Back at Steam Dev Days, Valve announced it was giving up on the touchpad dreams for its Steam Controller
Looks like Valve’s wacky Steam Controller isn’t ever going to get the touchscreen it was originally
Posted in: Today's ChiliLooks like Valve’s wacky Steam Controller
Valve announced its Steam Controller late last month, leaving many gamers everywhere scratching their heads on how exactly the input device would work considering its unique layout. Valve is aware of the Internet’s confusion, and as a result, has published a video showing off how its Steam Controller will work once it’s released. (more…)
Valve Shows Off How Its Steam Controller Works [Video] original content from Ubergizmo.
Weekly Roundup: Surface Pro 2 hands-on, Xperia Z1 review, Valve’s SteamOS efforts and more!
Posted in: Today's ChiliYou might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past seven days — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Game creators who have tried Valve’s unusual new game controller tell Kotaku that the device holds a lot of promise. But make no mistake, they also say it feels pretty different from what we’re used to.
Valve’s Second Hardware Announcement Is The Futuristic Tactile Steam Controller
Posted in: Today's ChiliNobody expected that, but Valve’s most exciting announcement of the week might be a game controller. The Steam controller is a futuristic touch-enabled gamepad with a small screen sitting right between your two thumbs. The company promises that the controller will work with any game as it is a very malleable device.
Valve has taken a hint or two from the smartphone world and ported it to the gaming world. As smartphone interfaces allow developers to make all sorts of buttons, the company took the same approach. Thanks to a tiny high-resolution screen, players will be able to trigger a lot of different actions. It doesn’t seem to be a regular touch screen — Valve has chosen to build a clickable screen to prevent unwanted taps. But there are some familiar touch controls as well.
For example, you can swipe through pages of actions to find the right one. The same screen will be reproduced on your bigger display so that you can keep an eye on the action while selecting an item. Even mouse-and-keyboard games, such as 4X and RTS games, should be playable with the Steam controller. The company illustrates the press release with a screenshot of Civilization V to prove its point.
Below each thumb, users will find two rounded trackpads. They replace the traditional sticks that you can find on your Xbox and PlayStation controllers. Once again, those trackpads are clickable. This is crucial for the right thumb as many games use traditional buttons for the right side of the controller.
The entire Steam catalog should be compatible with the Steam controller, but some games will run in ‘legacy mode’. You don’t need a Steam machine to use it, just a computer that runs Steam. But other computer games that you didn’t buy through Steam may not be compatible.
Finally, the Steam controller can vibrate. Once again, Valve didn’t share any release date or price. But you can probably expect to see a Steam controller bundled with the Steam Box.
Valve Steam Controller Announced
Posted in: Today's ChiliValve has made its third announcement this week, after first announcing the SteamOS and the Steam Machines. Today it has announced the Steam Controller, which will be used to control the Steam Machines. Steam Machines are basically modified PCs which will allow people to play games on their TV, while competing with conventional consoles like the PlayStation and Xbox in the process. Steam Controller looks like a normal controller, except that its not. It has two clickable trackpads with resolution which “approaches that of a desktop mouse.”
The controller has been designed to work with all past, present and future Steam games. So titles which weren’t built with controller support will be playable as well, they’ll be fooled into believing that the they’re being played with a keyboard and a mouse. There’s a high resolution touch screen in the center of the Steam Controller. The entire screen is clickable, so it acts as one large button. It can also be programmed by developers using the API to use it as a scrolling menu, radial dial and to provide secondary information like a map. The controller also has haptic sensors which offer “super-precise” haptic feedback. According to Valve, not only do the sensors relay physical information, they’re also capable of playing audio waveforms and function as speakers. Valve Steam Controller has 16 buttons which game developers can configure according to their needs. The API will be provided for free to developers when Steam Machines beta goes live later this year.
Valve Steam Controller Announced original content from Ubergizmo.