The official Steam controller was shipped to a lucky few a couple of weeks ago and it didn’t take long to get ours up and running. We put the controller through its paces by using it to play our latest release, Gunnheim.
Here it is!
Things we noticed right away with the controller:
Customization
The controller is completely customizable. The great thing about this will be all the key binding possibilities. We set up an official binding for Gunnheim but won’t be surprised if the community comes up with something even better. It's a great system and we can’t wait to see it in action.
Mimicking a mouse
The right pad can be mapped as though it’s a mouse in a traditional keyboard/mouse configuration. This should give the user more control, particularly in strategy games where it has been difficult to play with a controller in the past. Time will tell but the Steam controller might finally bring the strategy genre into your living room.
Overall feel
The controller feels ‘right’ if that makes sense. It has a good weight it it and is comfortable to hold. Admittedly we weren’t playing a marathon session of DOTA 2 but from what we did play there were no hand cramps, and all the buttons were very accessible.
Battery placement
This is our one criticism. The batteries are under a plate on the back of the controller. Putting the batteries in isn’t a problem, but getting them out is a little awkward. You have to use a little lever for each that ‘pushes’ them out. Hopefully the controller is not a battery hog and we won’t have to take the batteries out very often.
All in all, our assessment is that the controller is a great addition to any Steam gamer’s arsenal.