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In other words, some of the buttons will be preset keyboard buttons that I cannot change, while those weird touchpads act like a mouse.
I'm not looking to buy the controller, by the way. I'm interested in the facts.
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PookaMustard: Everyone destroyed me in some other post because of that controller.
So, do I need to install Steam in order to actually use it? Or do I need to install it just for the settings that I may need?
I know, this is the first decent & on-topic Steam Controller thread so far! Good job everyone!

Yes, you need Steam running for it to work. You don't need to be logged in, so you can be offline, as long as you're happy with the "desktop configuration" - a default controller setup. It looks like they intend to expand this configuration in the future a little. Not near as much as logging in so you can download the configs.
I'll also go one step further and ask this.
How is the controller doing with Android devices?
(Yes, I care about that).
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PookaMustard: In other words, some of the buttons will be preset keyboard buttons that I cannot change, while those weird touchpads act like a mouse.
I'm not looking to buy the controller, by the way. I'm interested in the facts.
Pretty much, yes, at least until Valve releases another firmware update that allows it to do more outside if Steam, if they decide to do that.
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PookaMustard: I'll also go one step further and ask this.
How is the controller doing with Android devices?
(Yes, I care about that).
I don't think it will work with Android at all, since the dongle is required to connect it to a PC and you can't plug that into any Android device I know of.
Post edited April 08, 2016 by cogadh
Even if it only works like a mouse, that would still be good, because it could be used like a touch pad while also getting the ergonomics of a gamepad.

In that default mode though, can I use the analog stick and have that and the rest of it recognized like a standard XB controller, or do I need a custom configuration for that?

If I do need custom configurations I could go on a different computer and download or make them, then copy them to the other one, right, so it shouldn't be a big deal, just a little more work.
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PookaMustard: In other words, some of the buttons will be preset keyboard buttons that I cannot change, while those weird touchpads act like a mouse.
Latest non-Beta Steam update and firmware looks like this: Desktop

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PookaMustard: I'll also go one step further and ask this.
How is the controller doing with Android devices?
(Yes, I care about that).
I'm not sure why you would assume that would even be possible. The controller was made in mind to use the Steam client. Unless you can somehow emulate the client in Android that might be possible but that would likely not be worth the effort.

Regarding Android. You could use an Android emulator and then add its EXE to Steam as a Non-Steam Game, that should work.
Post edited April 08, 2016 by Nirth
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cogadh: I don't think it will work with Android at all, since the dongle is required to connect it to a PC and you can't plug that into any Android device I know of.
If it's a USB dongle, it should work on a OTG adapter. What comes after that is finding if the controller will work at all.
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HeresMyAccount: Even if it only works like a mouse, that would still be good, because it could be used like a touch pad while also getting the ergonomics of a gamepad.

In that default mode though, can I use the analog stick and have that and the rest of it recognized like a standard XB controller, or do I need a custom configuration for that?

If I do need custom configurations I could go on a different computer and download or make them, then copy them to the other one, right, so it shouldn't be a big deal, just a little more work.
See Nirth's post above, it is not seen as a standard controller, but the mouse/keyboard functions it does have might be enough to replicate one.

EDIT - Bear in mind, that is with the latest firmware, which the controller is not likely to ship with, so you will still need Steam to get that functionality.
Post edited April 08, 2016 by cogadh
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cogadh: I don't think it will work with Android at all, since the dongle is required to connect it to a PC and you can't plug that into any Android device I know of.
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PookaMustard: If it's a USB dongle, it should work on a OTG adapter. What comes after that is finding if the controller will work at all.
Frankly, I wouldn't bother. If you really want to game on Android with a controller, invest in a Nvidia Shield K1 tablet with the Shield controller. I cannot recommend it highly enough.