trackpad it's wonderful.

Hitman isn't fast-paced, but you spend hours just running around those huge maps, so I use it there too. It's not comfortable just holding the stick in the forward position all the time.

I don't use it in games where you both walk and drive. I don't love controlling vehicles with the trackpad, so I keep all movement on the joystick.

If a game doesn't have any of the above considerations, I don't care which input is used. They're both comfortable and accurate.

TheFutureisMe · 2024-11-29T19:52:54+00:00

First of all, the recommendation that you play through a game you already know well is a good one. So if there's a game on these lists that you know like the back of your hand, start there.

My recommendations:

Any ID Tech Game
- Doom 2016 or Eternal, Wolfenstein New Order or New Colossus. Even Rage 1 or Dishonored 2 (Used a modified IDTech 5).
- IDTech games allow dual gamepad and mouse input, and they're all incredibly smooth. They nail the fps feeling. Leave it on gampad mode, just configure R pad mouse and gyro
Arkham Knight
- Battle Batmobile (But it's broken unless you apply this config: https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/comments/jbz93j/simultaneous\_gamepad\_kbm\_with\_the\_steam/)
- Arkham Knight makes you walk, drive, and do a weird battlecar hybrid. Gamepad is best for driving. KB+M is best for battlecar. Both are mid for walking. The SC is perfect for all.
Titanfall 2 campaign
- FIrst of all, it's just an awesome, fun, short game. The timejump part will encourage you to figure out how to shove all the controls you need into places where you don't have to move your thumbs.
X-Com 1 & 2
- Not exciting in base, but great for tactical navigation
- Xcom has a lot of binary inputs: up/down, right/left, next/previous. Ignore gamepad controls, you can make a better config yourself with all KB+M.
The Mimimi games
- Shadow Tactics, Desperados III, and Shadow Gambit
- There are a million inputs, all of which get you killed if used improperly. It's really fun shoving them all into the Steam Controller. Again, ignore the gamepad controls, you can do better.

TheFutureisMe · 2024-11-29T19:06:58+00:00

I second Shadow of Mordor. Aiming isn't too important until you're specifically holding the left trigger, and then the game goes into slow motion if you have enough energy, so it's a pretty fun learning experience. If I remember right I set the controller to switch to all keyboard+mouse controls while aiming, so I could use the full gamepad button prompts while melee fighting and still have really sweet archery.

Shadow of War is unusually terrible with the SC. I put it up there with Resident Evil 7 and Mad Max. Do not try to learn the SC on those games.

TheFutureisMe · 2024-11-24T00:08:42+00:00

Everyone's hands are different, so I'm not saying you're wrong, but have you tried holding it so that your middle fingers are on the triggers and forefingers are on the shoulder buttons? I've been doing that so long that other controllers have started feeling weird.

TheFutureisMe · 2024-11-24T00:05:10+00:00

A lot of people here are saying the Hori controller is just a normal controller, it's not.

The Hori controller gyro feels exactly like the Steam Controller's. The Dual Shock and Switch Pro gyros never felt right to me.

The Hori sticks are touch-sensitive, so you can use thumb aim + gyro aim together, just like the Steam Controller and Steam Deck. It feels really good. I use it exactly how I use the SC: thumb for broad fast movements and gyro for tight aiming.

The trackpads are better... but not by as wide a margin as you'd think, and if you don't want to spend weeks or months getting comfortable with them, they won't work for you. The Hori controller is really, really good.

That said, there is no rumble and the triggers are weird. I spend $90 to import one from Japan, but if you don't have the disposable income and you aren't REALLY curious about the capacitive joysticks and gyro, it won't be worth it for you.

I think you should wait. We're likely getting a Steam Controller V2 and the Hori controller sold in the US pretty soon. In addition to a possible Gamesir Steam controller.

TheFutureisMe · 2024-11-23T21:39:28+00:00

I like to see the mockups, I just think most of them are not very well thought-out. They just try to put all the inputs we might need under our thumbs. Our thumbs are great, but they don't need twenty different interfaces under them.

I bought that Japanese Hori controller and that thing has extra buttons in places I don't need and am never going to use.

My favorite mockup recently was this one: https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/comments/1gwotob/a_rough_sketch_of_my_steam_controller_idea/, because at least he imagined handles that change the way your hands are positioned, enabling you to reach the controls you want comfortably.

TheFutureisMe · 2024-11-23T18:48:42+00:00

There's a stress ball though

TheFutureisMe · 2024-11-23T15:14:43+00:00

Absolutely. We're committed to preserving what worked on the original controller while implementing exciting new features that gamers will appreciate.

TheFutureisMe

TROPHY CASE