• Sibbo
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    1118 days ago

    What’s so bad about Steam Controller 1 that it desperately needs a sequel?

    • Altima NEO
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      418 days ago

      Especially when this is all steam controller 1 parts.

      • @[email protected]
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        18 days ago

        From the article, I believe that it’s Steam Deck parts, not Steam Controller 1 parts.

        Which makes sense, because you can get a Steam Deck, but the Steam Controller 1 has been out of production for some years.

        EDIT: Wikipedia says that production ended in 2019.

        • zqps
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          318 days ago

          You can get them secondhand, that’s not the issue. What would be the point of making a Steam controller from Steam controller parts? We already have that.

          • @[email protected]
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            16 days ago

            They have mechanical components that will wear out over time (though I suppose some people probably use them lightly enough that it’s less of an issue).

    • @[email protected]
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      3518 days ago

      Mostly just that they’re not longer being produced and the second-hand supply is dwindling. Also the bumpers are prone to breaking and a USB-C port would be nice.

      • Krudler
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        17 days ago

        Prone?

        Hell, they are almost designed to break. They are utterly shabby in terms of build quality.

        I was one of the early adopters going back to November 2015

        I am not lying when I tell you I have been through 17 of these controllers. It’s the right bumper almost every time.

        I have a giant handful of the dongles. I was saving them thinking they would go up in value but now like $2 knockoffs are available LOL

        Edit: the first one I received, out of the box, had a broken face button membrane. The replacement I received had a non-functioning back right paddle. The replacement for that had a non-functioning R shoulder and you could hear the plastic crunching on each press. That’s just the first three I received and I’m not counting those in the 17 that I destroyed in my own hands.

        They were built like absolute shit. After the first run got sold and they shored-up manufacturing problems, they got marginally better but the fundamental underlying issue never was solved.

        If it wasn’t such a wonderful controller, I would have stomped the first one into powder and never looked back.

        • @[email protected]
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          117 days ago

          Totally fair take. What they lack in durability they more than make up for in ergonomics and control customization features.

          I’ve got a total of 8 of them with only 2 busted bumpers. I’d say that’s not terrible considering they went through 1000+ hours of the Souls series plus Sekiro.

    • The Octonaut
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      618 days ago

      For me, I want one with internal rechargeable (and replaceable) batteries, more reliable Bluetooth, and multi-device targeting (ie those 1,2,3 toggles you see on stuff like mouse/keyboards - I use mine on my Steam Deck and also on my desktop - dont want to mess with pairing each time. Plus if I end up with with a Switch 2, the trackpad would be interesting for mouse mode if those could connect (no idea)).

      • zqps
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        318 days ago

        You know you can just chuck rechargeable 2.4V AA batteries in there and it works perfectly, right?

        • phonics
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          18 days ago

          Rechargeables get stuck and are waaaay harder to remove than regular because they’re just a bit bigger. I have solved this with a loop of sticky tape around the batteries so I got a bit of a pull tab when using them. so it works…but not perfectly

        • The Octonaut
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          818 days ago

          Yes but

          • it doesn’t let me charge and play at the same time
          • I could hot swap in and out batteries, but it doesn’t report battery percentage
          • It also doesn’t auto-pause when the battery dies, like other systems do
          • It runs through them quickly
          • it acts finicky/unpredictable when the battery is very low, rather than reaching a consistent threshold and stopping working
          • In combination with a bug/anti-feature I’ve posted about previously, my Steam Deck sees it as a new controller every time the batteries are replaced, despite the Bluetooth MAC/BDA not changing.
          • zqps
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            18 days ago

            Fair enough. I much prefer swapping them every few hours rather than using a wire, and I haven’t had those identification problems you describe. Largely comes down to setup and usage profile it seems.

    • @[email protected]
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      918 days ago

      The Deck’s controls. The Steam Controller was a bit too drastic of a change for me. It’s great for games not designed for a controller but having no D-pad and only a single analog stick is a deal breaker for most people who get a controller to play games designed for controllers.

    • @[email protected]
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      617 days ago
      • It lacks a d-pad
      • It lacks a right thumb stick
      • The thumb stick it has is not capacitive nor drift free
      • It only has one back paddle for each side
      • Ergonomics of the deck are way better, at least for me
      • It lacks the ... button (although this is minor because Steam+a opens the same menu)

      Don’t get me wrong, the SC 1 is a great controller, but the Steam deck is better, getting a Steam deck like controller would be awesome.

    • @[email protected]
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      317 days ago

      Well, my steam controller stopped working, and they don’t make them anymore. Yes, I know I could buy a used one on ebay but I’d rather have a new one.

    • @[email protected]
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      217 days ago

      Every time it vibrates it sounds like it’s trying to explode into an angry horde of bees. I still use it but gosh it’s annoying.