Steam Controller
Bringing the benefits of a mouse to a controller.
Don’t get me wrong, but getting used to the Steam controllers unique touchpads does take some work. Rather than use analogue sticks to control the onscreen action, it has two huge circular touchpads. It’s designed first and foremost for gaming, but the unique touch pads means it can also control a mouse cursor.
Each of the control pads has haptic feedback so you can feel exactly where you’re touching it. As well as the usual plethora of buttons, there are two large buttons on the back, and the extremely versatile software allows you to map any of the buttons to whatever you want. In fact, most games have unique profiles for this controller, tuned by the community or developer to get the most accurate result. Installing these couldn’t be easier – when you first play a game through Steam using the Steam Controller, you’re prompted to browse the list of profiles available.
Once you do get used to it, the Steam Controller enters a world of its own. It’s not quite as accurate as a mouse and keyboard, but it’s not far off. You’ll find it’s infinitely more accurate in shooters than clunky analogue sticks, and will be pulling off long range headshots in no time.
There’s one slight problem though; this product isn’t officially available from the Steam Store to Australians, but some retailers, such as EB Games, do carry them.
In all, if you want the convenience of a mouse/ keyboard combo in the form factor of a control pad, this is the gadget you need and it’s well worth chasing one of these down.
“The first thing you’ll need is a laptop lapboard with extendable mouse pad. These are basically designed to keep the heat of a laptop away from your nasty bits, but the mouse pad is usually tiny. ”