I personally think the Deck is very comfortable given its bulk. I have a lot of faith in the controller ergonomics.
Comment on Steam Hardware [new Steam Controller, Steam Machine, and VR headset Steam Frame, coming in 2026]
tal@lemmy.today 13 hours ago
Dang. The new Steam Controller has a D-pad, buttons, thumbsticks, gyros, and trackpads.
And the thumbsticks are TMR (like Hall effect, but nicer).
As long as it’s comfortable to reach all that stuff, that’s gonna be a new bar for PC game controllers.
null@piefed.nullspace.lol 12 hours ago
Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 8 hours ago
The first time I held a deck I was kind of amazed at how comfortable it is to hold. Bricks shouldn’t be that comfy to hold, but, it is. The ergonomics are spot on. Gotta handle the Steam Controller V2 myself before any verdict, but I have high hopes.
victorz@lemmy.world 12 hours ago
The 8bitDo Ultimate 2 has TMR sticks too, best controller I’ve used. Better than the Xbox Elite Controller Series 2. I do wish the 8bitDo had 4 underside buttons instead of only 2, but it’s still better. The sticks are insane.
Prove_your_argument@piefed.social 12 hours ago
~$25 for an 8bitdo ultimate 2c! The price is just too good. I know it doesn’t have TMR or the extra buttons, but it just works and feels really good to me compared to the xbox elite controller that got the shoulder button issue within 3 months for me.
The trackpads are unnecessary imo. Games made for controller aren’t going to expect the deck touchpads, they’re gonna expect xbox and playstation controllers without it. The touchpads just fit a very specific niche of people who want to play with the steam deck on a TV in games that are not fully controller supported and don’t have a keyboard and mouse paired for that use case. Always better to have options I suppose.
VindictiveJudge@lemmy.world 10 hours ago
I have carpal tunnel syndrome and mouse heavy games hurt, but playing with a controller is great. If this can easily replace a mouse and keyboard setup then I’ll be playing with it a lot, and those track pads are a big reason why.
Prove_your_argument@piefed.social 10 hours ago
It can’t really replace mouse and keyboard though. Not unless developers start designing games to work that way, and these touchpads are exclusive to an ultraminority of the hardware market share. The deck gives you that virtual keyboard which kinda works with the touchpads but it’s not ideal.
There’s no shortage of amazing games that are fully compatible with controllers though, thankfully.
Btw have you tried a trackball? i’ve been using a thumb based one like a logitech M575 for the better part of 30 years, ever since I saw one at CompUSA. Professionally 100% of my time is spent with one, and I used to have top tier KDR in counter strike 1.X back in the day (though I use normal mice for gaming usually nowadays.)
victorz@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
The 8bitDo Ultimate 2 was like $40–50 or something, so cheap compared to the Elite 2. I got the dirt cheap 8Bit just to try it out for giggles because I’d never tried TMR sticks before. Bro I haven’t touched the Elite 2 since unpacking the 8bit.
M137@lemmy.world 9 hours ago
I’ve been dreaming if this since the first steam controller released. I absolutely loved it, but it definitely had it’s quirks and issues. This seems just like the upgrade that I wished for in every way possible, with some added nice stuff on top. I just hope it won’t be $100+
e0qdk@reddthat.com 13 hours ago
Now if it just had a replaceable battery…
piyuv@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
It does! Verge reports that battery pops out like old cellphone batteries
e0qdk@reddthat.com 12 hours ago
Nice!
rtxn@lemmy.world 11 hours ago
Looks like you’ll have to remove the entire bottom shell. From GN’s video:
A disassembled Steam Controller with its bottom shell removed and its insides visible.
tal@lemmy.today 12 hours ago
kagis
theverge.com/…/valve-steam-controller-hands-on-de…
MurrayL@lemmy.world 9 hours ago
FYI you can just post the link without shilling for your preferred search engine
rtxn@lemmy.world 13 hours ago
It probably will. Watch Gamers Nexus’ video, it has a short clip that shows the battery, and it looks like it’s held in a receptacle like removable phone batteries. Valve have already said that you’d be able to disassemble the controller with a screwdriver, but no word yet on replacement parts.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWUxObt1efQ&t=41m19s