Steam Link/Steam Controller Thread

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

I've been playing around with my Steam Link and Steam controller.

So far the Steam link has been pretty solid. Pretty much plug n play. Hooked it up via powerline adapter and haven't had any lag. There's only 3 usb ports. Wish there was at least one more in case you have 4 wired controllers hooked up. The USB ports are in the back and one is on the side. Would prefer them all on the front. Have been streaming at 1080p and framerate has been rock solid.


Played some Dungeon Defenders. Steam controller worked fine in controller mode. I've been playing it the last couple of days with a dual shock and it was an easy adjustment. The right touchpad takes the place of one of the analog sticks.

Played some HL1 with the steam controller in mouse/kb mode. It worked OK. Definitely need to play around with the settings more. Was tempted to pull out a wireless kb/mouse to play with.

Side note but I preordered from GameStop. That's been a nightmare because the receipt I received when I picked up the controller/link did not come with my codes for Rocket League and Portal 2. Been trying to deal with them on that issue. I've been to ~4/5 Gamestops in the past couple of weeks and I will say that customer service has been really good. Even phone help didn't try to give me the runaround.

 

[mundane]

I received mine on Saturday (preorder from Valve). I haven't had the opportunity to do more than hook it up and briefly test. Easy to setup, except I had some difficulty dis-associating the controller from the link in order to update firmware from my main desktop. As for the network, the house is wired, so I do not need to worry about wireless quality.

I have some reservations about how the touchpad will function in games designed for dual analog. I do like the underside triggers, I'm not sure why they aren't standard in more platforms (ergonomics for different sized hands? arthritis/limited mobility concerns?). In emulation mode for supported games, the additional controller buttons are associated with specific, commonly used keyboard shortcuts. I suppose there will be a learning curve involved.

I also tested it with a non-Steam game (Dragon Age II), and while the streaming worked fine, I will probably need to fall back to mouse + kb. I already have a wireless kb + mouse, and there shouldn't be any issue with plugging in a simple USB hub for additional inputs.

Once work and home demands die down in the next few weeks I should have the opportunity to fully vet the system.

 

[KMFJD]

steam link works great, steam controller? not liking it so far, but it's early, i had the sensitivity turned up to max in Fallout 4 and i wanted it more sensitive, maybe if there was someway to snap the trackpad back to center?

 

[Phobic9]

I received both the Link and controller yesterday and yes, the controller is odd. I've been playing Fallout 4 with an Xbox 360 controller up to now and the switch to the Steam controller was frustrating. I was happy I ordered from Amazon because I was definitely at the point of returning it... after an hour. The ability to download community configs however has made me like it a bit more after a couple of hours.

The only other gripes I have after a couple of hours are using it is that it feels like the brightness or gamma is a bit too high, making the game looking washed out. Hopefully Valve will give this thing the love it needs with patches because gaming on the couch is pretty much the only way I want to touch my PC after work these days.

 

[mizzou]

I will buy a steamlink for the holidays, but the controller...YUCK

Give me wireless KB/Mouse please, and a 360 controller.

 

[sweenish]

The Link, while a cool concept, is just greedy in my opinion.

You're hogging the computer by running the game, and now you're hogging the TV as well.

I realize that's not an issue for a lot of people, but it would very much be one for me.

 

[KentState]

Do you have to use the Steam Controller?

 

[Phobic9]

Do you have to use the Steam Controller?

No, people have been successful in using the PS4's Dual Shock 4 wirelessly (bluetooth) and the Xbox controllers also work. I believe the 360 controller will work wirelessly with the required dongle as well.

 

[KMFJD]

The xbox one controllers don't work wirelessly yet, third part solution in the works i guess

 

[SlitheryDee]

Got the steam controller yesterday. I've been trying to play fallout 4 with it, but it's been a bit of a struggle. The touchpad is kind of hard to aim with. It seems to be getting better the more I play with it though. I was able to put together a decent left handed control scheme for the game, which was something it didn't offer by default. Eventually I'm going to try some other games with it, but the slow pace of fallout is good for getting used to this kind of controller I think. My tentative conclusion is that the steam controller might have potential, but the learning curve is pretty steep.

My brother tried it for a couple of hours and wrote it off as crap, which would have been my own conclusion if I only had two hours to use it as well. On my second day I can safely say that it does get much better. This is something you aren't going to just pick up and rock at everything with right away though. The fact that it simply does not come naturally doesn't bode well for its future in my opinion. A very large number of people are going to pick it up briefly, spend a few frustrating minutes trying to use it effectively, and then leave it behind forever certain that there's nothing in it for them. The ones who soldier on long enough to learn to use it will probably be fine, but only time will tell on that point.

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

you can use the steam controller with the link without using the dongle. probably need the dongle if you're running ds4s. I've got them hooked up and they work perfectly.

steam controller has ~3 modes. Advanced controller, controller, m/kb mode..

The controller I'm still iffy about. I still prefer m/kb. Controller is too casual for cs:go/kf2. Works decently enough for half life. Still working on the trackball/gyro settings for that game.

Worked OK for Just Cause 2 multiplayer. Definitely need to tweak the controls. Trying to grapple jump was a pain. Works about the same in controller mode for Darksiders. Maybe slightly worse than a 360 controller. Could possibly be better if I did a m/kb setup for the controller.

Battery life for the controller has been good. Still on the original batteries after playing with it for a couple hours a day since Thursday. I picked up eneloop batteries to use once the disposables run out. Also picked up some 9 foot micro usb cables if I want to go wired. Also to charge the dualshock 4s, which have horrible battery life because of the constant lightbar.

 

[Homerboy]

Ok so I'ma bit confused here as to what this is all about.

My son has a PC in his room that he plays on. He also has a TV in his room that he occasionally will lug the PC over and plug in to play his games (mainly GTAV) on "the big screen"

What would be needed from Steam so that he wouldn't have to physically move his PC?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

Ok so I'ma bit confused here as to what this is all about.

My son has a PC in his room that he plays on. He also has a TV in his room that he occasionally will lug the PC over and plug in to play his games (mainly GTAV) on "the big screen"

What would be needed from Steam so that he wouldn't have to physically move his PC?

Steam link will stream games from the PC in big picture mode. So you run Steam on your pc. Get on the link at your TV. It will run the game on your pc and stream it to the TV. Similar to screen casting, miracast, nvidia shield. To get the most optimal playing conditions you want to connect everything with a wired connection. There's a wireless adapter built in but results are a little more inconsistent. You can use powerline adapters but the results are going to be dependent on how your home was wired.

 

[KMFJD]

If you have a router using N or AC it should work fine as well

 

[Homerboy]

Steam link will stream games from the PC in big picture mode. So you run Steam on your pc. Get on the link at your TV. It will run the game on your pc and stream it to the TV. Similar to screen casting, miracast, nvidia shield. To get the most optimal playing conditions you want to connect everything with a wired connection. There's a wireless adapter built in but results are a little more inconsistent. You can use powerline adapters but the results are going to be dependent on how your home was wired.

Gotcha. And reading up on it, seems he can use his the XBox controllers right on the Steam Link too.

I just realized though, his GTA copy isn't through Steam. It's through RockStar directly.

 

[KMFJD]

Gotcha. And reading up on it, seems he can use his the XBox controllers right on the Steam Link too.

I just realized though, his GTA copy isn't through Steam. It's through RockStar directly.

All you should have to do is add the game to your steam library as a non steam game

 

[mundane]

Gotcha. And reading up on it, seems he can use his the XBox controllers right on the Steam Link too.

I just realized though, his GTA copy isn't through Steam. It's through RockStar directly.

"Add Non-Steam Games to a Library". YMMV.

 

[Homerboy]

Ah excellent. Thought maybe that it had to be a "Steam Game" to work.
Sounds like somebody has a nice Christmas Present coming.

 

[Attic]

I'm definitely planning to get this, and then put a mini gaming PC near my network equipment to run the games.

I've used Steam Streaming before (PC to PC) and wireless was not good. If you can get a hard line between the PC and the Steam Link, i'd highly recommend it.

Amazon has the SteamLink and the Xbox One Wireless adapter for Win10 configurd as a combo. Still no way to get a One controller working wirelessly?

 

[M0oG0oGaiPan]

I'm definitely planning to get this, and then put a mini gaming PC near my network equipment to run the games.

I've used Steam Streaming before (PC to PC) and wireless was not good. If you can get a hard line between the PC and the Steam Link, i'd highly recommend it.

Amazon has the SteamLink and the Xbox One Wireless adapter for Win10 configurd as a combo. Still no way to get a One controller working wirelessly?

not from what i've been reading. wired only at the moment.

 

[clamum]

I've been thinking about picking up a Steam Controller from Amazon. I currently have a wired knock-off 360 controller that has issues with the left analog stick (it's physically fine but causes unwanted motion in the game, even after calibrations) so I was gonna upgrade to a wireless official 360 controller but saw the Steam Controller is $15 more. It looks pretty excellent but you guys here don't seem to care for it much. The reviews on Amazon are pretty decent, though.

Any more experience with the Steam Controller?

 

[rivethead]

I've been thinking about picking up a Steam Controller from Amazon. I currently have a wired knock-off 360 controller that has issues with the left analog stick (it's physically fine but causes unwanted motion in the game, even after calibrations) so I was gonna upgrade to a wireless official 360 controller but saw the Steam Controller is $15 more. It looks pretty excellent but you guys here don't seem to care for it much. The reviews on Amazon are pretty decent, though.

Any more experience with the Steam Controller?

GameStop stores have demos of the Steam Controller (at least the stores I frequent here in Austin, TX).

It feels really solid in the hand. I would suggest checking one out yourself before pulling the Amazon order trigger.

 

[Sabrewings]

I like my Steam Controller. I've pretty much replaced my Logitech 360 knock-off with it. The Steam Controller is much more versatile and nearly infinitely configurable with Steam's built in configuration. Also, automatic firmware updates are nice. Haptics with it are really great for feed back as well.

I think the only place my Logitech controller shines thus far is racing games, but with a little adjustment I think the Steam Controller will replace it there too.