I had a Steam Controller for years and love it, but it has a learning curve and is probably difficult to find these days.
I also own a 360 wired and xbox one wireless controller. You can never go wrong with an xbox controller on PC, they are great.
this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023
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Sad to confirm Steam Controllers are quite difficult to get these days. New condition ones are rare and demand a premium while secondhand ones typically don't have the dongle included either because the idiot owner lost it or they're a prick and are selling it separately.
I was always curious about the steam controller. It definitely was/is a unique and cool concept. I was never sure how well it would work, or how easily of a transition it would've been or what usecases would've been the best to use it for. I always kind of got the impression that it was probably one of those "jack of all trades, master of none" type of scenarios...
I've never used one though, so that's all speculation on my part.
A mouse
I just have a 3rd party 360 controller. I don't need anything fancy, and it's a controller style I am very familiar with, so why not?
More power to you, I like the fancy controllers though :)
I use a DualSense, and I love it. I have two, for both of my gaming PCs. I love gyro aiming, and with Steam Input, you can set it up for almost any game.
Interesting. I'm curious as to what examples you like for gyro aiming, because it's not something I typically think of as a way of control for most games that I play.
Are you able to get much functionality out of the haptics, or the triggers?
How useful/customizable is the pad when using it on PC?
Gyro aiming, once you get the hang of it, is pretty great for fine tuning your aim. You do the large movements with the stick, then fine tune with the gyro. With practice it's very effective.
Basically any first person shooter is better for me with gyro aiming. I’m slightly more accurate with a mouse, but I prefer controller, so gyro aiming is next best. Specifically I play a lot of GTA, and you can tell Steam to translate gyro into joystick movement when you’re holding the left trigger down, and that lets you use gyro aiming in GTA. Some games (like Control) you can tell it to translate into mouse movement, which is the most precise, but GTA doesn’t let you use mouse and controller at the same time, so it gets really confused if you do that.
The rumble works fine on PC. It’s not nearly as good as it is on a PS5, but it does at least rumble. The adaptive triggers don’t work in PC on any game I’ve tested, so they just function like normal analog triggers.
The pad is completely useless, and actually gets in the way. It sends mouse movement to the game, and there’s no way to stop it (because the DualSense driver is what sends mouse input, so Steam Input doesn’t see it as controller input to translate it), so it can make games like GTA confused when you accidentally brush it. You get used to avoiding it though. If a game has native support for DualSense, then it’s actually useful, but then you also usually don’t get gyro aiming (unless the game also natively supports that).
But don’t take any of these gripes as anything other than nit picking. These minor things are my only problems with the controller, and every other controller I’ve tried has bigger/worse problems. (Examples: Xbox controller doesn’t have gyro, Switch Pro controller has digital triggers)
That's a bummer that you can't use both control types at the same time. I could definitely see the draw for the gyro (assist) aiming, that's a neat concept. I don't think I play enough FPS's anymore to warrant taking the time to experiment, but it's definitely good to know that the capability is there if I ever feel like giving it a try.
So, it rumbles, but likely not using the full haptic capabilities. Somewhat disappointing but kind of expected considering the tech isn't standard yet.
Adaptive triggers functionality not working was kind of expected too. What can you do?
I don't really feel like I would have much of a use for the pad, as far as the capacitive touch capabilities go. I do think the button functionality of the touchpad would be useful to me though, as I always prefer to have a hardware screenshot button if possible when I'm using a controller.
Thanks for the response.
I use an Xbox Series X/S controller (I think? I don't actually own an Xbox Series (is that the name?)). I usually use it via Bluetooth (requires a FW update that can only be installed via windows to actually work), but I aprecieate that there is also a dongle I could use (though, sadly that requires out of tree kernel drivers [edit: on Linux]).
Yes, I think you got the name right.
So, sorry for the confusion, are you able to use the bluetooth functionality on Linux then? That is something that would be appealing to me.
are you able to use the bluetooth functionality on Linux then?
Yep. Well, I've technically only tested it on SteamDeck, but it works out of the box there, so I'm fairly confident it'd work on other distros too.
Nice!
Gulikit KingKong 2 (Pro). Mostly same layout as an Xbox controller and is recognised as one by the computer, works wirelessly or wired (true wired, not just charging while wireless) and is in line with prices on the usual brands while having hall effect sensors so it'll never suffer from stick drift (by human life standards, not literally never so it might be your great grandkid's problem but who cares about that sniveling little brat, right?). It typically comes in "Nin Switch mode" but it has onboard settings for Xbox and you can buy a pack of face buttons to swap them to Xbox visual layout (they aren't required for function, just better for those who have to look down to remember where this X button is or simply for aesthetics). Sometimes you can get the face button kit included with the controller either in-box or as a purchase bundle. If you live in the US, I believe the same controller is sold at Target as the Zen Pro. There are other bells as whistles such as motion controls and input recording features but they aren't all that useful to most people. The company also sells replacement parts for the face button mechanisms so they're easily repairable after typical wear and tear unlike most companies that expect you to bin it and buy a new one. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.
Edit: I'm not sponsored or employed by Gulikit, I'm just a really pleased customer who wants to see potentiometer-based sticks that suffer from stick drift to go the way of the dodo and any company who lies about the difference in pricing to go with them.
Any idea how well it works with Linux?
^asking the important questions!
As someone who doesn't use Linux, I can't comfortably weigh in here. That said - and I know this is a bit gauche to post on Lemmy - here's a Reddit post that can give you so much more detail than I possibly could but a good summary like with most things Linux is "it depends on your distro".
I can not handle their website XD
Their controller does seem pretty good. I like the (seemingly good) repairability aspect too.
A few features that I've grown accustomed to on my current controller are the additional buttons (this one has m1 and m2 buttons on the shoulders, though that isn't really my favorite position for them), and the other thing would be the tactile switches in the face buttons. The switches in the face buttons for the Gulikit do look interesting, but I really like the tactile clicky switches that are in the Razr. I do wonder how they compare.
One of the main features that I feel like I'm lacking right now is definitely wireless. Using a ~10' cable when you're on a laptop is really no fun.
Another thing that I really like to see in a controller is an easy way to take screenshots, though, that can usually be remedied with a software solution as well.
Luckily their website is only for showcase purposes. The controllers are on sale on Amazon and Aliexpress.
If rear buttons or paddles are important to you, Gulikit is bringing out their new KK3 Max (let's get an eyeroll for modern naming conventions) which has four paddles on the back. Supposedly it's more or less the same controller as the KK2 Pro but with some refinements and some additions that people have been screaming for (paddles among them), new vibration motors and supposedly an upgraded version (whatever that means) of the face buttons. On the subject of the face buttons, I just looked up your Wolverine V2 to be sure what you meant by the tactile feel and I have to say that's not something I've encountered on controllers since the early digital ones on PC-specific controllers back in the 90s and sad to say that the Gulikit has the ever-so-slightly mushy feel not unlike Playstation or Xbox controllers you will have already encountered though they are mechanical. They just chose to do some interesting tweaking to make them feel like the silicon kind. I have to say that I didn't like the feel when I first got my KK2 but I quickly got used to it.
I can relate to the unwieldly feeling of 8-10' of cable from back when I gamed on a laptop but I'm a wired man at heart. That said, a controller that does both is nothing to be sniffed at. It's always good to have options.
Both the KK2 and KK3 have a screenshot button but I believe it only works when it's in Switch mode. What you can do though is press the home button to bring up the Xbox Game Bar and use that to take a screenshot. Not ideal and personally, I just use good old PrtSc with a clipboard manager that I've set to keep 50 entries so I don't accidentally overwrite the potential many of things I wish to keep from a gaming session.
I'd really prefer to order directly from the manufacturer whenever I can. Mainly because I prefer not to use Amazon anymore...
Anyway, that controller looks fantastic! I may be looking at that one as a serious contender for the next upgrade, thank you for sharing. I really like the fact that the paddles are similar looking to the xbox pro controller ones. Those seem like really good quality, form, fit, and function.
The switches, on the razr controller, are so good (in my opinion) that I really am not sure if I could go back. Lol. I've had other people not get it though, when I tried to show them how amazing they are.... They just commented that they are noisy compared to normal buttons. Totally missed the point.
I'd be super interested to see a review of the KK3 Max (mandatory eyeroll of solidarity).
I really dislike the xbox gamebar. There are workarounds though. My currently preferred method is to disable the xbox gamebar, and then use joytokey to setup a hotkey for screenshots. I have steam setup to use (F12) as my hotkey to save uncompressed copies in a folder that I use for my background images on my desktop. :)
Thanks for the good convo, and recommendation!
In which case, Aliexpress is the way to go as that's their official storefront and where I bought mine from. I completely understand and relate to not wanting to buy from Amazon as I'm doing the same, I just know a lot of people prefer to buy from the "local" company.
Those mechanical switches are extremely subjective. I can appreciate the intent of having both precisely physical and acoustic feedback for a button press but I already type on a mechanical keyboard - for context - and when I unearthed that same 90s controller I alluded to of mine that had been hiding in my attic not too long ago, pressing them made me immediately feel the arthritis I'd end up with if I chose to use it full time. I don't mean that as an insult, it's a satisfying feedback but there's just something so aggressive about it too, if that makes sense.
According to the Aliexpress page, the KK3 Max will be released on Jan 5th so give it about another week or two for reviews to be out. I'd imagine you already have someone you like to watch/read for controller reviews but just in case, I recommend Gamer Heaven on youtube. I've found him to be pretty good with descriptions and comparisons when explaining the feel of each product as well as the level of general depth he's willing to go to compared to the usual "this is what it looks like and it feels pretty good in the hand". Like expect latency and circularity stat tests.
No problem, always happy to help where I can and it was good having a nerdy conversation over controllers considering my best friend just brought me much shame by buying a Dualsense when he doesn't even own a PS5 and how much I've already preached about stick drift.
Looks like KK3 Max got pushed back a bit, or it just released for preorder from the 5th. Goddamn preorders. NO. I'll wait for the reviews, thanks.
#frustrated
Understandable though I have no idea what happened there. Last I heard one of their distributors was saying they'd have it by release date. Must have been some screw up
I only have a Switch Pro Controller, but it's an amazing controller as far as my experience goes.
Good controllers, pretty comfortable (if I remember correctly), and good battery life I've heard.
I found a cosmetically defective Elite Series 2 controller on the cheap on eBay, so I've been rocking with that with zero issues.
Definitely beats buying one new that's for sure
Nice!
The prohibitive price of the xbox elite controllers is definitely a big detractor. They have the 'core' model now, for 130 apparently, but doesn't even include back paddles 
I'm curious about what they run used though
Oh yeah, new or even used most of the time is pretty pricey. I think I got mine (series 2) for 44 bucks, with the case, accessories, and all that. The grip was peeling off the front, but thankfully it was only on the front panel, so one I had some spare change from Amazon gift cards, I got the replacement cover for another 10.
All in all, I think it was mostly luck on my end and not the norm xD
New developments:
So, I actually did order a open box elite series 2 controller but ended up having to exchange it because there was substantial stick drift on both sticks. Super frustrating that this wasn't caught, or the sellers don't care enough about the quality control...
The "core" version is a little cheaper, but nobody has the paddles, which is pretty much the main reason I want one of these controllers...
There is sadly not many competitors available right now either. The Razer model is 250$!? WAY more than I want to spend...
The Guilikit one looks promising, but still have another couple of weeks before it actually releases and then would have to wait on shipping from China, which I hate.
You would think that in 2024 there would be more viable alternatives for professional level no-compromise controllers with good quality for an affordable price.
Rant over.
Damn, the stick drift as soon as you got it is unfortunate- I'm also surprised an open box product managed to be that defective. I remember getting a gaming laptop open box around 5 years ago, and from what I remember, it looked pristine and operated without any issues. I've recommended getting tech open box since, though with an experience like yours, I should probably temper my expectations and advice in the future.
But wow, I didn't even know Razer had a controller selling for that much. That's really steep. And yeah, I'm surprised as well more options don't exist, though I suppose it makes sense that the top brands like Microsoft and Razer dominate a market that (from what I imagine) is rather niche, as most people stick to standard Xbox/PS/Switch controllers. It's a shame modularity isn't more popular when it comes to controllers, or other pieces of tech for that matter. It's a real shame products like the Google Ara didn't take off, since those are the kinds of modular devices I'd absolutely love to see setting a mainstream trend.
Best buy was the culprit.... I feel like I've generally had good luck with open box stuff otherwise though.
You know, previous to the current generation of consoles, I thought FOR SURE that back-paddles/buttons would become the next standardized iteration. Controller innovation over the last TWO generations I'd argue, has been really lacking in my opinion.
Patience, I guess. I've been waiting for literal fucking years at this point. A few more won't hurt I suppose.
The Ara definitely seemed like a good thing, for repairability. I'm of the 'fuck anything google' mindset though.
The 'framework' laptop also comes to mind.