Today I learned about the Jogcon controller for PS1 & PS2:
This was a dualshock where the analog sticks are replaced by a dial with force feedback, so players could play Ridge Racer and really FEEL the road as if the dial was a steering wheel. I have no clue if it was good (probably not), but I do miss a good weird controller.
The steam controller was (and still is) fantastic. I once got a comfortable binding for the original System Shock, which already has a pretty untenable control scheme with a keyboard and mouse. Also its haptic feedback can play music.
Came here to say this. I use mine almost every day, specifically for titles that don’t have controller support.
While I do prefer a twin-stick like the DualSense for games with support, you cannot at all beat a Steam Controller for strategy gaming from the couch. I’m still on my first, but have two as backup (it was limit 2 when Valve offloaded them for $5 each).
I want to get used to the pads. I have a deck and never use them. Was there a game that helped you get used to the pads?
100% a title that would struggle with full controller, for me it was cities skylines and rimworld. Also played a lot of warframe and spec ops:the line with mine, being able to have actions trigger at different points of the trigger pull was interesting, had a profile I grabbed for shooters that’d enable gyro aiming at the last bit of your trigger pull for fine adjustment and seriously, it works extremely well once you get used to it. The pads also supported osd rotary menus for hotkeys which was probably what the left pad got the most use out of, had the ability to set different behaviour too using mod buttons are by touching the rim of the pad. Also the haptic feedback on the pads was interesting, did a lot to make them feel more real, seriously had a really powerful piece of hardware with the og steam controller.
I’ve played lot of slower paced first person games with them. It also feels really nice in games with inventory screens and other mouse-focused ui. I never really tried to get used to them though, they just kind of clicked with me.
Try a strategy title with the pads, in particular something like Civ, where there is no time limit. Right pad works fantastic as a mouse replacement. Left pad is always kind of just there, though it can be useful as a radial menu if you use the configurator (albeit that makes more sense on Steam Controller since the pads are round).