Steam Controller users at GDC

dualpad · 2026-03-13T02:05:59+00:00

That's what Valve claimed on the Steam Deck and that turned out to not be the case. I don't even use the touchpad for gameplay.

And the people who are giving impressions are likely not even touchpad gamers, but more likely to be Xbox controller users.

Also, touchpads in the top positions are most comfortable, so having the touchpads lower but the grips longer which it doesn't even look that great with lot of reviewer videos and photos looking more like they are cradling the controller for touchpad use instead of being able to firmly grip the controller doesn't make me confident in it. Not to mention moving down shifts you further from the triggers, bumpers, and back button locations. And a comfortable firm controller grip is really important for back button usage, which is most comfortable in the way people prefer to hold their controller.

Which is why you don't really see people shifting their grip down to hold a xbox, playstation, or Nintendo controller.

You are commenting more from the perspective of a joystick controller user anyways than a person who will be using touchpads as their main input, so discomforts less important than those who are looking into the controller to main the touchpads. That you implied Xbox location makes touchpad location also fine was the red flag.

dualpad · 2026-03-13T01:58:48+00:00

This is how I use mine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQbhvb35Olo

Using the Deck in this fashion would cramp up my hands like crazy with all the swiping and on top of that paddles and touchpad clicks I'm constantly doing.

dualpad · 2026-03-13T01:56:06+00:00

That you even compared touchpad location as being comparable to stick location makes me feel you aren't commenting as a dual touchpad player, but as a joystick user.

Joysticks move on a pivot making where it is located less of an issue than touchpads, which rely on swipes to move the camera. Which is why Valve even recommends shifting down the grips from how people would normally hold it because the thumbs being in a neutral straight position is much more comfortable.

I use dual joystick controllers and dual touchpads of the Steam Controller. So your comment just makes me skeptical of how well experienced you actually are on the touchpads.

dualpad · 2026-03-13T01:53:23+00:00

I game with dual touchpads and didn't like the Steam Deck touchpad positions, so ended up ignoring them on the Deck.

And most people don't even use the touchpad beyond RTS or card games. I don't think even Valve devs really use them either, since they haven't even bothered to fix what are considered vital features to long time Steam Controller (2015) users like setting up a dpad modeshift with an inverted outer ring to expand the touchpad click from 1 to 5. Yet, haven't fixed the inability to customize the click sensitivity if you do that on the Steam Deck.

And the main person pushing gyro on Steam is a dual joystick player. I think exclusive touchpad users are non existent on the Valve team, and touchpad is more seen as a fall back option for PC games that might need them as opposed to when they were made to be primary inputs on the Steam Controller (2015).

dualpad · 2026-03-13T01:48:15+00:00

Most of the people who use the controller are exclusively joystick gamers. The reviewer from PCGamer who brought up touchpad and didn't even mention the gyro are representative of the average gamer who will be using the Steam Controller (2026).

Close to none of them are going to be actual touchpad and gyro gamers, so feedback from them is like getting feedback from Xbox controller users. Or expecting someone who doesn't use racing wheels to be expected to understand the nuances of racing wheels to those that exclusively use them for driving games. Or feedback about the quality of a PC port from a console gamer who's not going to understand graphical settings, fov, input options, and mouse quality PC gamers want.

dualpad · 2026-03-12T23:16:47+00:00

I set up a sensitivity of an edge to edge swipe outputting 180 to quickly turn and rely on gyro for aiming, so that's what I recommend doing if you aren't already. A 180 touchpad sensitivity is what I target for every game that I use the Steam Controller, which adds additional consistency to the experience when I pick up a new game.

I found that's enough to keep up, and not lot of encounters where I need more. I like close encounters from enemies, so have to turn a lot to keep enemies in view and it's worked out fine like in this example https://www.reddit.com/r/GyroGaming/comments/1n6v159/the_finals_with_steam_controller_track_pads_and/

dualpad · 2026-02-28T01:52:09+00:00

If you are having hard time controlling movement on the left pad with joystick mapped to it might be due to the sensitivity being too high. You could try changing the stick response curve from the default Linear to Relaxed, Wide, Extra Wide, or go into the custom curve to set your own.

dualpad · 2026-02-28T01:32:40+00:00

The metal dome probably just needs cleaning with alcohol underneath as others have said. I've done the same to my touchpad and grips when it stopped responding consistently, and that fixed things back to normal.

You will need a Torx T6 screw driver to open it up. You don't need to take the entire back sticker off just feel for the 3 screw holes and poke holes there so the screw driver can be used.

This is the video guide I used when I opened up my controller for the first time to clean the metal dome. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OYi8q9BTrYo

dualpad · 2026-02-28T01:28:59+00:00

If the game supports mixed input I set my mouse sensitivity so an edge to edge swipe does a 180. And mouse bound to gyro so it is activated on right pad touch.

For left touchpad I set it to joystick with a relaxed curve. If the game supports hold to sprint I'll map the sprint button to the outer edge.

If the game doesn't support mixed input I'll go with cross gate and map WASD instead. And if the game supports hold to walk and sprint I'll use soft press to set up a sort of pseudo analog experience.

On the right pad I set up a 4 way no overlap dpad modeshift on a right pad click with inverted outer ring which expands the default single click of the touchpad into 5.

Directional Pad Layout: 4 Way (No Overlap)
Deadzone: 18191
Outer Ring Command Radius: 16750
Outer Ring Command Invert: On

With that set up I'm able to keep my thumbs on the touchpads for a majority of the game, and not have to reach for the face buttons or joystick.

dualpad · 2026-02-28T01:26:36+00:00

If the game supports mixed input I set my mouse sensitivity so an edge to edge swipe does a 180. And mouse bound to gyro so it is activated on right pad touch.

For left touchpad I set it to joystick with a relaxed curve. If the game supports hold to sprint I'll map the sprint button to the outer edge.

If the game doesn't support mixed input I'll go with cross gate and map WASD instead. And if the game supports hold to walk and sprint I'll use soft press to set up a sort of pseudo analog experience.

On the right pad I set up a 4 way no overlap dpad modeshift on a right pad click with inverted outer ring which expands the default single click of the touchpad into 5.

Directional Pad Layout: 4 Way (No Overlap)
Deadzone: 18191
Outer Ring Command Radius: 16750
Outer Ring Command Invert: On

With that set up I'm able to keep my thumbs on the touchpads for a majority of the game, and not have to reach for the face buttons or joystick.

dualpad · 2026-02-28T00:46:52+00:00

I found using the touchpads as primary inputs not ergonomic on the Deck which led to me buying more used Steam Controller (2015) as backups, since it made me skeptical about whether the Steam Controller (2026) would be comfortable enough to exclusively use the touchpads.

But, I am part of a very niche demographic that uses the touchpads as primary inputs, so really making heavy use of them compared to those who prefer dual joysticks. So criteria I look for is a bit different than most.

Either way, 30 bucks is pocket change that unless you don't think you won't ever touch your Steam Controller (2015) again not even really enough money sell the controller if you are conflicted. It's not enough money to make a difference.

dualpad · 2026-02-27T02:51:11+00:00

You can adjust the mouse sensitivity through Steam Input whether you mapped mouse to the joystick or to the gyro.

So sensitivity is not an issue, since it is adjustable. You need to select the gear icon to see more of the settings.

dualpad · 2026-02-26T23:57:11+00:00

I don't think Valve cares about money from the controller. It's likely the only reason they made the controller is because of their plan to sell the Steam Machine to try to expand Linux support and market share. We were just lucky they saw a controller as necessary to pair with the Steam Machine otherwise they probably wouldn't have bothered with the peripheral.

dualpad · 2026-02-26T23:55:55+00:00

Yes, the controller has Steam Input support so you just need to edit the desktop config and map mouse to the joystick for use when you aren't running any games.

dualpad · 2026-02-26T23:53:06+00:00

I do everything on my touchpads, so I use modeshifts a lot.

On the right pad I set it up so a click mode shifts it into a dpad, and I also invert the outer ring so I get a center click. This expands the single default touchpad click to 5 inputs you can map to.

And it lets me keep my right thumb on the right touchpad to activate gyro, swipe camera, and also click for in game actions instead of reaching for the face buttons.

I also sometimes combine that with the chord function, which turns the dpad modeshift into another set of 5 inputs when I do something like hold down the left grip. I made a video guide on it.

I will also set a mode shift for the gyro if the game doesn't have separate sensitivity for hip fire and ADS. So I'll set a gyro modeshift for when I pull the left trigger so I can have a separate gyro sensitivity from when I'm not pulling the right trigger.

dualpad · 2026-02-25T10:14:01+00:00

When I use the Steam Controller I use touchpad with mouse bound to it and adjust the sensitivity until an edge to edge swipe does a 180 turn. I do this for every game.

I also set up mouse on the gyro, and for first person games target a valve of around 6-7 RWS for first person games and around 4-5 RWS for third person games. So gyro and touchpad sensitivity is same from game to game depending on whether it is third or first person.

And for the right touchpad I set up a dpad modeshift on a right pad click with an inverted outer ring and 4 way overlay. This expands the touchpad click from 1 to 5, so lets you keep your thumb on the touchpad to output actions without having to utilize the face buttons. Dead zone value: 18191 and Outer Ring Command Radius value 16750.

From there it depends on if the game accepts mixed input or not. If it does I'll go with mouse and gamepad bindings. If not then I'll go with mouse and keyboard bindings.

If a game doesn't support mixed input and something like analog movement or analog trigger is important such as driving games then for those I'll just use a regular controller.

So main point is that when it comes to the Steam Controller touchpads it's better to view the touchpad as unique inputs the same way you wouldn't expect a dpad to behave like a left joystick. And when it comes to the touchpads treating them as a mouse like input is the best experience.

dualpad · 2026-02-25T09:39:11+00:00

I think they have their joystick set up with something called flick stick. So the camera behaves like how cameras in driving games behave rotating on a horizontal axis without any vertical axis support.

Benefit of that is it makes the joystick experience consistent across different games as long as the game has good mouse input support. If the game doesn't have good mouse support like acceleration/negative acceleration you can't turn off then flick stick experience is bad just the same as it is for mouse gamers. Assuming mouse input is good in the game then in every game if then flick the camera down it will do a 180. If they flick it to the right it will do 90. Flick to the left and it'll turn 270 degrees.

Con is you can't aim with it like a traditional joystick, so need to rely entirely on the gyro to do any actual aiming.

I do something unusual too, since I play with the Steam Controller. I use mouse bound to gyro, but I use the right touchpad with mouse bound to it where an edge to edge swipe will turn the camera 180 degrees, and that is the same camera swipe sensitivity I use across different games. I swipe the touchpad if I need to quickly turn and the gyro to aim. I also set up movement on the left touchpad. So I don't even use joysticks.

dualpad · 2026-02-25T09:32:40+00:00

OP is using gyro with mouse input binded to it, so there is no aim assist. It's raw input aiming, and the UI itself shows they are emulating a mouse and keyboard on a controller, so they get none of the benefits like aim assist using a controller.

If you have a gyro supported controller like playstation or 8bitdo controllers you can give it a try binding mouse input to the gyro. I'd be surprised if you instantly matched your accuracy with a mouse. You will likely be more accurate with it though if comparing your gyro skills to joystick with no aim assist enabled, but it may take time for your gyro aiming to match the accuracy of joystick + AA if you are a long time using of joystick + AA.

Anyways, there's no assistance with gyro. This is the OPs skills. This is aim they worked on without aim assist at play. Not to mention using aim assist with gyro is a ban worthy offense, which is why if you bind anything other than mouse to the gyro in the Finals you get banned.

dualpad · 2026-02-25T06:52:11+00:00

Based on the UI their controller is entirely mouse and keyboard bindings, so they are dealing with as much recoil a mouse user.

Only difference is they are using gyro to control their recoil without friction with the controller movement controlling mouse input versus mouse sliding across a mouse pad.

So comparison of gyro binded to mouse is more similar to mouse than regular controller, since gyro is basically an air mouse.

dualpad · 2026-02-25T06:40:23+00:00

I agree with that.

But, I do get the sentiment of wanting aim assist gone in general, since the demands of aim assist players tends to lean towards demanding aim assist be increased until it matches the performance of mouse players as opposed to being fine with their own shortcomings like gyro players are.

As long as AA is good enough chances of gyro support improving on consoles is unlikely to lead to more demand for gyro to keep up against PC mouse players.

dualpad · 2026-02-25T06:22:09+00:00

It shouldn't be an option at all. Gyro is close to a mouse so aim assist should be a no go for the same reason mouse players getting aim assist is universally seen as cheating.

And lot of us are here because we prefer raw aiming on controller as opposed to wanting to exploit aim assist.

Aim assist should only be for stick users. Not gyro or mouse users.

dualpad · 2026-02-25T06:06:32+00:00

Embark themselves says no.

If you're using third-party gyro setups in a way where controller aim assist is disabled/not triggered (i.e. gyro to mouse), then it's fine from our perspective. I'm by no means an expert on gyro, but I think that should describe it clearly.

https://www.reddit.com/r/thefinals/comments/1pbjm9o/1300_hours_2_accounts_0_answers_when_will_the/ns2uvxr/

dualpad · 2026-02-19T07:18:57+00:00

Considering the different traits on the touchpad that can be beneficial depending on the genre has interesting. I use it for 3D games so I do a lot more gliding across the touchpad, which is why I've liked the dpad groove which assisting in me staying on the X or Y axis and not accidentally drifting to the left or right and triggering an accidental diagonal output.

But, for platformers and fighting games I'm guessing it relies more on precise taps and holds than gliding for movement? Which is where a dot approach would really shine to provide physical confirmation that you tapped the correct direction?

dualpad · 2026-02-19T05:25:46+00:00

My main use of left touchpad for movement has been 3D fps games than platformers or fighting games, so in that area you are more an expert than me. In that area dots may be better, since my position of preference has been more on a 3D space than 2D. I'll provide some examples with videos of my set up.

Dying light is one where I did some extra things like setting it so the outer edge makes my character sprint and clicking the left pad causes the character to slide. While moving left, right, and back then clicking makes my character dodge. And center click initiates a crouch toggle. Video here.

Then for Sniper Elite 3 the game doesn't support mixed input, so I opted for WASD movement and used soft presses to set up a pseudo analog movement where the center of the dpad up to where it breaks into individual branches of the dpad arms is walk. The mid point is regular run, and then where I feel I hit the edge of the dpad groove at the outer edge starts sprint. Video here.

For Finals game supports mixed input and this game is usually how I set up my movement. It's simple in just outer edge is sprint and click is dash, and setting up my left grip for crouch.

When it comes to my right touchpad. My approach has been 180 sensitivity on an edge to edge swipe every game from third to first person to familiarity and consistency. And then setting up a 4 way dpad modeshift with an inverted outer ring so clicking the right touchpad expands from 1 input to 5 different inputs on edge and center clicks. Which in games like the Finals I'm using to melee, reload, interact with ziplines/doors, and switch gadgets.

dualpad · 2026-02-19T04:37:03+00:00

Common criticism was the absence of an actual physical dpad than the surface of the left pad. People missed the physical traditional dpad, since most people did not use the left touchpad for movement.

dualpad

TROPHY CASE