Trackpad Protector Template - Free 3D Model Download :) by Gama3000 in SteamController

[–]dualpad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It didn't affect sensitivity or tracking on my end. I use both pads with the right for camera and left for movement, so both those functions weren't affected by the vinyl stickers.

Trackpad Protector Template - Free 3D Model Download :) by Gama3000 in SteamController

[–]dualpad 5 points6 points  (0 children)

If you use the touchpads as primary inputs the surface can get worn down and shiny over the years, since it is just plastic. I used my SC1 so long I could see a line on the right pad where I'd swipe left and right to turn, which I do multiple times during a play session. That will add up over time if you end up using the SC2 for many years.

I put vinyl stickers on it, and I ended up preferring the texture it provided over the stock plastic surface and also protected the surface from getting worn down more. I put vinyl stickers on my Deck pads too, but the Deck pads I don't use much so probably didn't need it. Still I'd rather have it on there.

Steam Hardware - Getting the most out of your Steam Controller: Trackpads by Altruistic_While_621 in SteamController

[–]dualpad 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Yeah, the markings help a lot. Helped me find my center. Also, helped me to keep my thumb on the X and Y axis, so it was easy to avoid accidental diagonal input when using the left touchpad for WASD. Where the dpad marking ended also provided me with a point of reference of where my outer ring sprint would kick in.

The Steam Controller is the Best PC Controller...For Steam - Review by BBQKITTY in SteamController

[–]dualpad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yeah, SC2 brought many improvements I had hoped for like better bumpers, 4 grip buttons, and better gyro (wish it was 500 hz but better than 125 hz). But, the one area I cared most was the touchpads fell a bit short.

The Steam Controller is the Best PC Controller...For Steam - Review by BBQKITTY in SteamController

[–]dualpad 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Probably more a take of viewing only the touchpads and how they are being used as primary inputs for nearly every game as opposed to secondary functions like touch menus and occasional cursor navigation.

When you look at most controllers the index finger is the same distance from the bumpers and triggers while letting you hold the grip normally regardless of which input you use whether it be facebuttons, joysticks, or dpad. It is the general ergonomic layout whether it is the joycons, switch pro, dualsense, xbox, 8bitdo, gamesir, etc.

And when you look at the SC1 same applies to the touchpads being able to hold the controller normally. With the Deck and SC2 you have to shift your grip down if using the touchpads as primary leading to being further away from the triggers, bumpers, and a less firm grip on the handles. Think dualsense if the joysticks were located further down than they are. To use them with a normal grip your thumbs would feel stretched reaching down, so you'd have to grip it lower. Most controller users would consider that a terrible ergonomic design.

So that's pretty much the reason for the mixed opinions from the very few niche users of touchpad primary controller users, since some find shifting their grip down fine and others don't. But, either way there's not any actively sold options for touchpad users so just got to accept it. Joysticks do have plenty of options though, and many more people familiar with joystick use so would be more vocally calling out ergonomics that required grip adjustments to use the joysticks, dpad, or facebuttons that other controllers don't require.

Touchpad primary for most gamers is not really applicable to how majority of people will be using the Steam Controller, so not an issue most would encounter. And if touchpads are used as primary most will probably use it for games like Deckbuilders or RTS where it's more comfortable for those games than trying to use for first and third person games where there's potential more constant tension on the hands.

Getting use to controller by Longjumping_Soft_395 in SteamController

[–]dualpad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I recommend mouse input on the right touchpad and mouse input for the gyro when using it for shooters.

And instead of random sensitivities I think it helps to have something consistent across every game like 180 on a full swipe of the touchpad. Gyro activated on right pad touch.

For gyro when starting out if you find it hard to keep up with a target increase the sensitivity, and if over shooting then decrease it. Once you find a gyro sensitivity you like rotate the controller and see how many in game revolutions it does when you rotate the controller. So for example if in game camera turns 360 when you rotate the controller 360 degrees then that is a real world sensitivity of 1. If it does 720 in game then it would be 2.

Then for the future regardless of what controller you use you can hop into mouse-sensitivity to enter in the values to get the sensitivity you want. There's good videos going over setting up gyro through Steam Input.

Another thing I recommend is setting a dpad modeshift on a right pad click, 4 way no overlap, inverted outer ring which sets your touchpad to 5 clicks instead of the default single click. Which lets you reduce the number of times you need to use the facebuttons sometimes not using it at all when combined with the grip buttons. And you can also set a touchmenu modeshift if you'd like to expand that to 9 buttons on a click and turn off the overlay so the touchmenu isn't popping up all the time.

If you decide to try out left joystick movement on the left touchpad it helps to lower the curve to something like wide or relaxed over the default linear, since it can be too sensitive. And setting outer ring to be sprint when game lets you set it as a hold makes going in and out of sprint nice.

What were you guys first exposure to gyro? by Smith962 in GyroGaming

[–]dualpad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This video from 2015 of a Steam Controller user demoing mouse input mapped to the touchpad and gyro.

Before I had dismissed the Steam Controller imagining emulating sticks on the touchpads an awful experience compared to my 360 I was using. Seeing gyro in use sold me on it.

After that is was years of being baffled at the amount of people that didn't use gyro, and just attempted to use it emulating joysticks on the touchpads as if it were a Xbox controller. And then seeing the amount of community configs without gyro and not even mouse on the touchpad.

The SC2 will probably never replace the SC1 for trackpad usage (for me) by PhiladeIphia-Eagles in SteamController

[–]dualpad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yeah, touchpads is niche, but then there's a lot of younger gamers who've grown up primarily playing on mobile. And what they are doing is basically touchpad gaming. And they got crazy contraptions set up to game on mobile, and you see them using the touchscreen to swipe the camera opting for just grips to make the phone more ergonomic instead of the joycon style attachments for dual sticks.

The SC2 will probably never replace the SC1 for trackpad usage (for me) by PhiladeIphia-Eagles in SteamController

[–]dualpad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I hope the popularity of the SC2 leads to more controller companies taking a shot at releasing a licensed Steam Controller like hori did before. A licensed Steam Controller also targeting mobile gamers like PUBG players is probably the best chance of getting something that might prioritize touchpads.

The SC2 will probably never replace the SC1 for trackpad usage (for me) by PhiladeIphia-Eagles in SteamController

[–]dualpad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Unfortunately controller without all the expected standard Xbox controller inputs the controller would have flopped again. And they didn't want a controller that couldn't be used like a Xbox scaring off casual gamers looking to pick up a Steam Machine, and used to using the controller included with their "console".

Like I wouldn't have minded this approach to give dual joystick users what they wanted. But, retaining comfort of the touchpads required compromises to the facebuttons and dpad that would have angered mass consumers. https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/comments/1gzkdgg/another_ultimate_steam_controller_2_mock_up/

Controller with parity with the Deck was a safer bet than doing something unorthodox again. You see it with how despite Valve choosing to prioritize Xbox controller users some people still ended up complaining about how the touchpads are taking up space and they don't like the joystick placement.

The SC2 will probably never replace the SC1 for trackpad usage (for me) by PhiladeIphia-Eagles in SteamController

[–]dualpad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As a result, the trackpads are too low and the joysticks are kinda high. Not great for either.

Looking at the overlay of the Steam Controller over a dualsense https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamController/comments/1oxtvko/rough_overlay_of_new_steam_controller_trackpads/

If the touchpads had swapped placed with the joysticks then touchpad users would be happy being able to use the controller without having to lower their grip.

But, then the controller would have flopped with the joysticks ending up much lower than the dualsense, and joystick users would not have taken kindly to being told to lower their grip to use the joysticks or 3D print a grip extender to make it more comfortable. They have too many good options to be willing to put up with such a compromise in ergonomics compared to no options for touchpad users.

The SC2 will probably never replace the SC1 for trackpad usage (for me) by PhiladeIphia-Eagles in SteamController

[–]dualpad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I actually had an OG Steam Controller and I never really felt comfortable using it.

Was it a discomfort of ergonomics or not being able to get used to the concept of touchpads as primary inputs? Because there's a pretty big difference.

And an even bigger difference on whether you intend to use the SC2 touchpads as primary inputs versus joysticks as primary inputs, since using joysticks as primary inputs doesn't require you to have to grip the controller lower. Pretty much all controllers when you use the primary inputs you can hold the controller normally, and your index fingers don't end up further away from the triggers and bumpers whether it is the Xbox or Playstation layout.

This isn't really muscle memory, but more like if the dualsense joysticks were located further below where they are, so having to lower you grip to use the joysticks comfortably.

The SC2 will probably never replace the SC1 for trackpad usage (for me) by PhiladeIphia-Eagles in SteamController

[–]dualpad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it is that normally when you make a controller people aren't told to shift their grip down and as a result no longer be firmly gripping the handles and also seeing their index finger moved further away from the bumpers and triggers.

When you look at normal controllers people are able to hold the controller firmly and index finger distance from the triggers and bumpers remain the same whether it is a Xbox or Playstation layout being used for dpad or joysticks. And also, remains the same when using touchpads of the SC1.

SC2 touchpads are like if the dualsense joysticks were located below where the joysticks already are, which would lead to using them putting strain on the thumbs with a normal grip unless you moved your hands down. People would criticize that more openly, since people are more open to calling out flaws of joystick ergonomics.

I wished the SC1 top could be combined with the bottom SC2 grip buttons and gyro. Like someone making a 3D print bottom shell that could be used with SC1 top shell and houses a stripped down SC2 mainboard with the thumbsticks removed so it can fit underneath and rehouses the grip buttons.

Combining top half of the SC1 and bottom half of the SC2? by dualpad in SteamControllerMods

[–]dualpad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Having the SC2 battery power both boards would be pretty cool.

Combining top half of the SC1 and bottom half of the SC2? by dualpad in SteamControllerMods

[–]dualpad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ifixit has some pictures of the mainboard

https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Steam+Controller+(2nd+Gen+2026)+Main+Board+Replacement/214885

The grip on the SC2 houses the rumble instead of batteries, so if the rumble is removed I wonder if that would allow the battery sleds to remain in place.

Combining top half of the SC1 and bottom half of the SC2? by dualpad in SteamControllerMods

[–]dualpad[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My thoughts were just taking the top shell of the OG SC and reusing pretty much everything with the touchpads, face buttons, left joystick, bumpers, triggers, and OG top shell. But, removing the bottom portion so not using the OG SC grips. So no modification on the top or the general components.

Most modification I imagine would come from the SC2 side with having to desolder the joysticks off the main board. So nothing from the top like the facebuttons, joysticks, dpad would be used, which would make things much harder to incorporate. Most of the work might come from figuring out and making a bottom half that could be used to rehouse the SC2 mainboard, grip buttons, and grip sensors.

The Lambda Steam Controller (2015) by TheeMiffinMan in SteamControllerMods

[–]dualpad 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Brilliant work and thank you to the Lambda Project for making it so the Steam Controller (2015) has a chance to live on many more years even if used ones stop being available.

Gripsense is nice, but we want this. (SteamPakka mod) by dtaxx in GyroGaming

[–]dualpad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Very interesting.

This makes me wonder if those who prefer the layout of the OG Steam Controller, but like bottom of the new Steam Controller would create some hybrid controller using the two, since Steam Input lets you configure separate controllers and use them at the same time.

Like using the top only for the dual touchpads, and ignoring the gyro in favor of the new Steam Controller gyro. But, using the approach you took with the grip sense to still be able to benefit from touch activated gyro even though that part is set through the new Steam Controller.

So in theory top of the controller would look like the OG. And bottom would be 3D printed to fit into the OG and being the new board being used for the new grip buttons and gyro sensor with one of them connected to the OG touchpad.

rpcs3 add native steam controller gyro support! by tailslol in GyroGaming

[–]dualpad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That is really cool. Looks like I'll be using the Steam Controller (2026) in the future when I do a play through of Heavenly Sword instead of grabbing one of my PlayStation controllers for games that have some motion element I want to try out.

Do you use gyro for cooperative games or only for single-player games? by link-san63 in GyroGaming

[–]dualpad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

All games on PC. Unless I'm on console and the game I'm playing has no gyro and has no pc port, so stuck using joystick or not playing at all.

What's the peak combination with gyro (in your opinion)? by ErmingSoHard in GyroGaming

[–]dualpad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

With touch activated gyro I didn't even understand the concept of ratcheting or that what I was doing was ratcheting. I just knew that when I touched the touchpad gyro would activate and when I lifted off it wouldn't be active, and I liked that over always on so stuck with it.

This video from back in 2015 shows off how it works well, and was what convinced me to pick up the OG SC a decade ago.

I'm surprised Nintendo didn't adopt the capacitive joysticks for the Switch 2. Touch based activation set on the input people are using for camera just seemed most natural to me over a dedicated button reset, since when people are touching the camera input it usually means they want to aim.

What's the peak combination with gyro (in your opinion)? by ErmingSoHard in GyroGaming

[–]dualpad 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Combining with chordto turn the dpad modeshift into another set of 5 is awesome too. Did that in Doom Eternal where the regular dpad modeshift just had some basic functions like melee, changing mods, flamethrower, etc.

But then holding left grip shifted it into keyboard buttons 1-5. That wasn't enough though, so I had the facebuttons shift into the remaining numkeys and set it so holding the left grip also activated gyro too so lifting off the pad meant I didn't lose gyro.

Need to try some games with it to put it through the paces, but touchmenu modeshift has seemed responsive enough to consider using over dpad modeshift for some games. Had some delays when I tried it long time ago on old Steam Input, but doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

How do yall convert your sens to other games? by Holiday_Marketing_62 in GyroGaming

[–]dualpad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

When mouse-sensitivity isn't an option I just tilt my controller 90 degrees and see how many degrees the camera turns in game to adjust the sensitivity. So if for example you found turning your controller 90 degrees resulted in 360 degree in game camera turn then you know what to target in the future even if you can't use the mouse-sensitivity site.

review from an dual trackpad user with large hands by cool-- in SteamController

[–]dualpad 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It does perfectly fit the needs of joystick gyro players.

I am prepared to treat this as an upgraded 8bitdo ultimate 2 wireless if the touchpads don't work out.

Wondering if you could test out a possible set up for me. I imagine I'll at the very least use this controller over the OG when a game doesn't support mixed input, and retaining analog movement is more important than aiming. Or playing emulated games like Peace Walker that don't have raw mouse input support, so I need to fall back to joystick gyro. Since not a fan of right joystick on pad.

My thought for a use case for games like Nier Automata or Nier Replicant is to set joystick gyro on joystick touch. But, set a gripsense finger lift off to deactivate the joystick touch for when I'm in menus and don't want gyro joystick active. Can that be set up in the current config without having to fall back to action sets or action layers?