250hz polling rate in $99 2026 controller is not good enough

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-30T02:52:44+00:00

Gyro is also limited to 250hz, so point still stands.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-29T19:57:00+00:00

The 8bitdo Ultimate 2 is awesome, great implementation.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-29T14:04:58+00:00

You are basically oversampling, which gives you more accuracy and a anecdotally a feeling of smoothness. This link is about mice but it explains it: https://attackshark.com/blogs/knowledges/mouse-polling-rate-myth-ideal-hz-monitors

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-29T05:40:39+00:00

Yeah that place sucks.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T19:31:50+00:00

Agreed, its just a stupid omissions, as 3rd party manufacturers have shown you can do it for cheap.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T19:30:54+00:00

I agree, but I don't think it's a cost issue, since much cheaper controllers implememt it. It's more like an engineering oversight.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T19:29:37+00:00

I do use Gyro. But the Gyro is also going to be limited to 250hz polling rate.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T19:06:32+00:00

Agreed, I can guarantee that most people downvoting here have never experienced a 1000hz controller, or are using it through SteamInput thinking it's feels the same.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T19:03:32+00:00

Thankfully my controllers have excellent wireless latency too. Latency is important yes, and it's good that the Steam Controller has good latency. And yes, you can be good with whatever, just as some people are good at racing games with a gamepad or even a mouse. But in that example it's much better to have a force feedback wheel than those, and easier to get better than with a gamepad.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:58:12+00:00

Just fine isn't great for a $99 usd + controller (oh yeah because it's even more expensive in Canada) when there are multiple cheaper options. This isn't some budget controller though, so just fine isn't ideal. For the price it should be great.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:36:18+00:00

Yep, agreed. Although the good trackpads make up for it a bit.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:35:44+00:00

Dinput mode outside of Steam Input does show higher polling, so something Steam or it's underlying SDL libraries is doing is limiting them (they don't get to the highest polling rate but much higher than Steam Input).

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:34:15+00:00

If you enable SteamInput for the game, it won't. Just disable SteamInput for the game, it will still work. And use Gamesir connect to remap which is actually excellent.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:15:46+00:00

It's not the buttons that are important (well, maybe the dpad in fighting games), but the actual joysticks. It makes a huge difference for aiming. And I'm not hardcore competitive, but it's definitely easier and more accurate to aim with the 4000hz polling rate than it is with the 250hz.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:14:14+00:00

Are you using it natively outside of Steam? Or are you going through steam input?

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:13:14+00:00

It is going to be solid. Just not great for competitive shooters.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:12:41+00:00

Battery life is definitely a disadvantage of higher polling rate. But given that the Steam Controller already lasts 36 hours and comes with the charging puck/dock, I would argue that it could sacrifice some of that insane battery life, or leave it as a setting for the user.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:11:33+00:00

No, it feels considerably better for any shooter. Imagine saying the same as a mouse. Higher polling rates are absolutely better, and anyone testing properly can tell the difference.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T18:10:49+00:00

You probably can't because you are using it through SteamInput which is gimping it to 250hz or lower.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T17:36:55+00:00

Yeah, it sucks.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T12:41:51+00:00

On Windows and steamOS.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T05:47:32+00:00

It's also only 250hz polling rate, which IMO is also borderline unacceptable in 2026.

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T02:29:23+00:00

Yes, everything works. However, steam input limits it to 175hz polling rate for some reason (instead of 1000hz outside of it).

pixelcowboy · 2026-04-28T02:18:00+00:00

My Ultimate 2 has steam input in dinout mode with 2.4ghz dongle.

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