I don't see how people can complain about the steampads design when it looks like a good shape with good features and moving controllers forward.

M$ and Logitech seemed to have really dropped the ball when it comes to this as they used to make a range of decent peripherals. Like the M$ sidewinder or intellimouse range and logitech had force feedback joysticks,skip to 1:04 to see it working, and decent trackballs so it's surprising they didn't make a gamepad with a trackball* in it,even I thought of something like that ages ago and a few people had made prototypes.


*They've also been slacking off making a proper trackball for ages too for that matter.

Very happy with mine. Those that say it's not functional are resoundingly mistaken. My guess is they just haven't tried it and are going off first impressions and common opinion from their game peers. Or just another random opportunity to hate Steam. It's ridiculously customizable. Almost too much so! It's very comfortable, feels solid (I don't throw my controllers at the TV so this will likely never ever break for me). The right trackpad really works amazingly well, I'd much prefer a D-pad on the left but eh, it works. (The click on them is actually kinda nasty)

I love my PS3 Dual Shocks, I love my Xbox 360 wireless... but let's be honest, they all have their downsides. Actually after getting used to the Steam Controller, I find the right stick on other controllers a bit clumsy, and feel like it's in the way. The SC triggers are really great. The grip buttons are wonderful, remind me of my old Thrustmaster Firestorm).

As far as "Steam Exclusive", yeah that makes zero sense too. It's not exclusive at all. Create a Steam account (suck it up ;) ) and *never ever buy games from them*. Add "non-steam games" to the library and boom, you have controller configuration support and an arguably convenient launcher.

You may complain about needing the client, but I will turn around and complain at the same volume about Logitech's absolute garbage drivers on my system. And closed-source payware game controller remappers.

Sometimes the Steam hate goes overboard around here.

Would you be fine if each of your PC peripherals needed a separate client running (for each of which you'd also have to create a separate online account), and you'd have to add all your PC games, one by one, to each client in order for those peripherals to work with said games?

That is what you are suggesting there. My Logitech mouse and gamepad drivers don't require me to create an online Logitech account (and be logged in there whenever I use their peripherals), nor my Geforce GPU doesn't require me to create an online NVidia account. Plus, manually adding all my games (GOG, Steam, DotEmu, HumbleBundle, Gamersgate, retail...) to each client so that they work with them.

It is ok for you to love the controller and not mind that it needs a Steam account/client to fully work, but it is silly to suggest everyone should feel similarly.

Drivers are single-purpose vendor "client" software that run at the kernel level. I'm surprised you still promote Logitech, because their kernel panics would make that painfully apparent.

And you should rail against GOG, and, well, any other site on the Internet, because they don't allow you community functionality without having a login!!! THE DOGS!!! (Slashdot allows AC, but then, well... you're on Slashdot).

Seriously, why is creating a free account and logging in so evil? Do you use Dropbox? Gmail? Do you use Xbox live? Game Center on iOS? Anything else modern?

To get game detection and per-game configuration, yeah, I'd expect to have to tell the helper software about my game. How do you suggest it get done otherwise? Look for the running GAME.EXE process?

Wait, so the controller it'self is DRM'd?. ...Valve, holy shit.

This "well you have to log in to GOG" argument is invalid, once you have an installer downloaded it can go and work wherever you like it whether there's an internet connection or not. Can you do that with a Steam controller? No? It's use is tied to the internet and can't simply run on the fly without dealing with logins you say?

I don't mean to be rude, but If you really can't see the issue some people have with requiring any kind of internet logon to use a controller, then I'm genuinely surprised you're a supporter of GOG at all.

No it's not DRM'ed, don't be ridiculous.

So I had to test it for the knee-jerk'ers. Launch Steam (auto logs in). Controller works in "desktop mode". Log out.

CONTROLLER WORKS IN DESKTOP MODE.

You don't even have to be logged in. You have to run the client though. But don't believe me, someone who actually tried it. Go with the flow and hate on it.

But seriously, what is the fundamental problem with logging in? Why is it so bad? If you're not going to buy anything from Steam anyway, what are they gonna do? Ban your account? Why? Why not just create a new account and get back up running.

And if you'd read. I said you have to log in to GOG to participate in the community. I think you should boycott them because they require a login for that. Your ability to express yourself is restricted behind a login. Which is a harbinger of the end, I think.

I have had zero problems with my Logitech products, so why shouldn't I promote them?

Are you against any other PC peripherals as well which use drivers? I bet you have none, right? You'd rather have separate clients (each with its own online account, free of course) for all your peripherals, graphics cards etc. instead?

If so, then you are insane.

Dropbox and Gmail are online services which would be useless without an online account. A gaming controller isn't.

Read that a few times, maybe it gets through to you.

No, because every user having to log in in order to participate serves a purpose also for other users, as they have some idea which user they are discussing with, trading with etc., also spam control and such. One can still freely read the forums without logging in.

There are some discussion forums without any kind of login (e.g. www.suomi24.fi), but they are invariably a big mess.

Again, none of this is relevant to a freaking gaming controller, so your analogue was silly.

Only relevant if you indeed are going to configure the controller separately for each game. I'd rather expect future games to have built-in support for the controller. You know, like, one does not need to use some XPadder configuration tool to use his XBox360 gamepad with modern PC games and configure each game separately, right? Nor does he first have to create a separate online account and run a client either. The games just work magically out of the box with the XBox360 gamepad.

Now the question is, can the game developers support the controller directly with their future games, without having to rely on the Steam client/service? I guess they'd first need some drivers for that, something that you seem to abhor?

No of course not. They're all just lumps of software. You seem to forget that part. Because ones and zeros that come from Valve are tainted.

So a controller that has tons of personalization that magically floats around to any machine you use it on is... not an online service? OK THEN.

Did you not read above that it works when not logged in? Read it a few times, maybe it will get through to you.

My unanswered question is:

Why is it so bad to create a login for something?

Are you worried that The Man will block you from using your product? Well, I don't see how that could possibly happen. Maybe that happened with some people getting banned from their accounts and losing Steam games, but if you're not going to buy anything from Steam anyway, why are you worried?

Really, what's wrong with the login? Do they search your files and email as a part of the small print in the EULA? Oh no, those are those other services that you have no problem using.

I don't abhor drivers. I abhor Logitech drivers 'cause they destabilize the entire computer. I just think your (and this is the collective "your", not just you) rejection of Steam as a client is getting close to hypocrisy, because the same sort of functionality or requirements from other companies is OK somehow. (Do you by any chance have a Logitech Harmony Remote?)

I get why people don't trust Valve. I get why they buy non DRM'ed games. Totally. But this is just bigotry.

I found the website steamcontroller.rocks which lets you look up steam community configurations for games, even if you didn't buy the game from Steam. Pretty useful for GOG games.

Well seeing as you've come for the 10 minute argument.
Others have already pointed out why it's a bad idea but it can simply be put as something that's not needed and restrictive.

It's not the first company to try it on. Razer forced a similar scheme on users with it's software and got complained about too. http://wp.xin.at/archives/1438

So looking forward to playing GOG games with this that don't natively support controllers. Tried to play Risen with a key mapper and it just felt awkward. I wish there was native controller support and this might be the closest thing I can get to games like that.
Heck, I thought "Alice" would play better with a controller and I was glad when it became a free download on console with "Alice: Madness Returns".