This is a well-timed video, as I purchased and received both of these controllers last week (mine is wireless though, not wired). Bellow I would like to share some info that might be useful for people considering buying the Shotpad. The shotpad has 3 brand names: - DarkWalker Shotpad - IFYOO GTP01 - IINE Mouse-Pad Pro Controller (I bought this for 35€ at AliExpress... And a few days later, I found it was 32€ from the same seller). The DarkWalker/IFYOO/IINE is just a keyboard (with less keys) & mouse/trackpad combo in a gamepad shell. I bought it as an alternative to my Steam Controller for games like Horizon: Zero Dawn and God of War (2018) that don't accept mixed inputs (gamepad and mouse at the same time). I want mouse-like precision while playing with a controller on my living room couch, but I really don't like to have an in-game button icons showing keyboard buttons when I have a Xbox type of controller on my hands. So if I'm going to have keyboard button icons, I want keyboard keys on my hand and the IINE does that. One thing that I can't avoid to notice is that the wired version looks like a commercialised prototype. First, no gyroscope for a controller clearly aimed at FPS/TPS games? Second, what is the purpose of those 4 leds at the left of the trackpad?? On the wireless version with the gyroscope, each of these leds have a function and icons near them to indicate what they represent. From top to bottom: Battery, Gyro, Roll and Yaw. None of this makes sense in the wired version. So unless you really hate FPS/TPS games and just want to play keyboard & mouse strategy games, buy the wireless version. Also, in the wireless version, you can adjust the sensitivity of both the trackpad and gyroscope separately in 6 preset levels. From levels 4, 5 and 6, you also have mouse acceleration. The Gyro has 3 modes: Manual (only while holding one or more buttons of your choice), Classic (always on) and deactivated. In order to use the manual mode, you need to set one or more buttons that the manual call as "Action button" and this can be any button except the Fn (Function) button. I don't remember from the top of my head if you can chose trackpad click as an Action button, but you can't chose trackpad touch as you can with the Steam Controller. That was a long text. If someone has any question, let me know.
Definitely agree about the wired ShotPad feeling like a prototype. The four LEDs were clearly visible in the store page when I bought it so I assumed they would be used for some kind of status display, but they don't serve any purpose on the wired version. They do glow every so slightly when plugged in, but obviously in that case the only status they're indicating is that the device is plugged in, but the lights are so faint it just looks like ambient light reflecting off them, not that they're actually emitting light. So it's a clear example where they had a shell for the device already manufactured and then just cut out the gyroscope and battery to sell it at a cheaper price, then seemingly heard feedback from people complaining about the position of the Function key and swapped it with the Alt key, but then also took away the Y key to make THAT the settings key. That one really bothers me on the wireless one, because I actually use that Y key a lot on the wired Shotpad, so it sucks to lose an input in a good position, and it concerns me to have a settings button mixed in with regular gameplay buttons. Like, they really should've made an all-new button somewhere in an out-of-the-way position for the settings options. And not having a way to adjust the trackpad sensitivity on the wired version (which is included in the wireless version) is a serious design flaw.
@@TheNocturnalRambler I wasn't aware that there was an Y key present in the wired version that was left outside of the wireless version. That's a bad move. The Shotpad is a good product, but I still see some room for improvement: - Why not 6 face buttons instead of just 4? Just move the mouse scroll slight to the left and add 2 more buttons to the left side of the buttons C and V - Additional Fn activated inputs for the face buttons and the yellow buttons at the right side; that would add at least 7 extra keys. - A smaller trackpad could allow additional buttons to it's left side. Those buttons could be F1-F6 and F7-F12 if holding the Function button. - A second trigger buttons at the right (and both triggers would act like Left and Right Mouse click). - A second shoulder button at the left side as well. - Maybe a fourth or even a fifth button at the right side. - Touchpad touch could also be programmable to activate the gyroscope, just like the other buttons (Personally I'm fine doing that with left and/or right mouse button click, but I've seen people asking for that) These are just a few ideas to reduce the gap between the number of buttons available from a real keyboard.
Hello, I have the steam controller but if it's not a steam game I can't use it... I have games that I download from the internet and I would like to use the steam controller but it doesn't detect them.. :( Is there a way? If there isn't, I will buy the other controller too
Personally I bought a PS5 controller to use for my pc because it's the only controller I could find that has both analog triggers and a gyro that can be used at the same time (I was going to get an 8bitdo controller but I found out you can only use the analog triggers in Xbox mode and the gyro in switch pro controller mode) and a bonus is that the PS5 controller has a track pad too which makes it extremely similar to steam deck controls when configured. The only problem is that when not using steam input you need 3rd party software like DS4PC to translate your input to xinput, but that's not too big of a deal
@@GreatMossWater You can buy a prebuilt controller back, with buttons or paddles preinstalled. The only problem is, the back buttons are remapped to any of your existing buttons. If you don't want to open your Controller, there is also the DualSense Edge, but a bit pricey ... DualSense is hands down the best first party controller. I love Gyro now. Really cool for shooters or emulation.
THIS is how you review the Steam Controller!!! I have been using the SC for a couple of years now, but I enjoy watching and critiquing how new users try it out. Most of the newer reviewers out there just download community configs and complain about how choppy the input feels, so I’m glad you actually took the time to make your own configs and explore what Steam Input has to offer.
@@proxyhx2075yeah, the ppl who never tried it out are missing out. you can play pretty much any game since you can map all buttons to any kb&m button, or something like play/pause, volume up/down, etc.
For the Steam controller I usually just add gyro (always on) + right trackpad for mouse and then have the rest basically the same as normal controllers. Though I really only use it for shooters and fps games. Aiming's great though. I do think the Steam Controller has a few design issues though. I know you can map tons of stuff to a Steam controller like macros, combinations, changing functions, etc... but that gets a little too complex and time consuming for me. I do sometimes add a little function here or there depending on the game. One downside is games that don't support simultameous m+k and controller usage. Rather than minor adjustments, I'll either need to download a user made config and change from there or fully map all m+k functions to the controller. Even big games like Halo don't support it. Honestly though, I feel like Microsoft is probably the biggest company that seems to be against gyro support for games. The Xbox Series X controller is amazing and has a superb Dpad, but there's no gyro support at all.
i also have 2 steam controllers. but i use comunitty layouts as a template. to get the most out of a steamcontroller you have to start with a commuinity layout and you need to leanr how to adjust or make your own configs. it takes a while to learn how to use every remapping featur. but theire are enough video''s to figure it out. once you learn what layers and button activators like double press and start press do. once you know these things you can easily switch to other input mappers like rewasd or switch to a different controller like the dualsense edge. there is another controller that can be used on xbox (with mouse gyro), called the alpakka. It also only works on games that have keyboard and mouse controls. this controller can only use gyro ratcheting as a camera control method. Ratcheting is when you move the controller to move the camera and then pauze the gyro to reset your hand position. just like picking up a mouse from the gamepad. or you can use the button to activate gyro on touch. both ways are fine. i also have the shotpad wireless. but i dont get is why they dont over a mode on pc where it will be detected as its own controller instead of a keyboard and mouse. If they did that then you could easily remap the controller better by also offering software that just maps mouse to the gyro. i fully understand that x input does not support gyro. that is why 3rd party controllers for playstation and switch are limited to a switch pro or ps4 controller output. so 3rd party controller that have back buttons are limited to only being able to remap copies of already existing inputs. ibut theire are controller like the beiton zeus 2 that have seperate software to map the mouse to the gyro. so you can fully remap the controller and have mouse like gyro on pc. (just like the steam controller). honestly they could have alll the functionality of a steamcontroller if they just added remapping software and a different mode for pc. missed uportunity i guess.
I think that the problem with Steam Controller (and in fact similar purpose devices) is despite all their functions being undoubtedly great, they go against what most people expect from controllers in comparison to keyboards - accessibility. Casual gamer expects controller to be plug&play, and as you stated, one needs to be a dedicated player in order to apreciate the layers of complexity of such controllers.
Well... That is true to a certain point, as Steam Input being like a tool box really requires time and effort to learn how to use it, something that many players don't want. However, the fact that players can share controller layouts to the community is already enough to justify a Steam Controller even for those who don't want to learn anything about how to create controller layouts.
Carlos already touched on an important subject, which is that the Steam Controller can be relatively straightforward to use by selecting pre-made layouts that function exactly like a regular controller, but with simply swapping out the right joystick for the trackpad, and maybe adding some extra functions onto the back buttons. I for one had a much easier time adapting to the Steam Controller than I did the ShotPad -- it was just all the time spent digging into the configuration settings to make a more advanced layout that did all the little things I wanted it to (and figuring out how to do it all just right, in some cases) that took the extra time and effort. Whereas on the ShotPad I had to develop more muscle-memory to get used to the different button layout, and still had to remap a lot of the in-game settings to put things in more sensible positions. The big issue I would guess is that most people are just accustomed to one particular type of input device, and they've gotten so used to it that they see no reason to branch out and try different things. I question how many console gamers actually care about having mouse-like aiming in a gamepad, for instance, if they've spent the last 20-30 years gaming on a thumbstick and feel perfectly content with that, which means I don't see the ShotPad appealing to very many console gamers at all. I was admittedly the same way when the Steam Controller came out: "I already have an Xbox controller, and I already have a keyboard and mouse, do I really need another controller to do what I can already do on either one of those?" I severely underestimated it, and judged that it wasn't worth the $50 or whatever it cost when it was new, and then was out of the loop when they went on that $5 clearance sale and missed the boat. But having actually tried it now, sporadically over the last year, it's been a literal game-changer.
I still tune the Steam Deck controls appropriate to the game, and having dual touchpads in addition to gamepad is by far the most versatile but not for the feint of heart.
I completely agree with your review, but I have to say one thing: the Shotpad (or, in my case, the IINE Game Pad) is a dream come true for playing Tabletop Simulator in specific. I can’t imagine it being more than an ok controller for action games, but for TTS is shines bright as heck. And I haven’t tested it much yet with anything else, but I can imagine it being pretty great for any sort of game where you’re actually controlling a cursor instead of a character - so, stuff like Civ, or RTSs. So, yeah, the Steam Controller (or, better yet, the Steam Deck) is much better in an overall sense. But I would still highly recommend the IINE for people whose bread and butter games are non-action games with cursor control and lots of keyboard-activated stuff.
The reason the shot pad doesn’t use an axis for controls such as WASD is because certain games won’t let you switch dynamically between a controller and a keyboard and will be hard set to whatever device you used when starting the game. It isn’t necessarily a downside, it’s a workaround so that the controller still functions correctly in games.
The trackpad on the shotpad feels like the people who made it clearly never used touch input in their lives. The thing sucks to use in a way that makes it hard to understand how a human received an income to bring it into the world.
But why ? Is it because of the material or because of the shape ? Because if you're talking about the shape I actually understand why they did that, they probably just tried to recreate the feeling of a phone before it's the main device you'll use a touch input on. And as a mobile player, it doesn't look that bad.
@@Cobra_08YT ngl I was gonna type a whole rant but nah. Just know it’s not the shape of the controller. The input isn’t calibrated intuitively and it shows a distinct lack in the field experience of the people involved
@@micah4539I wonder if there’s any difference in the quality of the trackpad between the wired and wireless versions? I just got the wireless and while it definitely doesn’t feel great (especially for me, considering I’m used to the absurdly fantastic Apple trackpads), it also doesn’t feel anywhere near rage-inducing for me. There’s a distinct lack of smoothness to the movement, and I can definitely see the cursor just kinda jaggedly jumping around when I’m moving it either too fast or too slow. But it always goes where it needs to go in the time I expected it to do it. It’s serviceable. It’s even, I would say, good enough.
I own the shotpad. One of the biggest issues with both of these that I believe the trackpad should be in the same position as the joystick a traditional controller and extended to the right of the controller as much as possible. So disappointing to see these companies come this close to greatness and fail. I'm a mobile game and turned pc gamer so I know what i am taking about, I got the controller thinking it could replicate the feeling of gaming on a mobile device.
im sad that my steam controller will eventually succumb to old age. been scared of using it to much and no controller deserves to go unused. hope steam realizes how great it was and i REALLY hope more companies try to pick up the mantle
I would love to see more trackpad controller options out there. It really is the best of both worlds (in my opinion). I have the IFYOO wireless, and I have to say, the gyro is a killer feature. It’s my go-to controller. I’m also a reWASD user. reWASD recognizes the controller and from there, the customizations are practically unlimited. Best $60 I’ve ever spent on a gaming accessory.
@@taimaishu99 Dual-stage triggers are a feature that was pretty much exclusive to the Gamecube before the Steam Controller was released. While third party Gamecube-shaped usb controllers will almost certainly have them have them, the Steam Controller has a lot more utility for other games too. At least, I think that's the thought process.
@@gplasticyou're not understanding what a dual stage trigger offers - at the bottom of the trigger stroke you can have it activate a completely different button, that's why it's considered to have two stages - it can activate not only one axis of movement (what you refer to as analog triggers is actually an axis of movement) but also a completely separate switch.
Years ago, the steam controller looked so strange to me. I've been a big fan of gyro ever since the first Splatoon introduced it to me, but I could not get behind the track pads on the SC. Now, I wish I'd purchased a pair of them. It's exactly what I want out of a controller for any shooter.
Subscribed as soon as I saw you pull out the Elecom Deft Pro! Always good to see more fellow trackball gamers! Im currently still driving the GameBall as my daily, with a Nulea M505 between my HTPC and my Steam Deck when used docked for some work.
14:47 Oh wait, that's me. Feels strange to bump into that after clicking on a RUclips thumbnail of some weirdass controller, but I guess it's a small community of enthusiasts after all. People, please make use of haptic feedback! You can even set haptic feedback to fire even on empty events, purely so that when you go to pull an analog trigger the user can tell exactly when game input was being sent. And use varied strengths - low for trackpad "friction" emulation, medium for gyro "friction" emulation (makes gyro aiming feel less "floaty" and easier to sense), and the reserve high for things like the analog triggers. Stronger inputs override weaker inputs, so this lets you feel the rarest input (triggers) without it being overwhelmed by the gyro aiming (second most common and what is more likely to be activated by mistake) and most common (trackpad, of course). The trackpads' vibrations provide *all* the haptic feedback on both the Steam Controller and the Steam Deck so you really only have vibration strength to work with to differentiate these. The ShotPad is definitely a letdown, but the general shape of it makes me wish we could get third party controllers to have the SC's level of input customization through Steam Input. If it were not for the software limitations, that sorta tablet shape of it seems like it might have potential. Maybe the trackpad's ultimately too big, with most of its space ultimately going to waste where your thumb won't realistically be reaching, but how I wish someone would commit this hard to a trackpad controller again. I'm not as sold on the left trackpad for movement in games as other notable SC config makers so I'm actually fine with that really lopsided, asymmetrical design, but like shrink that trackpad a bit and offer more face buttons and possibly a joystick in a less-dominant position for compatibility reasons and I might be sold. Like, we don't necessarily *need* that gap between the two handles if our fingers are resting properly on the back buttons - use that extra space like on this controller to throw in a joystick or extra buttons where it's maybe not where you'd want to go in the middle of the action but where you could reach to deal with games or menus or whatever that really *assume* a joystick is there and maintain parity with the Steam Deck.
Fantastic video. Honestly wish there was a new contrlller with the extra features of the Steam Deck's controls for PC, and with the adaptive triggers of the PS5 controller.
I do enjoy using the Steam Controller, it's really only the lack of a proper DPad that makes it unsuitable as a general purpose controller for everything. I just can't adjust to playing platformers or other 2D games with that enormous trackpad. The right trackpad is a superior replacement to an analog stick in all cases, so I've never felt a lack of anything on that side. Would love it if we could get a Steam Controller 2 - add the DPad, go from a rear paddle to 4 rear buttons, and update to USB-C from micro-USB. I'd be happy with that. I would not want something that just detached the Steam Deck controls from the screen and stuck then together to make a standalone controller. All the inputs would be great, but at minimum they would need some rearrangement to make the trackpads usable again. I don't like how they are smaller and square, but I could deal with that. I can't deal with the current positioning - I'd have to break my thumbs to reach them as they are now, and thus they are never used on the Deck.
For me all they had to do was use a d-pad instead of a joystick And that would have been the perfect controller for me As I use the left trackpad for movement anyway I just struggle like you to use it in 2D side scrollers
I mean, just use a different controller for platformers if you want a normal dpad. Steam input let's you do whatever with the left track pad. You don't need to do press clicks for it to function as a directional pad.
Pretty cool. Never got much time on the SC back when it was in production, but I can see how all that R&D work went directly into the SteamDeck. SD trackpads shocked me with how well they functioned as a mouse and when combined with gyro for fine aiming I was up to about 90% of what I could do with KBM with a few hours of practice, a huge leap up from analog stick aiming where I was maybe 50-60% of KBM. I'm hoping they'll dial in the haptics for SD2 even better, who knows, maybe they'll come back around from all their SD research and release a new SC.
The Uniplay U6 wireless controller also has a touchpad, and full keyboard, and both analog sticks, psp style. Used to be on amazon. Also, dualshock 4 and dual sense playstation controllers both have a touchpad and gyro sensors and now have official PC support and drivers.
I just use my SCs as a make-shift HTPC input when I run a long HDMI cable out of the computer room into the living room. Really handy for that, no doubt. I've come away from using them as actual controllers for games, though. The time investment in getting controls setup right, plus the sort of terrible ergonomics of the controller/tiny face buttons/lack of second analog stick, etc. just makes using a PS5/Xbox controller a better time. I did enjoy trying to get good at CSGO with the SC once upon a time, and I was floored with how well it went/how quickly I was learning it, and actually getting sort of good with it.
I've used the Steam controller for quite a while, and I think the biggest challenge touchpad controllers have to solve is the contact / release jitter, the seemingly inevitable and uncontrollable input when you put your finger on and release your finger from the pad. It kind of forces you to keep your finger on the pad as long as possible when you need precision, which is undesirable, because you need to access other buttons, and the action of contacting the touchpad can also be mapped to a useful input (such as slowing down gyro aiming). You kind of have to be able to detect or even predict touching / releasing of the touchpad without intention of directional input.
I wish steam decks right track pad was about double the size so I could really have the mouse precision and a good 180° of movement. I know not practical if if we want to keep all of the buttons, but if steam deck has swappable controllers I'd keep a large track pad spare in my case for fps games. As it is I keep a numpad, mouse and kickstand at my desk for lunch time gaming sessions.
I'm still sad we never got an updated Steam controller. It's my favourite controller of all time but it did have a few issues, mostly how loud some of the buttons are and some being too stiff and hard to press. But the trackpads were so damn good when used correctly, best of both worlds.
I don't play FPS games. I mainly got the Darkwalker Shotpad for older PC games that don't support controllers like Vampire the Masquerade, which works fine for me.
I have both and agree with everything you said Also figuring out how to customize the Steam controller carries over to the Steam Deck And things like motion aiming and back buttons spoil you, to the point where you get annoyed that consoles lack this stuff
yeah. To this day, i dont undestand why the playstation and xbox controllers doesnt have back buttons. The switch at least has gyroscope, witch is nice...
@@gabrielnovaes7306 The Playstation has had gyro since the PS3's Sixaxis controller, it's just that games tend not to use it. My theory is that it's because the majority of popular shooters are cross-platform with XBox, which doesn't have the gyroscopes in their controllers. After Breath of the Wild brought gyro-aim to the mainstream on the Switch, Horizon Forbidden West included gyro-aim on PS5.
At this point it’s just Microsoft holding back the mainstream adoption of motion aiming. It’s unfathomable that not even their “Elite” Xbox controllers have any sort of motion sensors.
So I’ve owned both wired and wireless shot-pads. The difference being they swap the alt and fn buttons around. And the wireless has a built in gyro functionality with sensitivity controls. I like the wireless more for using it as the main aiming device. The gyro really helps with sniping and the finer mouse movement if you can get the learning curve down. The wired is better for a half controller half mouse imo because all fingers get a button to press as a command. I do wish that they would swap the mouse button click to the “E” position as that puts your had in a more optimal position to aim. The great thing is that your pc sees it as a keyboard so its easy to rebind the keys to whatever you want. I have totally rebound the buttons to be more like a standard controller layout. Overall I like it a lot and play helldivers 2 with it.
@@IceSik_ill its definitely a learning curve but I played thru read dead 2 recently and had to turn the gyro off for that game. I played a lot of Hell divers 2 as well. The best tip I can give you is try to make your thumb into a point. I think its worth the sale and has been responsive enough for me.
as someone who does actually play on half controller half mmo mouse the shot pad would appeal to me alot, however the lack of analog inputs kills it for me (all that grip stuff you said reminds me of the 3ds 😂). maybe one day there will be an all-in-one device that has both analog and keyboard inputs, or games actually start to accept inputs of both forms instead of either denying one or anxiously flickering between the two
It's great to see the Steam Controller getting some love in 2024. I still use mine that I got back in the day. The back bumpers have gone a bit dodgy but otherwise it works great and I agree with everything you say about it here. Also give the cat a fluffle from me.
Bumpers are a real Steam controller disease. On my steampad the left bumper broke back in 2016 and the right one this year. Fortunately, the repair is quite simple.
shotpad's greatest ability - photoshop/toonboom hotkeys. Its a total game changer. Though one of the shoulder buttons needs to be re-wired to a button instead of left mouse click to get the maximum effect
I got this (GTP01) because I'm getting RSI or arthritis in my trigger finger. Switching M1 to the left is a god send. I didn't buy it to replace my mouse, but to radically reduce the number of clicks I send through my index/trigger finger. I'm still learning, but it's a really high quality device and works very well. I'm liking it as a controller option. I might have to get the wireless option since the moving function key to the rear will make a big difference. I can see you getting really fast with that setup.
I'm also a full-time trackballer, my weapon of choice is the Elecom HUGE, Steam Deck/Controller pads or an M570 when I don't feel like using my laptop's pad. The Shotpad looks pretty gnarly and clunky in use, the concept is cool but it's not executed well. The Steam Controller feels very unwieldy all-round, but typing on it is great, in the once-in-a-blue-moon case that the Steam onscreen keyboard works properly. I currently use my Steam Controller as a desktop remote, this is a purpose the Shotpad seems like it would serve, though not as well. Another arguably expensive and clunky option for a trackpad controller is the Steam Deck. This by running the Steam Link Flatpak as a non-Steam app, as this is more reliable and flexible than using the built-in Game Mode streaming. I recently bought a second-hand Steam Controller myself and found the Deck's controls to be a significant step above it all-round. Even the omission of the dual stage triggers and shrinking of the pads makes sense after experiencing the first iteration. And typing on the Deck feels great when enabling Trigger Clicks for the Steam onscreen keyboard, again when the darn software cooperates. That said, this is an expensive device just to use as a controller, I use mine as a Linux tablet, improvised media console (hence Steam Controller remote) and the intended gaming alongside this.
First time I hear the stream controller described as comfortable. I wanted to like it more, but it cramped my hands every time, and it failed to pick up my inputs on the right trackpad very often. That made it unusable for me sadly. I wish I knew what you did differently to not have issues with those things.
It would be cool if Valve made a sequel to a Steam Controller, but the chances are unlikely due to the company that sued the original controller out of production because they have a patent on back buttons.
They released the Steam Deck, which has 4 back buttons. They could pretty much just release a Steam Controller 2 that is like the Steam Deck but without the screen in the middle (although I would still like to see improvements).
@IcyXzavien Last I heard, Valve won an appeal in the lawsuit from SCUF, but there was hardly any news coverage about this and there hasn't been any other news since, so I'm not sure what the eventual outcome out that appeal was. This was back in late August 2021, so whatever happened Valve apparently felt comfortable enough to proceed with their design of the four back buttons on the Steam Deck, and there's been no news of any issue on that front. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other companies making controllers with back buttons -- 8bitdo, GuliKit, eXtremeRate, PowerA, Nyxi -- so I can't imagine they'd have those types of legal troubles with the Steam Controller 2. I fear the real reason we may not get a proper Steam Controller 2 is because the first one may not have sold well enough to justify the expense of making another one.
@carlosbarreto4695 I see this sentiment a lot about a possible SC2 copying the Deck's controls, but I personally would not want this. The big issue for me is that the trackpads feel like a huge downgrade on the Deck by being smaller, square-shaped, flat-surfaced, and in the lower position on the device. I think I also prefer the physical click of the SC versus the haptic click of the SD. The Deck grips feel wonderfully comfortable and the joystick/button layout is great when using those as the primary inputs, but the trackpads just feel like an awkward afterthought. So if they could re-design it where the trackpads are more like SC's, and placed up where the joysticks are, then I would probably be happy with such a controller. Sadly, that may not appeal to the mass market, who seem to predominantly use the sticks on the Deck over the trackpads.
@@TheNocturnalRamblerI obtained these items backward: First the Steam Deck and while looking for a Steam Deck-like controller for playing on TV, the Steam Controller. And so far, I just tested the Steam Controller, so I lack the experience to speak confidently about it (and now that I have the Steam Controller _and_ the Shotpad, I have two items that I need to spend time testing). However, because screens are retangular, I have a tendency to believe that the square format is better than rounded one. Maybe two square trackpads near each other could make them work also as a bigger, rectangular trackpad, somewhat similar about what is present in the DS4 (but bigger). I can imagine that this could potentially create 3 trackpads: Left Trackpad , Right Trackpad and Big Trackpad (which could be useful for Mouse Region). On the Steam Deck, I use the Steam Deck even for games that are not shooters or keyboard & mouse exclusives because radial and touch menus are too good to ignore. On the Steam Deck, I'm more confortable using touch menu than the radial menu. Maybe that's because of the squared touchpad... And perhaps I will prefer radial menus on the Steam Controller's rounded trackpad. In any case, I still think that most players are ignoring the trackpad just because they ignore how awesome it is and how it can enhance the gameplay, whether by using it as an alternative to the right joystick in shooters or to use touch/radial menus. I'm using the right trackpad in Magicka and that makes a whole difference. I'm definitely a trackpad enthusiast, although I don't think it should _replace_ the right joystick and (to a certain extent) the D-pad, like it happened with the Steam Controller. This is why I think Valve did well with the Steam Deck's controller. I have some ideas about how a Steam Controller 2 could be... But I don't think these ideas will be seen anywhere soon.
As if Valve would sponsor a video for their discontinued controller that died 3 years ago. It would be funny though. ... so glad I got 3 extras during the clearance sale. I hope I'm set for life as I do most of my gaming on it. This thing has been my main controller since it released and I don't see why it hasn't gotten a follow-up yet. It rules. Too bad about the stupid stick though, could've done with a d-pad instead as I always switch the left pad to left stick first thing in every game.
If you look at the original design for the steam controller they actually had buttons where the stick was valve only put a stick there due to feedback from people moaning about the lack of a joystick But I agree the stick is pointless in my configs I only use it either as a d-pad or radial menus
I have the same IFYOO and have found myself using it less and less due to the right hand not having a comfortable grip (as you had stated in your video). I will look into if there are some 3D printed options to see if I could make it a little more comfortable. If I find something I will let you know.
I haven't used the steam controller much, so I haven't acclimated to it very well. I did buy both the controller and link, and then sold them, I did manage to find open boxes for both on ebay, so I have them back again, and they will stay in my possession.
Wait, the Steam Controller has dual-stage triggers like the GameCube?? Why aren't these on the Steam Deck?? The soft/full pull setup makes much more sense if there's a physical click associated with the full pull!
I have bluetooth version of DarkWalker ShotPad. Pretty interesting thing! Its possible to use it with consoles, and using gyroscope for aiming in console shooters. I think, its impossible to use Gyro of steam controller for consoles, because gyro works on it only through the Steam settings. Its cool, when DarkWalker is possible to set sentivity of touch and gyro aiming just on it with shortcuts. Its not ideal, but very interesting device) I am recomend Bluetooth version... But, I think, you cant connect it to PC through Bluetooth, only via connect dongle. It can be problem, if you lose it\ But it works with wire too
So sad that Valve seems to have dropped the Steam Controller. I have had 3 over the years and adore it. Recently gone back myself agyer playing a lot of Steam Deck recently. I could not imagine going back to a traditional controller for PC gaming. I am hoping that Steam Deck has given Valve the idea of giving Steam Controller a second wind. I'd snap one up. SC2 Anyone?
Hello fellow unique controller enjoyer! I seen the Shotpad being sold at an used electronics store, I was tempted but also suspicious. The stick being digital on it is a deal breaker for me. My current setup on PC is a Hori TAC Pro with mouse, so I get true analog movement from the Hori and it has great ergonomic placement of the stick. This is great on my wrist as I dont have to do WASD. I like playing on thee couch too, so I got one of those padded boards people use for reading and I wrapped one of those long mousepads around it. Pretty comfortable setup for me now!
actually the shift for the triggers to how they are on a mouse makes alot of sense. depending on how you look aat it. you are looking at it from the perspective of a controller player, and theire is nothing wrong with that. but as someone who has a steamdeck and a steamcontroller this makes alot of sense. if you use your right thumb on the trackpad to do the course aiming, then pulling the right trigger to shoot will inadvertenly trow off your aimg, because obth your right thmum and your right pointer finger are doing the aiming and shooting. when you move your finger on the trigger you slightly trow of your thumb movement. when you shift shooting to the left trigger you avoit this problem. on the steamdeck you can mitigate tis by using the right stick to aim, wich dos not have to move so quickly as you are doing with thumb swipes.. but the hardest part is to rewire your brain to not find it strange ti shoot with our left trigger finger. but i get what you mean. it feels natural on a mouse, but not on a controller, because of how our brains are brainwashed into the console controller layout that is present in every console shooter these days.
I feel there is a good idea somewhere within the DarkWalker design. I really wish I had bought a steam controller when it was available. I hope that with the Steam Deck being so popular that Valve either reissues the steam controller or makes a new one to match the features of the Steam Deck. Because once you gotten use to the decks features, every other controls method feels limited.
The Steam Deck is a good compromise. That being said, while it works on the tablet form-factor that is the steam deck, I don't know how that'd transition to just a controller. The joys of being able to flip between and mixing all three forms of aiming has been great, and having a D-Pad is non-negotiable for me, I play too many games that work better with that input, and the giant circle with an imprint of a d-pad isn't quite the same thing. Still, good to see people are making new devices trying to get trackpads into handheld form factors on controllers.
I love the Steam Controller. Only thing, I wish the Right Trackpad was about 25% larger and the left analogue & D-pad was swapped like an Xbox controller. I love how customizable everything is like long presses, double presses, toggles, cycles etc. 1 or 2 mouse scrolls would have been nice too.
it feels to me that the shotpads placement would be my biggest gripe if I had it. they should have had the joystick where the dpad is, since it's in the better ergonomic position. the track pad is way too massive, you can't even reach certain points, so make it smaller. the z x and face buttons seem difficult to press with ease due to placement. props where they are due, they have back buttons where you hand lies naturally
People were way too harsh on the steam controller when it released and im sad we'll probably never see a V2 from valve bc some of the design choices are a little strange imo but im so glad it opened the door for steaminput and in many ways steamvr and all the other hardware endeavora valve has undertaken since
The Darkwalker is really promising for people coming from mobile gaming. To be competitive in FPS mobile games you need to use the touchscreen, fire with one of your left fingers, aim with the right thumb, and get a little assistance from the gyro functionality. The developers of this controller seem to understand all of that! It would be great if this controller was compatible with mobile and tablets. And if it had a software on PC or MAC to adjust settings more precisely. Great review btw! Keep up the good work!
Great review and comparison! I love my Shotpad but mainly for tactical/strategy games that rely on a floating cursor. I always found the Steam controller kind of stuck in an uncomfortable middle ground of trying to be familiar enough for traditional gamepad players but also be able to control traditional mouse-based PC games, and ended up not really satisfying either side. The sheer customization of it via steam input is a great thing but it's also the kind of thing most people will never really drill down into to find the right setup and get used to it as you did with Killing Floor. Ultimately I think the Shotpad design is kind of what the Steam controller should have been, with a much more limited focus on making PC-style games (think stuff like cities skylines, civilization, total war, etc) playable from a couch with the assumption that people would just use regular xinput controllers for gamepad style games as they continued to do anyway. You also avoid any mixed input confusion and setup by making the device totally m/kb based, and the larger trackpad and overall design of the controller clearly shows it is not trying to be a gamepad replacement but instead do something else entirely. The Steam controller felt hamstrung by using a gamepad layout, with a traditional button diamond and dual analog configuration only now with trackpads, and the people that was targeted toward just ended up using Xbox 360 controllers anyway. I like that the Shotpad just goes for it and makes something totally different and doesn't try to be another normal controller, with it's larger single trackpad and layout filled with keyboard and mouse inputs (in the same left/right orientation as a real mouse) showing that it's meant to be a replacement m/kb and not a replacement gamepad. The Steam controller did some great things like help popularize Gyro control, but after watching it falter back in the day it's hard not to imagine how things could have gone differently.
Good points. I think the Steam Controller could have been what the Steam Deck's controller are now: Full-fledged Xinput controllers with additional functions added (the dual trackpads, like the Steam Controller, plus twice the number of customised rear buttons) that, thanks to Steam Input, can give players keyboard & mouse functions. Still, for an original - and why not to say revolutionary - idea in 2015, I think it still holds as a good controller even today until Valve decides to release a Steam Controller 2 that either export the Steam Deck controller or creates an even better version of it (which I hope will be the case). Another point is that Valve should have made what was left for RUclipsrs: they should have made clear and concise videos (with examples) of how to use Steam Input. Yes, they have documentation, but that only appeals for those who are dedicated to make a deep dive into the subject. Finally, there where a LOT of horrible reviews - including by big names like IGN and PC gamer - made by people who didn't invest the minimum amount of time to learn about the product.
I mostly agree! I use the Steam Controller for all of my PC games, all of the time, because I can't use a mouse and keyboard for gaming. Overly mouse-heavy games are the hardest to get feeling right. I can sort of get around it by mostly using the gyroscope, as though the controller was a wiimote, and then dialling in using the trackpad for the fine movements. It's not ideal, but it's better for me than using a mouse most of the time. That said, for games like Cities: Skylines, I tend to use the gamepad layouts they already come with. It's not quite as smooth as kb/m controls, but they work better than you'd think. After all, they do sell these games on consoles and they do pretty well on those platforms. Cities: Skylines is one I actually played on ps4, and it worked more than well enough, as did Jurassic World: Evolution. I'm currently playing Jurassic World: Evolution 2 on PC with my Steam Controller, and I made an idiosyncratic control scheme using keyboard and mouse inputs but swapping to gamepad for vehicle controls and... it works? It works well enough *for me*, because I spent the time to build it and tweak it, but honestly the gamepad controls were fine the whole time.
@@taliadx These types of games have definitely improved their gamepad support a lot in recent years due to how many console ports get made of them these days, but I still think for a lot of cursor-built games that the trackpad works better. Especially when you have to go from one region of the screen to another far region and don't want to tab through a bunch of stuff to get there. It is nice that they have good gamepad support but I still think the Shotpad or something similar works better especially for so many of the PC based games that were made before this recent time too
The Shotpad is not recognized as a specific controller, your OS treats it exactly like a mouse and keyboard. I don't believe Steam Input allows you to program options for M/KB like you can with gamepads, so there's no way to customize settings that way -- only in-game settings for things like key-bindings or mouse sensitivity. Third party software like reWASD or RawAccel might help in those instances but I haven't tried any of that.
After using an Xbox pad or PS5 pad, I tried the IIne touchpad, which is almost identical to the DarkWalker ShotPad (are these just different names from the same company?). The left trigger button and the two buttons above it are very uncomfortable. In FPS games, during urgent situations, the two buttons above the trigger often get pressed accidentally due to their overlapping placement (poor ergonomic design). I think I understand why companies like Sony or Microsoft don't design controllers this way. If they were to make one, it should be designed like a regular controller but with the right joystick area replaced by a touchpad. While it seems like a touchpad would be great for aiming, in reality, it hinders other controls, diminishing the touchpad's advantages. I tried playing Remnant 2 solo, but it was too chaotic. I bought it for the touchpad's sensitivity and precision, but the controls are so awkward that I ended up not using it.
I bought one of the shotpad knockoffs, it hasn't arrived but maybe I should have just gone out and dug my Steam Controller out. I'm still going to because I want to compare these. Everyone does FPS reviews but this controller would be sick for RTSs and similar pointer heavy game. Hell this might be the best game pad for CAD, I think I'm going to find out.
Wait you use the right track pad for buttons and camera controls? That sounds like a nightmare to deal with, How do you keep the camera from going awol while doing button inputs?
It just doesn't work the way you think it does 🤷🏻 I personally have gyro on right pad touch so if I am pressing up for example I can still control the camera It's not a nightmare at all
Does the steam controller can be use with game that don’t support controller? From your video seen like i can map any keyboard key to the controller but does it work well with the game
gonna copy/paste my reddit post here, with some additions, for more visibility: Idk about the gyro version, but when I tried the wired version of the shotpad the trackpad felt stupid low resolution. Like, maybe 10% of what the steam controllers resolution is (this is especially noticeable when trying to make small movements by just slightly rolling your thumb around), at least to my feel (I put a sc trackpad sticker on the shotpad so I could feel how far I was swiping, and I couldnt get nearly the same amount of camera rotation even when maxing in game sensitivity). I guess it makes up for that with size... But ehhh... Using trackpad for fast/big camera movements and gyro for aiming on the sc makes me think the trackpad doesnt need to be massive to get good results. At some point, the worse ergonomics cancel out the benefits of the larger trackpad. now onto the additions: For everyone who complained about the sc's trackpads being "like a laptop" - even though they are much higher quality - the shotpads trackpad does legit feel like the manufacturer had some spare bargain bin laptop trackpads laying around and wanted to do something with them. The shotpad does fit that "laptop trackpad blech" stigma a lot more than the steam controller does. With any bespoke hardware, the software is what matters most. I've heard that the newer gyro equipped shotpad has support in rewasd, but considering steam inputs gyro rework and rewasd's bare bones trackpad support I'd still put the steam controller above the shotpad in the software department (especially because there are rumblings of a trackpad rework, which means even if rewasd steps their game up they'll be outdated again in due time). the shotpad really seems to be more aimed at console gamers who play games that support kbm on console but they still want to use a controller. At that point, any trackpad and gyro is better than no trackpad or gyro. I wouldnt consider using the shotpad on pc, just because the steam controller is a much better option - provisionally, as you have to hunt one down due to being discontinued. Kind of a final note... something doesnt sit right with me. Tech Yesterdays thumb mouse, the Alpakka gyro only no right stick or trackpad controller, the shotpad, PyottDesigns controller trackball... all highly upvoted and all have people excited over innovation. people clearly yearn for what the steam controller was capable of, but when it comes to the steam controller itself? suddenly everyone is complaining about the lack of a right stick, as if all those other controllers dont also not have a right stick. Its bizarre.
11:10 Wii-U Pro Controller. Best of controllers with both of the joysticks on the top for max comfort. They need MORE controllers with both joysticks up there. Not the Playstation and Xbox style. Need more then 2 style of controllers.
i noticed your steam controller has a controller dongle taped to the back of it. How are you using it? do you have another dongle or is there a way to connect it without one?
I use bluetooth. All SC's are capable of BT so long as the firmware is updated and you press a specific button combination when booting it up to put it in pairing mode (steam+y).
While I like the steam controller, I personally find the controls on the steam deck much nicer. Especially since it includes 2 equal trackpads. I am left-handed so I switch them around, aim with the left trackpad, move with the right stick. Face buttons mapped to the 4 back buttons. Overal I would love it if valve creates a worthy successor to the steam controller.
Good review but I think you missed the biggest issue with the steam controller. That is it is no longer manufactured. However if you found a good supply where they do not cost 200+ then let me know.
Like I said in the video, you can buy used Steam Controllers in good working condition for 30-50 USD pretty easily, and there are plenty going for 60-70 USD. This will depend on your location of course, but this is what I'm seeing available and recently sold on eBay right now.
controllers like these are very clearly meant to be used with games that only support mouse and keyboard input like RPG and Strategy games in a living room PC setup. it's always funny to see people reviewing these by trying to play FPS games which are always better when played with an actual controller or mouse and keyboard.
I seriously doubt the designers of these controllers made them to be used exclusively for strategy games and RPGs. Their primary purpose was simply to allow KB+M controls in a handheld form factor, and FPS games are included in the possible range of applications. The ShotPad's control layout and marketing even seem deliberately intended for FPS games while the Steam Controller has profile layouts designed specifically for FPS games. It doesn't matter what specific type of game you think they were made for; the fact of the matter is these controllers are great for FPS games. In fact they're objectively better than a standard controller which is notoriously imprecise compared to a mouse/gyro, and I personally like them a lot better than a regular mouse, so I also strongly disagree with your initial assertion that FPS games are "always better when played with an actual controller or mouse and keyboard."
@@TheNocturnalRambler they're really not though. playing an FPS game with a touchpad is just painful. there's a reason why alot of the games that Valve showed off while prototyping the Steam controller weren't FPS games. they're for games that specifically require mouse and keyboard of which FPS games are not included since they play just fine on a standard controller. nobody is going to pro Counter Strike or Halo tournaments with the Shotpad. these controllers are specifically designed to be able to play games that exclusively use mouse and keyboard while sitting comfortable in your living room with your computer displayed on your TV. strategy games and RPGs are the obvious examples but there are many more games that fit the criteria.
I think you should speak for yourself. If you think playing an FPS game with a touchpad is "painful" that's fine if that's your opinion, but please don't try to push that as some kind of universal, objective truth. Frankly, I find it hard to take anything you say seriously when you insist that a standard controller is just fine as a substitute for mouse and keyboard in an FPS, while your repeated insistence on just straight up ignoring that the ShotPad was specifically designed and marketed for FPS games in favor of pushing your own narrative is just ridiculous.
the steam controller was going to be that originally but i think valve found it too alienating for gamers who were already familiar with dual analog gamepads
Hey nocturnal rambler what do think pf pillars of eternity 2 is it better than 1 or worse ? And have you seen neverknowsbest poe 1 review ? If so do you agree or disagree ?
Holy sh!t... 200 bucks for a new Steam Controller??? I didn't know they stopped making them. I bought 3 of them from Steam about 4 years ago when they went on sale for 5 bucks apiece. Two are still in the box. I guess I should see what I can get for them when ya can't find 'em anymore.
i never owned a steam controller but using the trackpads on the steam deck makes me want to order one for docked use. The ps5 controller has a touchpad as well
I wish Valve shipped their hardware to my country, same shit for both the Steam Controller and Steam Deck, couldn't officially buy it from Valve cause they simply don't ship it to here, and now that the Steam Controller is discontinued I have no way of getting my hands in one without paying a highly inflated price than its original MSRP, same with the Steam Deck, officially you can get the 256GB model for $400, here it's nearly $500 for the 64GB one
Man I so wish Steam would launch Steam Controller 2. They essentially have almost ready product already. Just take Steam Deck and cut the display out of it and it would be about done. I'd buy few immediately. I really like and almost daily drive original Steam Controller for older titles,but today it would be nice to have modern controller in it too. Touchpad just doesn't replace right stick perfectly.
I love touchpads, but I stick to dualsense for 99% of games. Any good gamepad needs regular dual analog sticks or regular d-pad, some games just need those to feel right. I don't like how these controllers require you to use touchpad since no second stick. I can use Dualsense for touchpad mouse and gyro and thats enough for me
@@flamestoyershadowkill Yes that's what makes it better than a regular Switch Pro or Xbox controller to me. I had the Steam Controller track pads in mind, I guess I could've phrased better
For some games, yeah, but I've never been a fan of that function. It's always felt clumsy and imprecise to me with needing to scroll to the exact spot and not overshoot or undershoot it, and then also usually having to click the mouse to "select" the weapon, or if you have "auto-swap" on then you're sitting through animations for every weapon as you cycle through it. I've always preferred just pressing a dedicated button to go straight to the right weapon slot without any of those extra hassles.
This is a well-timed video, as I purchased and received both of these controllers last week (mine is wireless though, not wired). Bellow I would like to share some info that might be useful for people considering buying the Shotpad.
The shotpad has 3 brand names:
- DarkWalker Shotpad
- IFYOO GTP01
- IINE Mouse-Pad Pro Controller (I bought this for 35€ at AliExpress... And a few days later, I found it was 32€ from the same seller).
The DarkWalker/IFYOO/IINE is just a keyboard (with less keys) & mouse/trackpad combo in a gamepad shell. I bought it as an alternative to my Steam Controller for games like Horizon: Zero Dawn and God of War (2018) that don't accept mixed inputs (gamepad and mouse at the same time). I want mouse-like precision while playing with a controller on my living room couch, but I really don't like to have an in-game button icons showing keyboard buttons when I have a Xbox type of controller on my hands. So if I'm going to have keyboard button icons, I want keyboard keys on my hand and the IINE does that.
One thing that I can't avoid to notice is that the wired version looks like a commercialised prototype. First, no gyroscope for a controller clearly aimed at FPS/TPS games? Second, what is the purpose of those 4 leds at the left of the trackpad?? On the wireless version with the gyroscope, each of these leds have a function and icons near them to indicate what they represent. From top to bottom: Battery, Gyro, Roll and Yaw. None of this makes sense in the wired version. So unless you really hate FPS/TPS games and just want to play keyboard & mouse strategy games, buy the wireless version.
Also, in the wireless version, you can adjust the sensitivity of both the trackpad and gyroscope separately in 6 preset levels. From levels 4, 5 and 6, you also have mouse acceleration.
The Gyro has 3 modes: Manual (only while holding one or more buttons of your choice), Classic (always on) and deactivated. In order to use the manual mode, you need to set one or more buttons that the manual call as "Action button" and this can be any button except the Fn (Function) button. I don't remember from the top of my head if you can chose trackpad click as an Action button, but you can't chose trackpad touch as you can with the Steam Controller.
That was a long text. If someone has any question, let me know.
Definitely agree about the wired ShotPad feeling like a prototype. The four LEDs were clearly visible in the store page when I bought it so I assumed they would be used for some kind of status display, but they don't serve any purpose on the wired version. They do glow every so slightly when plugged in, but obviously in that case the only status they're indicating is that the device is plugged in, but the lights are so faint it just looks like ambient light reflecting off them, not that they're actually emitting light.
So it's a clear example where they had a shell for the device already manufactured and then just cut out the gyroscope and battery to sell it at a cheaper price, then seemingly heard feedback from people complaining about the position of the Function key and swapped it with the Alt key, but then also took away the Y key to make THAT the settings key. That one really bothers me on the wireless one, because I actually use that Y key a lot on the wired Shotpad, so it sucks to lose an input in a good position, and it concerns me to have a settings button mixed in with regular gameplay buttons. Like, they really should've made an all-new button somewhere in an out-of-the-way position for the settings options. And not having a way to adjust the trackpad sensitivity on the wired version (which is included in the wireless version) is a serious design flaw.
@@TheNocturnalRambler I wasn't aware that there was an Y key present in the wired version that was left outside of the wireless version. That's a bad move.
The Shotpad is a good product, but I still see some room for improvement:
- Why not 6 face buttons instead of just 4? Just move the mouse scroll slight to the left and add 2 more buttons to the left side of the buttons C and V
- Additional Fn activated inputs for the face buttons and the yellow buttons at the right side; that would add at least 7 extra keys.
- A smaller trackpad could allow additional buttons to it's left side. Those buttons could be F1-F6 and F7-F12 if holding the Function button.
- A second trigger buttons at the right (and both triggers would act like Left and Right Mouse click).
- A second shoulder button at the left side as well.
- Maybe a fourth or even a fifth button at the right side.
- Touchpad touch could also be programmable to activate the gyroscope, just like the other buttons (Personally I'm fine doing that with left and/or right mouse button click, but I've seen people asking for that)
These are just a few ideas to reduce the gap between the number of buttons available from a real keyboard.
Hello, I have the steam controller but if it's not a steam game I can't use it... I have games that I download from the internet and I would like to use the steam controller but it doesn't detect them.. :( Is there a way? If there isn't, I will buy the other controller too
@@TheGuitarnob you have to add it to steam as non steam game
@@TheGuitarnob I'm pretty sure it'll work if you have steam open in the background and minimize it while playing games outside of steam.
We really need steam controller 2.0
I would love a Steam Controller 2 with all the inputs of the Deck
I think we’re getting one
Personally I bought a PS5 controller to use for my pc because it's the only controller I could find that has both analog triggers and a gyro that can be used at the same time (I was going to get an 8bitdo controller but I found out you can only use the analog triggers in Xbox mode and the gyro in switch pro controller mode) and a bonus is that the PS5 controller has a track pad too which makes it extremely similar to steam deck controls when configured. The only problem is that when not using steam input you need 3rd party software like DS4PC to translate your input to xinput, but that's not too big of a deal
@@Kian00 Same but with DualShock 4. I'd get the dualsense but there's no option to add back paddles.
@@GreatMossWater You can buy a prebuilt controller back, with buttons or paddles preinstalled. The only problem is, the back buttons are remapped to any of your existing buttons.
If you don't want to open your Controller, there is also the DualSense Edge, but a bit pricey ...
DualSense is hands down the best first party controller. I love Gyro now. Really cool for shooters or emulation.
THIS is how you review the Steam Controller!!!
I have been using the SC for a couple of years now, but I enjoy watching and critiquing how new users try it out.
Most of the newer reviewers out there just download community configs and complain about how choppy the input feels, so I’m glad you actually took the time to make your own configs and explore what Steam Input has to offer.
People crapping on Steam Input are wildly ignorant...
@@proxyhx2075yeah, the ppl who never tried it out are missing out. you can play pretty much any game since you can map all buttons to any kb&m button, or something like play/pause, volume up/down, etc.
I much prefer the Steam Deck as a controller, but the Steam Controller is good too
For the Steam controller I usually just add gyro (always on) + right trackpad for mouse and then have the rest basically the same as normal controllers. Though I really only use it for shooters and fps games. Aiming's great though. I do think the Steam Controller has a few design issues though. I know you can map tons of stuff to a Steam controller like macros, combinations, changing functions, etc... but that gets a little too complex and time consuming for me. I do sometimes add a little function here or there depending on the game.
One downside is games that don't support simultameous m+k and controller usage. Rather than minor adjustments, I'll either need to download a user made config and change from there or fully map all m+k functions to the controller. Even big games like Halo don't support it. Honestly though, I feel like Microsoft is probably the biggest company that seems to be against gyro support for games. The Xbox Series X controller is amazing and has a superb Dpad, but there's no gyro support at all.
i also have 2 steam controllers. but i use comunitty layouts as a template. to get the most out of a steamcontroller you have to start with a commuinity layout and you need to leanr how to adjust or make your own configs. it takes a while to learn how to use every remapping featur. but theire are enough video''s to figure it out. once you learn what layers and button activators like double press and start press do. once you know these things you can easily switch to other input mappers like rewasd or switch to a different controller like the dualsense edge.
there is another controller that can be used on xbox (with mouse gyro), called the alpakka. It also only works on games that have keyboard and mouse controls. this controller can only use gyro ratcheting as a camera control method. Ratcheting is when you move the controller to move the camera and then pauze the gyro to reset your hand position. just like picking up a mouse from the gamepad. or you can use the button to activate gyro on touch. both ways are fine.
i also have the shotpad wireless. but i dont get is why they dont over a mode on pc where it will be detected as its own controller instead of a keyboard and mouse. If they did that then you could easily remap the controller better by also offering software that just maps mouse to the gyro.
i fully understand that x input does not support gyro. that is why 3rd party controllers for playstation and switch are limited to a switch pro or ps4 controller output. so 3rd party controller that have back buttons are limited to only being able to remap copies of already existing inputs.
ibut theire are controller like the beiton zeus 2 that have seperate software to map the mouse to the gyro. so you can fully remap the controller and have mouse like gyro on pc. (just like the steam controller).
honestly they could have alll the functionality of a steamcontroller if they just added remapping software and a different mode for pc. missed uportunity i guess.
I think that the problem with Steam Controller (and in fact similar purpose devices) is despite all their functions being undoubtedly great, they go against what most people expect from controllers in comparison to keyboards - accessibility. Casual gamer expects controller to be plug&play, and as you stated, one needs to be a dedicated player in order to apreciate the layers of complexity of such controllers.
Well... That is true to a certain point, as Steam Input being like a tool box really requires time and effort to learn how to use it, something that many players don't want.
However, the fact that players can share controller layouts to the community is already enough to justify a Steam Controller even for those who don't want to learn anything about how to create controller layouts.
Carlos already touched on an important subject, which is that the Steam Controller can be relatively straightforward to use by selecting pre-made layouts that function exactly like a regular controller, but with simply swapping out the right joystick for the trackpad, and maybe adding some extra functions onto the back buttons. I for one had a much easier time adapting to the Steam Controller than I did the ShotPad -- it was just all the time spent digging into the configuration settings to make a more advanced layout that did all the little things I wanted it to (and figuring out how to do it all just right, in some cases) that took the extra time and effort. Whereas on the ShotPad I had to develop more muscle-memory to get used to the different button layout, and still had to remap a lot of the in-game settings to put things in more sensible positions.
The big issue I would guess is that most people are just accustomed to one particular type of input device, and they've gotten so used to it that they see no reason to branch out and try different things. I question how many console gamers actually care about having mouse-like aiming in a gamepad, for instance, if they've spent the last 20-30 years gaming on a thumbstick and feel perfectly content with that, which means I don't see the ShotPad appealing to very many console gamers at all. I was admittedly the same way when the Steam Controller came out: "I already have an Xbox controller, and I already have a keyboard and mouse, do I really need another controller to do what I can already do on either one of those?" I severely underestimated it, and judged that it wasn't worth the $50 or whatever it cost when it was new, and then was out of the loop when they went on that $5 clearance sale and missed the boat. But having actually tried it now, sporadically over the last year, it's been a literal game-changer.
I still tune the Steam Deck controls appropriate to the game, and having dual touchpads in addition to gamepad is by far the most versatile but not for the feint of heart.
I completely agree with your review, but I have to say one thing: the Shotpad (or, in my case, the IINE Game Pad) is a dream come true for playing Tabletop Simulator in specific. I can’t imagine it being more than an ok controller for action games, but for TTS is shines bright as heck. And I haven’t tested it much yet with anything else, but I can imagine it being pretty great for any sort of game where you’re actually controlling a cursor instead of a character - so, stuff like Civ, or RTSs.
So, yeah, the Steam Controller (or, better yet, the Steam Deck) is much better in an overall sense. But I would still highly recommend the IINE for people whose bread and butter games are non-action games with cursor control and lots of keyboard-activated stuff.
The reason the shot pad doesn’t use an axis for controls such as WASD is because certain games won’t let you switch dynamically between a controller and a keyboard and will be hard set to whatever device you used when starting the game.
It isn’t necessarily a downside, it’s a workaround so that the controller still functions correctly in games.
The trackpad on the shotpad feels like the people who made it clearly never used touch input in their lives. The thing sucks to use in a way that makes it hard to understand how a human received an income to bring it into the world.
But why ? Is it because of the material or because of the shape ? Because if you're talking about the shape I actually understand why they did that, they probably just tried to recreate the feeling of a phone before it's the main device you'll use a touch input on. And as a mobile player, it doesn't look that bad.
@@Cobra_08YT ngl I was gonna type a whole rant but nah. Just know it’s not the shape of the controller. The input isn’t calibrated intuitively and it shows a distinct lack in the field experience of the people involved
@@micah4539I wonder if there’s any difference in the quality of the trackpad between the wired and wireless versions?
I just got the wireless and while it definitely doesn’t feel great (especially for me, considering I’m used to the absurdly fantastic Apple trackpads), it also doesn’t feel anywhere near rage-inducing for me.
There’s a distinct lack of smoothness to the movement, and I can definitely see the cursor just kinda jaggedly jumping around when I’m moving it either too fast or too slow. But it always goes where it needs to go in the time I expected it to do it. It’s serviceable. It’s even, I would say, good enough.
I own the shotpad. One of the biggest issues with both of these that I believe the trackpad should be in the same position as the joystick a traditional controller and extended to the right of the controller as much as possible. So disappointing to see these companies come this close to greatness and fail. I'm a mobile game and turned pc gamer so I know what i am taking about, I got the controller thinking it could replicate the feeling of gaming on a mobile device.
@@dm8764 I agree. The face buttons definitely detract from the overall design.
Really hoping for a Steam Controller revision to come out. With the commercial success of the Deck, it would be perfect when docking to a TV.
im sad that my steam controller will eventually succumb to old age. been scared of using it to much and no controller deserves to go unused. hope steam realizes how great it was and i REALLY hope more companies try to pick up the mantle
I would love to see more trackpad controller options out there. It really is the best of both worlds (in my opinion). I have the IFYOO wireless, and I have to say, the gyro is a killer feature. It’s my go-to controller. I’m also a reWASD user. reWASD recognizes the controller and from there, the customizations are practically unlimited. Best $60 I’ve ever spent on a gaming accessory.
Amazing review! I'm always pleasantly surprised by smaller channels like yours
What a loser. Sucking up to RUclipsrs.
You could always tell when someone puts care and effort into a video.
Not just cranking it out because it has to be out by this date
Wait... Did Valve accidentally make the best Gamecube emulation controller?
Valve just made one of the best controllers ever. So versatile.
Why GameCube emulation? This isn't in the GC shape/layout? There's hori, powera, etc GC shaped controllers
Were you thinking Wii?
@@taimaishu99 Dual-stage triggers are a feature that was pretty much exclusive to the Gamecube before the Steam Controller was released. While third party Gamecube-shaped usb controllers will almost certainly have them have them, the Steam Controller has a lot more utility for other games too. At least, I think that's the thought process.
@@Delstrom2Xbox controllers and playstation controllers all have analog triggers, they can be used in gamecube emulation just fine
@@gplasticyou're not understanding what a dual stage trigger offers - at the bottom of the trigger stroke you can have it activate a completely different button, that's why it's considered to have two stages - it can activate not only one axis of movement (what you refer to as analog triggers is actually an axis of movement) but also a completely separate switch.
Years ago, the steam controller looked so strange to me. I've been a big fan of gyro ever since the first Splatoon introduced it to me, but I could not get behind the track pads on the SC. Now, I wish I'd purchased a pair of them. It's exactly what I want out of a controller for any shooter.
Hello brother, it’s me, the other slugcat
Subscribed as soon as I saw you pull out the Elecom Deft Pro! Always good to see more fellow trackball gamers! Im currently still driving the GameBall as my daily, with a Nulea M505 between my HTPC and my Steam Deck when used docked for some work.
5:16 I love that you left in that your kitteh was trying to play with the wire of the shotpad. MINE! they seemed to say.
14:47 Oh wait, that's me. Feels strange to bump into that after clicking on a RUclips thumbnail of some weirdass controller, but I guess it's a small community of enthusiasts after all.
People, please make use of haptic feedback! You can even set haptic feedback to fire even on empty events, purely so that when you go to pull an analog trigger the user can tell exactly when game input was being sent. And use varied strengths - low for trackpad "friction" emulation, medium for gyro "friction" emulation (makes gyro aiming feel less "floaty" and easier to sense), and the reserve high for things like the analog triggers. Stronger inputs override weaker inputs, so this lets you feel the rarest input (triggers) without it being overwhelmed by the gyro aiming (second most common and what is more likely to be activated by mistake) and most common (trackpad, of course). The trackpads' vibrations provide *all* the haptic feedback on both the Steam Controller and the Steam Deck so you really only have vibration strength to work with to differentiate these.
The ShotPad is definitely a letdown, but the general shape of it makes me wish we could get third party controllers to have the SC's level of input customization through Steam Input. If it were not for the software limitations, that sorta tablet shape of it seems like it might have potential. Maybe the trackpad's ultimately too big, with most of its space ultimately going to waste where your thumb won't realistically be reaching, but how I wish someone would commit this hard to a trackpad controller again.
I'm not as sold on the left trackpad for movement in games as other notable SC config makers so I'm actually fine with that really lopsided, asymmetrical design, but like shrink that trackpad a bit and offer more face buttons and possibly a joystick in a less-dominant position for compatibility reasons and I might be sold. Like, we don't necessarily *need* that gap between the two handles if our fingers are resting properly on the back buttons - use that extra space like on this controller to throw in a joystick or extra buttons where it's maybe not where you'd want to go in the middle of the action but where you could reach to deal with games or menus or whatever that really *assume* a joystick is there and maintain parity with the Steam Deck.
Fantastic video. Honestly wish there was a new contrlller with the extra features of the Steam Deck's controls for PC, and with the adaptive triggers of the PS5 controller.
I do enjoy using the Steam Controller, it's really only the lack of a proper DPad that makes it unsuitable as a general purpose controller for everything. I just can't adjust to playing platformers or other 2D games with that enormous trackpad.
The right trackpad is a superior replacement to an analog stick in all cases, so I've never felt a lack of anything on that side.
Would love it if we could get a Steam Controller 2 - add the DPad, go from a rear paddle to 4 rear buttons, and update to USB-C from micro-USB. I'd be happy with that.
I would not want something that just detached the Steam Deck controls from the screen and stuck then together to make a standalone controller. All the inputs would be great, but at minimum they would need some rearrangement to make the trackpads usable again. I don't like how they are smaller and square, but I could deal with that. I can't deal with the current positioning - I'd have to break my thumbs to reach them as they are now, and thus they are never used on the Deck.
For me all they had to do was use a d-pad instead of a joystick And that would have been the perfect controller for me
As I use the left trackpad for movement anyway I just struggle like you to use it in 2D side scrollers
I mean, just use a different controller for platformers if you want a normal dpad. Steam input let's you do whatever with the left track pad. You don't need to do press clicks for it to function as a directional pad.
Pretty cool. Never got much time on the SC back when it was in production, but I can see how all that R&D work went directly into the SteamDeck. SD trackpads shocked me with how well they functioned as a mouse and when combined with gyro for fine aiming I was up to about 90% of what I could do with KBM with a few hours of practice, a huge leap up from analog stick aiming where I was maybe 50-60% of KBM. I'm hoping they'll dial in the haptics for SD2 even better, who knows, maybe they'll come back around from all their SD research and release a new SC.
The Uniplay U6 wireless controller also has a touchpad, and full keyboard, and both analog sticks, psp style. Used to be on amazon. Also, dualshock 4 and dual sense playstation controllers both have a touchpad and gyro sensors and now have official PC support and drivers.
I just use my SCs as a make-shift HTPC input when I run a long HDMI cable out of the computer room into the living room. Really handy for that, no doubt. I've come away from using them as actual controllers for games, though. The time investment in getting controls setup right, plus the sort of terrible ergonomics of the controller/tiny face buttons/lack of second analog stick, etc. just makes using a PS5/Xbox controller a better time. I did enjoy trying to get good at CSGO with the SC once upon a time, and I was floored with how well it went/how quickly I was learning it, and actually getting sort of good with it.
I've used the Steam controller for quite a while, and I think the biggest challenge touchpad controllers have to solve is the contact / release jitter, the seemingly inevitable and uncontrollable input when you put your finger on and release your finger from the pad. It kind of forces you to keep your finger on the pad as long as possible when you need precision, which is undesirable, because you need to access other buttons, and the action of contacting the touchpad can also be mapped to a useful input (such as slowing down gyro aiming). You kind of have to be able to detect or even predict touching / releasing of the touchpad without intention of directional input.
I have never expected this channel to review Steam Controller, I still got mine
I wish steam decks right track pad was about double the size so I could really have the mouse precision and a good 180° of movement. I know not practical if if we want to keep all of the buttons, but if steam deck has swappable controllers I'd keep a large track pad spare in my case for fps games. As it is I keep a numpad, mouse and kickstand at my desk for lunch time gaming sessions.
I'm still sad we never got an updated Steam controller. It's my favourite controller of all time but it did have a few issues, mostly how loud some of the buttons are and some being too stiff and hard to press. But the trackpads were so damn good when used correctly, best of both worlds.
I don't play FPS games. I mainly got the Darkwalker Shotpad for older PC games that don't support controllers like Vampire the Masquerade, which works fine for me.
Is it good for games like Diablo 2 or Baldur's Gate???
I have both and agree with everything you said
Also figuring out how to customize the Steam controller carries over to the Steam Deck
And things like motion aiming and back buttons spoil you, to the point where you get annoyed that consoles lack this stuff
yeah. To this day, i dont undestand why the playstation and xbox controllers doesnt have back buttons. The switch at least has gyroscope, witch is nice...
@@gabrielnovaes7306 The Playstation has had gyro since the PS3's Sixaxis controller, it's just that games tend not to use it. My theory is that it's because the majority of popular shooters are cross-platform with XBox, which doesn't have the gyroscopes in their controllers. After Breath of the Wild brought gyro-aim to the mainstream on the Switch, Horizon Forbidden West included gyro-aim on PS5.
@@taliadxGod of War Ragnarok also supports motion aiming and I think TLoU2 also added it post launch.
At this point it’s just Microsoft holding back the mainstream adoption of motion aiming. It’s unfathomable that not even their “Elite” Xbox controllers have any sort of motion sensors.
So I’ve owned both wired and wireless shot-pads.
The difference being they swap the alt and fn buttons around. And the wireless has a built in gyro functionality with sensitivity controls.
I like the wireless more for using it as the main aiming device. The gyro really helps with sniping and the finer mouse movement if you can get the learning curve down.
The wired is better for a half controller half mouse imo because all fingers get a button to press as a command.
I do wish that they would swap the mouse button click to the “E” position as that puts your had in a more optimal position to aim. The great thing is that your pc sees it as a keyboard so its easy to rebind the keys to whatever you want.
I have totally rebound the buttons to be more like a standard controller layout.
Overall I like it a lot and play helldivers 2 with it.
How is the touchpad is it responsive? Its on sale so I'm thinking of pulling the trigger.
@@IceSik_ill its definitely a learning curve but I played thru read dead 2 recently and had to turn the gyro off for that game. I played a lot of Hell divers 2 as well. The best tip I can give you is try to make your thumb into a point. I think its worth the sale and has been responsive enough for me.
@@chazdoomy1512 alright bet, thanks to you I'm going to go order it now.
@@IceSik_ill best of luck, i hope it works out for you.
@@chazdoomy1512 thanks
as someone who does actually play on half controller half mmo mouse the shot pad would appeal to me alot, however the lack of analog inputs kills it for me (all that grip stuff you said reminds me of the 3ds 😂). maybe one day there will be an all-in-one device that has both analog and keyboard inputs, or games actually start to accept inputs of both forms instead of either denying one or anxiously flickering between the two
It's great to see the Steam Controller getting some love in 2024. I still use mine that I got back in the day. The back bumpers have gone a bit dodgy but otherwise it works great and I agree with everything you say about it here. Also give the cat a fluffle from me.
Bumpers are a real Steam controller disease. On my steampad the left bumper broke back in 2016 and the right one this year. Fortunately, the repair is quite simple.
shotpad's greatest ability - photoshop/toonboom hotkeys. Its a total game changer. Though one of the shoulder buttons needs to be re-wired to a button instead of left mouse click to get the maximum effect
I got this (GTP01) because I'm getting RSI or arthritis in my trigger finger. Switching M1 to the left is a god send. I didn't buy it to replace my mouse, but to radically reduce the number of clicks I send through my index/trigger finger. I'm still learning, but it's a really high quality device and works very well. I'm liking it as a controller option. I might have to get the wireless option since the moving function key to the rear will make a big difference. I can see you getting really fast with that setup.
I'm also a full-time trackballer, my weapon of choice is the Elecom HUGE, Steam Deck/Controller pads or an M570 when I don't feel like using my laptop's pad.
The Shotpad looks pretty gnarly and clunky in use, the concept is cool but it's not executed well.
The Steam Controller feels very unwieldy all-round, but typing on it is great, in the once-in-a-blue-moon case that the Steam onscreen keyboard works properly.
I currently use my Steam Controller as a desktop remote, this is a purpose the Shotpad seems like it would serve, though not as well.
Another arguably expensive and clunky option for a trackpad controller is the Steam Deck.
This by running the Steam Link Flatpak as a non-Steam app, as this is more reliable and flexible than using the built-in Game Mode streaming.
I recently bought a second-hand Steam Controller myself and found the Deck's controls to be a significant step above it all-round.
Even the omission of the dual stage triggers and shrinking of the pads makes sense after experiencing the first iteration.
And typing on the Deck feels great when enabling Trigger Clicks for the Steam onscreen keyboard, again when the darn software cooperates.
That said, this is an expensive device just to use as a controller, I use mine as a Linux tablet, improvised media console (hence Steam Controller remote) and the intended gaming alongside this.
I was already excited for my steam controller when it comes but this video made me really hyped even more
The biggest con of the steam controller is finding one
First time I hear the stream controller described as comfortable. I wanted to like it more, but it cramped my hands every time, and it failed to pick up my inputs on the right trackpad very often. That made it unusable for me sadly. I wish I knew what you did differently to not have issues with those things.
I have both. I wish that the Darkwalker had a better key layout.
Your cat when you pulled the corded controller end away lol and had to brush the kitty paw away lmao 😂🥰
It would be cool if Valve made a sequel to a Steam Controller, but the chances are unlikely due to the company that sued the original controller out of production because they have a patent on back buttons.
They released the Steam Deck, which has 4 back buttons. They could pretty much just release a Steam Controller 2 that is like the Steam Deck but without the screen in the middle (although I would still like to see improvements).
In the case of the steam deck, the same company did come after Valve, but I think they might've settled it out, so maybe there's a chance for a sc2.
@IcyXzavien Last I heard, Valve won an appeal in the lawsuit from SCUF, but there was hardly any news coverage about this and there hasn't been any other news since, so I'm not sure what the eventual outcome out that appeal was. This was back in late August 2021, so whatever happened Valve apparently felt comfortable enough to proceed with their design of the four back buttons on the Steam Deck, and there's been no news of any issue on that front. Meanwhile, there are plenty of other companies making controllers with back buttons -- 8bitdo, GuliKit, eXtremeRate, PowerA, Nyxi -- so I can't imagine they'd have those types of legal troubles with the Steam Controller 2. I fear the real reason we may not get a proper Steam Controller 2 is because the first one may not have sold well enough to justify the expense of making another one.
@carlosbarreto4695 I see this sentiment a lot about a possible SC2 copying the Deck's controls, but I personally would not want this. The big issue for me is that the trackpads feel like a huge downgrade on the Deck by being smaller, square-shaped, flat-surfaced, and in the lower position on the device. I think I also prefer the physical click of the SC versus the haptic click of the SD. The Deck grips feel wonderfully comfortable and the joystick/button layout is great when using those as the primary inputs, but the trackpads just feel like an awkward afterthought. So if they could re-design it where the trackpads are more like SC's, and placed up where the joysticks are, then I would probably be happy with such a controller. Sadly, that may not appeal to the mass market, who seem to predominantly use the sticks on the Deck over the trackpads.
@@TheNocturnalRamblerI obtained these items backward: First the Steam Deck and while looking for a Steam Deck-like controller for playing on TV, the Steam Controller. And so far, I just tested the Steam Controller, so I lack the experience to speak confidently about it (and now that I have the Steam Controller _and_ the Shotpad, I have two items that I need to spend time testing).
However, because screens are retangular, I have a tendency to believe that the square format is better than rounded one. Maybe two square trackpads near each other could make them work also as a bigger, rectangular trackpad, somewhat similar about what is present in the DS4 (but bigger). I can imagine that this could potentially create 3 trackpads: Left Trackpad , Right Trackpad and Big Trackpad (which could be useful for Mouse Region).
On the Steam Deck, I use the Steam Deck even for games that are not shooters or keyboard & mouse exclusives because radial and touch menus are too good to ignore. On the Steam Deck, I'm more confortable using touch menu than the radial menu. Maybe that's because of the squared touchpad... And perhaps I will prefer radial menus on the Steam Controller's rounded trackpad.
In any case, I still think that most players are ignoring the trackpad just because they ignore how awesome it is and how it can enhance the gameplay, whether by using it as an alternative to the right joystick in shooters or to use touch/radial menus. I'm using the right trackpad in Magicka and that makes a whole difference.
I'm definitely a trackpad enthusiast, although I don't think it should _replace_ the right joystick and (to a certain extent) the D-pad, like it happened with the Steam Controller. This is why I think Valve did well with the Steam Deck's controller.
I have some ideas about how a Steam Controller 2 could be... But I don't think these ideas will be seen anywhere soon.
Thank god yt redommend me this video, it saved my wallet from dying for something that wouldn't fit exactly my needs, Im really grateful
Few days ago I was checking this out in Amazon, thanks for the detailed eview!
As if Valve would sponsor a video for their discontinued controller that died 3 years ago. It would be funny though.
... so glad I got 3 extras during the clearance sale. I hope I'm set for life as I do most of my gaming on it. This thing has been my main controller since it released and I don't see why it hasn't gotten a follow-up yet. It rules.
Too bad about the stupid stick though, could've done with a d-pad instead as I always switch the left pad to left stick first thing in every game.
If you look at the original design for the steam controller they actually had buttons where the stick was valve only put a stick there due to feedback from people moaning about the lack of a joystick
But I agree the stick is pointless in my configs I only use it either as a d-pad or radial menus
I have the same IFYOO and have found myself using it less and less due to the right hand not having a comfortable grip (as you had stated in your video). I will look into if there are some 3D printed options to see if I could make it a little more comfortable. If I find something I will let you know.
I haven't used the steam controller much, so I haven't acclimated to it very well. I did buy both the controller and link, and then sold them, I did manage to find open boxes for both on ebay, so I have them back again, and they will stay in my possession.
Wait, the Steam Controller has dual-stage triggers like the GameCube??
Why aren't these on the Steam Deck?? The soft/full pull setup makes much more sense if there's a physical click associated with the full pull!
I have bluetooth version of DarkWalker ShotPad. Pretty interesting thing! Its possible to use it with consoles, and using gyroscope for aiming in console shooters. I think, its impossible to use Gyro of steam controller for consoles, because gyro works on it only through the Steam settings. Its cool, when DarkWalker is possible to set sentivity of touch and gyro aiming just on it with shortcuts. Its not ideal, but very interesting device) I am recomend Bluetooth version... But, I think, you cant connect it to PC through Bluetooth, only via connect dongle. It can be problem, if you lose it\ But it works with wire too
So sad that Valve seems to have dropped the Steam Controller. I have had 3 over the years and adore it. Recently gone back myself agyer playing a lot of Steam Deck recently. I could not imagine going back to a traditional controller for PC gaming. I am hoping that Steam Deck has given Valve the idea of giving Steam Controller a second wind. I'd snap one up.
SC2 Anyone?
I love the cat cameo! :)
Hello fellow unique controller enjoyer! I seen the Shotpad being sold at an used electronics store, I was tempted but also suspicious. The stick being digital on it is a deal breaker for me. My current setup on PC is a Hori TAC Pro with mouse, so I get true analog movement from the Hori and it has great ergonomic placement of the stick. This is great on my wrist as I dont have to do WASD. I like playing on thee couch too, so I got one of those padded boards people use for reading and I wrapped one of those long mousepads around it. Pretty comfortable setup for me now!
actually the shift for the triggers to how they are on a mouse makes alot of sense. depending on how you look aat it. you are looking at it from the perspective of a controller player, and theire is nothing wrong with that. but as someone who has a steamdeck and a steamcontroller this makes alot of sense. if you use your right thumb on the trackpad to do the course aiming, then pulling the right trigger to shoot will inadvertenly trow off your aimg, because obth your right thmum and your right pointer finger are doing the aiming and shooting. when you move your finger on the trigger you slightly trow of your thumb movement.
when you shift shooting to the left trigger you avoit this problem. on the steamdeck you can mitigate tis by using the right stick to aim, wich dos not have to move so quickly as you are doing with thumb swipes.. but the hardest part is to rewire your brain to not find it strange ti shoot with our left trigger finger.
but i get what you mean. it feels natural on a mouse, but not on a controller, because of how our brains are brainwashed into the console controller layout that is present in every console shooter these days.
Illuminating video, thank you!
I feel there is a good idea somewhere within the DarkWalker design.
I really wish I had bought a steam controller when it was available. I hope that with the Steam Deck being so popular that Valve either reissues the steam controller or makes a new one to match the features of the Steam Deck. Because once you gotten use to the decks features, every other controls method feels limited.
The Steam Deck is a good compromise. That being said, while it works on the tablet form-factor that is the steam deck, I don't know how that'd transition to just a controller. The joys of being able to flip between and mixing all three forms of aiming has been great, and having a D-Pad is non-negotiable for me, I play too many games that work better with that input, and the giant circle with an imprint of a d-pad isn't quite the same thing. Still, good to see people are making new devices trying to get trackpads into handheld form factors on controllers.
I love the Steam Controller. Only thing, I wish the Right Trackpad was about 25% larger and the left analogue & D-pad was swapped like an Xbox controller. I love how customizable everything is like long presses, double presses, toggles, cycles etc. 1 or 2 mouse scrolls would have been nice too.
it feels to me that the shotpads placement would be my biggest gripe if I had it.
they should have had the joystick where the dpad is, since it's in the better ergonomic position. the track pad is way too massive, you can't even reach certain points, so make it smaller. the z x and face buttons seem difficult to press with ease due to placement.
props where they are due, they have back buttons where you hand lies naturally
What does the darkwalker controller show up as in steam input
It doesn't show up as anything at all, it's treated as a mouse and keyboard because that's effectively what it is.
People were way too harsh on the steam controller when it released and im sad we'll probably never see a V2 from valve bc some of the design choices are a little strange imo but im so glad it opened the door for steaminput and in many ways steamvr and all the other hardware endeavora valve has undertaken since
The Darkwalker is really promising for people coming from mobile gaming. To be competitive in FPS mobile games you need to use the touchscreen, fire with one of your left fingers, aim with the right thumb, and get a little assistance from the gyro functionality. The developers of this controller seem to understand all of that!
It would be great if this controller was compatible with mobile and tablets. And if it had a software on PC or MAC to adjust settings more precisely.
Great review btw! Keep up the good work!
Great review and comparison! I love my Shotpad but mainly for tactical/strategy games that rely on a floating cursor. I always found the Steam controller kind of stuck in an uncomfortable middle ground of trying to be familiar enough for traditional gamepad players but also be able to control traditional mouse-based PC games, and ended up not really satisfying either side. The sheer customization of it via steam input is a great thing but it's also the kind of thing most people will never really drill down into to find the right setup and get used to it as you did with Killing Floor.
Ultimately I think the Shotpad design is kind of what the Steam controller should have been, with a much more limited focus on making PC-style games (think stuff like cities skylines, civilization, total war, etc) playable from a couch with the assumption that people would just use regular xinput controllers for gamepad style games as they continued to do anyway. You also avoid any mixed input confusion and setup by making the device totally m/kb based, and the larger trackpad and overall design of the controller clearly shows it is not trying to be a gamepad replacement but instead do something else entirely.
The Steam controller felt hamstrung by using a gamepad layout, with a traditional button diamond and dual analog configuration only now with trackpads, and the people that was targeted toward just ended up using Xbox 360 controllers anyway. I like that the Shotpad just goes for it and makes something totally different and doesn't try to be another normal controller, with it's larger single trackpad and layout filled with keyboard and mouse inputs (in the same left/right orientation as a real mouse) showing that it's meant to be a replacement m/kb and not a replacement gamepad. The Steam controller did some great things like help popularize Gyro control, but after watching it falter back in the day it's hard not to imagine how things could have gone differently.
Good points. I think the Steam Controller could have been what the Steam Deck's controller are now: Full-fledged Xinput controllers with additional functions added (the dual trackpads, like the Steam Controller, plus twice the number of customised rear buttons) that, thanks to Steam Input, can give players keyboard & mouse functions.
Still, for an original - and why not to say revolutionary - idea in 2015, I think it still holds as a good controller even today until Valve decides to release a Steam Controller 2 that either export the Steam Deck controller or creates an even better version of it (which I hope will be the case).
Another point is that Valve should have made what was left for RUclipsrs: they should have made clear and concise videos (with examples) of how to use Steam Input. Yes, they have documentation, but that only appeals for those who are dedicated to make a deep dive into the subject.
Finally, there where a LOT of horrible reviews - including by big names like IGN and PC gamer - made by people who didn't invest the minimum amount of time to learn about the product.
I mostly agree! I use the Steam Controller for all of my PC games, all of the time, because I can't use a mouse and keyboard for gaming. Overly mouse-heavy games are the hardest to get feeling right. I can sort of get around it by mostly using the gyroscope, as though the controller was a wiimote, and then dialling in using the trackpad for the fine movements. It's not ideal, but it's better for me than using a mouse most of the time.
That said, for games like Cities: Skylines, I tend to use the gamepad layouts they already come with. It's not quite as smooth as kb/m controls, but they work better than you'd think. After all, they do sell these games on consoles and they do pretty well on those platforms. Cities: Skylines is one I actually played on ps4, and it worked more than well enough, as did Jurassic World: Evolution. I'm currently playing Jurassic World: Evolution 2 on PC with my Steam Controller, and I made an idiosyncratic control scheme using keyboard and mouse inputs but swapping to gamepad for vehicle controls and... it works? It works well enough *for me*, because I spent the time to build it and tweak it, but honestly the gamepad controls were fine the whole time.
@@taliadx These types of games have definitely improved their gamepad support a lot in recent years due to how many console ports get made of them these days, but I still think for a lot of cursor-built games that the trackpad works better. Especially when you have to go from one region of the screen to another far region and don't want to tab through a bunch of stuff to get there. It is nice that they have good gamepad support but I still think the Shotpad or something similar works better especially for so many of the PC based games that were made before this recent time too
I was wondering if you uploaded your config for killing floor and dragon's dogma? as I'd be interested in using them :)
Is with the Shotpad possibility to program it in Steam (like gamepad)?
The Shotpad is not recognized as a specific controller, your OS treats it exactly like a mouse and keyboard. I don't believe Steam Input allows you to program options for M/KB like you can with gamepads, so there's no way to customize settings that way -- only in-game settings for things like key-bindings or mouse sensitivity. Third party software like reWASD or RawAccel might help in those instances but I haven't tried any of that.
@@TheNocturnalRambler@therightman2031 It is possible using an app called reWASD. A bit clunky, and has a learning curve, but it works.
After using an Xbox pad or PS5 pad, I tried the IIne touchpad, which is almost identical to the DarkWalker ShotPad (are these just different names from the same company?). The left trigger button and the two buttons above it are very uncomfortable. In FPS games, during urgent situations, the two buttons above the trigger often get pressed accidentally due to their overlapping placement (poor ergonomic design). I think I understand why companies like Sony or Microsoft don't design controllers this way. If they were to make one, it should be designed like a regular controller but with the right joystick area replaced by a touchpad. While it seems like a touchpad would be great for aiming, in reality, it hinders other controls, diminishing the touchpad's advantages. I tried playing Remnant 2 solo, but it was too chaotic. I bought it for the touchpad's sensitivity and precision, but the controls are so awkward that I ended up not using it.
why did they have to arrange 1-8 keys as a d-pad instead of, like, a 2 rows of 4 keys?
motion control aiming in the las zeldas is superb i think, and resolves the clunky aiming with sticks.
I bought one of the shotpad knockoffs, it hasn't arrived but maybe I should have just gone out and dug my Steam Controller out. I'm still going to because I want to compare these. Everyone does FPS reviews but this controller would be sick for RTSs and similar pointer heavy game. Hell this might be the best game pad for CAD, I think I'm going to find out.
wait i see a crack in front ifyoo? similar to some IINE stuff, damn the company only focus on OEM stuff.
Wait you use the right track pad for buttons and camera controls? That sounds like a nightmare to deal with, How do you keep the camera from going awol while doing button inputs?
It just doesn't work the way you think it does 🤷🏻 I personally have gyro on right pad touch so if I am pressing up for example I can still control the camera
It's not a nightmare at all
Does the steam controller can be use with game that don’t support controller? From your video seen like i can map any keyboard key to the controller but does it work well with the game
That's literally the point of the Steam Controller of how it's supposed to also support games that don't support controller input.
How does it feel using the trackpad is it like a laptop track pad or is it more repsonsive
Man how do you play with a trackball?! I have an Elecom huge and I could never aim anywhere near accurately enough, at least for FPS games.
Can the steam controller be used on Series X using xim or Cronus? Haven't found anyone thats put out a video yet
gonna copy/paste my reddit post here, with some additions, for more visibility:
Idk about the gyro version, but when I tried the wired version of the shotpad the trackpad felt stupid low resolution. Like, maybe 10% of what the steam controllers resolution is (this is especially noticeable when trying to make small movements by just slightly rolling your thumb around), at least to my feel (I put a sc trackpad sticker on the shotpad so I could feel how far I was swiping, and I couldnt get nearly the same amount of camera rotation even when maxing in game sensitivity).
I guess it makes up for that with size... But ehhh... Using trackpad for fast/big camera movements and gyro for aiming on the sc makes me think the trackpad doesnt need to be massive to get good results. At some point, the worse ergonomics cancel out the benefits of the larger trackpad.
now onto the additions:
For everyone who complained about the sc's trackpads being "like a laptop" - even though they are much higher quality - the shotpads trackpad does legit feel like the manufacturer had some spare bargain bin laptop trackpads laying around and wanted to do something with them. The shotpad does fit that "laptop trackpad blech" stigma a lot more than the steam controller does.
With any bespoke hardware, the software is what matters most. I've heard that the newer gyro equipped shotpad has support in rewasd, but considering steam inputs gyro rework and rewasd's bare bones trackpad support I'd still put the steam controller above the shotpad in the software department (especially because there are rumblings of a trackpad rework, which means even if rewasd steps their game up they'll be outdated again in due time).
the shotpad really seems to be more aimed at console gamers who play games that support kbm on console but they still want to use a controller. At that point, any trackpad and gyro is better than no trackpad or gyro. I wouldnt consider using the shotpad on pc, just because the steam controller is a much better option - provisionally, as you have to hunt one down due to being discontinued.
Kind of a final note...
something doesnt sit right with me. Tech Yesterdays thumb mouse, the Alpakka gyro only no right stick or trackpad controller, the shotpad, PyottDesigns controller trackball... all highly upvoted and all have people excited over innovation. people clearly yearn for what the steam controller was capable of, but when it comes to the steam controller itself? suddenly everyone is complaining about the lack of a right stick, as if all those other controllers dont also not have a right stick. Its bizarre.
11:10 Wii-U Pro Controller. Best of controllers with both of the joysticks on the top for max comfort. They need MORE controllers with both joysticks up there. Not the Playstation and Xbox style. Need more then 2 style of controllers.
Can i use this as keyboard for xbox one x for left and mouse in right? And without xim apex?
I wish the steam controller had been sold in my country. If I manage to go to the US I'll definitely try and get one
great video!
i noticed your steam controller has a controller dongle taped to the back of it. How are you using it? do you have another dongle or is there a way to connect it without one?
I use bluetooth. All SC's are capable of BT so long as the firmware is updated and you press a specific button combination when booting it up to put it in pairing mode (steam+y).
Awesome review
The Steam controller was ahead of its time.
While I like the steam controller, I personally find the controls on the steam deck much nicer. Especially since it includes 2 equal trackpads.
I am left-handed so I switch them around, aim with the left trackpad, move with the right stick. Face buttons mapped to the 4 back buttons. Overal I would love it if valve creates a worthy successor to the steam controller.
unrelated question to the video but does anyone know what keyboard he is using at 9:00?
Good review but I think you missed the biggest issue with the steam controller. That is it is no longer manufactured. However if you found a good supply where they do not cost 200+ then let me know.
Like I said in the video, you can buy used Steam Controllers in good working condition for 30-50 USD pretty easily, and there are plenty going for 60-70 USD. This will depend on your location of course, but this is what I'm seeing available and recently sold on eBay right now.
controllers like these are very clearly meant to be used with games that only support mouse and keyboard input like RPG and Strategy games in a living room PC setup. it's always funny to see people reviewing these by trying to play FPS games which are always better when played with an actual controller or mouse and keyboard.
Counterpoint: trackpad+gyro is a phenomenal way to aim in FPS games, and both of these controllers are capable of those features.
@@TheNocturnalRambler and yet that's not what these controllers were made for.
I seriously doubt the designers of these controllers made them to be used exclusively for strategy games and RPGs. Their primary purpose was simply to allow KB+M controls in a handheld form factor, and FPS games are included in the possible range of applications. The ShotPad's control layout and marketing even seem deliberately intended for FPS games while the Steam Controller has profile layouts designed specifically for FPS games.
It doesn't matter what specific type of game you think they were made for; the fact of the matter is these controllers are great for FPS games. In fact they're objectively better than a standard controller which is notoriously imprecise compared to a mouse/gyro, and I personally like them a lot better than a regular mouse, so I also strongly disagree with your initial assertion that FPS games are "always better when played with an actual controller or mouse and keyboard."
@@TheNocturnalRambler they're really not though. playing an FPS game with a touchpad is just painful. there's a reason why alot of the games that Valve showed off while prototyping the Steam controller weren't FPS games. they're for games that specifically require mouse and keyboard of which FPS games are not included since they play just fine on a standard controller. nobody is going to pro Counter Strike or Halo tournaments with the Shotpad.
these controllers are specifically designed to be able to play games that exclusively use mouse and keyboard while sitting comfortable in your living room with your computer displayed on your TV. strategy games and RPGs are the obvious examples but there are many more games that fit the criteria.
I think you should speak for yourself. If you think playing an FPS game with a touchpad is "painful" that's fine if that's your opinion, but please don't try to push that as some kind of universal, objective truth. Frankly, I find it hard to take anything you say seriously when you insist that a standard controller is just fine as a substitute for mouse and keyboard in an FPS, while your repeated insistence on just straight up ignoring that the ShotPad was specifically designed and marketed for FPS games in favor of pushing your own narrative is just ridiculous.
we seriously need a double touchpad controller like steam controller with no sticks, it makes so much sense in almost every way
the steam controller was going to be that originally but i think valve found it too alienating for gamers who were already familiar with dual analog gamepads
I sitll want a left stick and a proper Dpad.
That was the original design of the controller (you can find it on Wikipedia, they had the face buttons in the center of the controller).
Hey nocturnal rambler what do think pf pillars of eternity 2 is it better than 1 or worse ? And have you seen neverknowsbest poe 1 review ? If so do you agree or disagree ?
I...want to try the shot pad for helldivers
I want a steam controller but they are hard to find here in Australia.
If you're in the uk you can get a steam controller in good condition from CEX for about £30
hit the like bro spent his own money and spent his time to give us this review thanks well informed review
Holy sh!t... 200 bucks for a new Steam Controller??? I didn't know they stopped making them. I bought 3 of them from Steam about 4 years ago when they went on sale for 5 bucks apiece. Two are still in the box. I guess I should see what I can get for them when ya can't find 'em anymore.
i never owned a steam controller but using the trackpads on the steam deck makes me want to order one for docked use. The ps5 controller has a touchpad as well
You can turn your Steam Deck on with the Steam controller.
one of the greatest gift to the console gamer community and the gamers let it die.
This is very cool for ppl who play on smartphones. Id only ever get the wireless.
You've convinced me to just stick with the steam controller :)
I wish Valve shipped their hardware to my country, same shit for both the Steam Controller and Steam Deck, couldn't officially buy it from Valve cause they simply don't ship it to here, and now that the Steam Controller is discontinued I have no way of getting my hands in one without paying a highly inflated price than its original MSRP, same with the Steam Deck, officially you can get the 256GB model for $400, here it's nearly $500 for the 64GB one
Man I so wish Steam would launch Steam Controller 2. They essentially have almost ready product already. Just take Steam Deck and cut the display out of it and it would be about done. I'd buy few immediately. I really like and almost daily drive original Steam Controller for older titles,but today it would be nice to have modern controller in it too. Touchpad just doesn't replace right stick perfectly.
I have the DarkWalker Shotpad and other controllers (xbox/ps4 pro controllers) but i want the steam controller!!!
If all games supported seamless simultaneous gamepad and keyboard input. Steam controller would be the perfect controller imo.
I love touchpads, but I stick to dualsense for 99% of games. Any good gamepad needs regular dual analog sticks or regular d-pad, some games just need those to feel right. I don't like how these controllers require you to use touchpad since no second stick. I can use Dualsense for touchpad mouse and gyro and thats enough for me
doesn't the dualsense have a touchpad
@@flamestoyershadowkill Yes that's what makes it better than a regular Switch Pro or Xbox controller to me. I had the Steam Controller track pads in mind, I guess I could've phrased better
Yeah, gyro aiming +flick stick is the GOAT PC + Controller + FPS combo.
I friggen love the dark walker! I have one myself and have had so much fun using it!
you can also use the scroll wheel to select weapons, no?
For some games, yeah, but I've never been a fan of that function. It's always felt clumsy and imprecise to me with needing to scroll to the exact spot and not overshoot or undershoot it, and then also usually having to click the mouse to "select" the weapon, or if you have "auto-swap" on then you're sitting through animations for every weapon as you cycle through it. I've always preferred just pressing a dedicated button to go straight to the right weapon slot without any of those extra hassles.