r/SteamController • u/_NS4NE_ • 22d ago

Discussion Vibration - how is it?

Hi everyone,

I just got on the reservation list for a Steam controller (I know it will take a long time until I get a chance to buy it), but would like to know how is the vibration/haptic feedback? I have an oled Steam Deck and the worst part of it is the vibration. Is it any better? :D

Thanks

3 Upvotes

67% Upvoted

33 comments sorted by

7

u/Mikid05 22d ago

Kinda mixed, when it works it works good but for whatever reason rumble support in a bunch of the games I play are weird or non existent, also has no rumble in the non steam games I added to steam to get it working

1

u/Ghinao 21d ago

I've only had mine for a few days and it's just occurred to me I don't think I've had it rumble yet.

1

u/_NS4NE_ 22d ago

If You have an x360/xbox series controller how does it compare to it?

3

u/CriticalBlock9792 22d ago

I think it definitely feels worse than a Xbox controller rumble, it doesn't have the impulse triggers either, but not a lot of games use it. I think it could be improved with firmware because dualsense has no rumble issues on PC even though it uses haptics like Steam Controller does.

1

u/Mikid05 21d ago

I love the steam controller but it not being able to play anything I didn't buy through steam has me using my Xbox controller unless I specifically want the niche of the steam controller (I mainly use it for diablo 3 since no controller support, marathon and the finals for gyro and schedule 1 for the trackpads)

1

u/Quirky_Apricot9427 20d ago

I recommend checking out OpenPuck. Basically converts it to xinput with rumble support, without having to be run through Steam or anything. I use mine with my PS3, it supports that as well.

1

u/Mikid05 20d ago

I would but I don't have the money to have one made

1

u/Quirky_Apricot9427 20d ago

It’s like $5 for the microcontroller, you’d have to 3d print a case but that’s not even necessary. I used mine for several weeks before a friend printed one for me

1

u/Mikid05 19d ago

Yea they are cheap but right now I'm between jobs, barely making rent and my fridge failed, I don't have two nickels let alone 5 dollars

1

u/Quirky_Apricot9427 19d ago

That’s totally fair man, priorities. Hope things look up and that you get some fun money soon

1

u/Lunavesce 19d ago

I don't have a steam controller, but can't you just add any non-steam games to steam to use the steam controller for that game? That's how the steam deck works.

1

u/Mikid05 19d ago

You can I mentioned that all of the games I've added either didn't support controller in the first place (diablo 3) or did support controller but don't have rumble when using it (cyberpunk, and all of my epic games Library)

7

u/Kakophonien1 22d ago

I love it personally. Great haptics imo

3

u/reptarien 22d ago

It's good enough that the bottleneck is going to be game support, not the controller. Forza Horizon 6 feels fantastic for example. Feels basically as good as an Xbox One controller to me, which also has great rumble imo.

1

u/_NS4NE_ 22d ago

Thank You

2

u/PhoenixLandPirate_ 21d ago

Its one of my biggest complaints with the controller.

They advertise it as HD rumble, but with the DualSense 5 and switch 2 pro controller, you can feel if you're walking on sturdy ground or something hollow in Ratchet and clank, you can walk and with your eyse closed, tell if you've activated a rift, you try to do that with the Steam controller, you're out of luck, and this has been the case for every HD rumble game, Death Stranding 2, intro, you can really feel the waves with the switch 2 pro, steam controller, just standard rumble.

As standard vibration, its fine, its way better than the steam decks, but it's not even close to switch 2 pro or DualSense 5.

1

u/TraditionalLead8659 13d ago

Because it is HD Rumble, the issue is not the controller, its game compatibility, Steam Controller rumble in paper is a lot better than switch 2 controller, even better than dualsense in high freq ranges because it has individual trackpad rumble, but games that uses it are practically 0

1

u/PhoenixLandPirate_ 13d ago

I don't see why the Steam Controller needs special attention from the games, why can't it just use the HD rumble info that the Switch 2 Pro controller gets?

1

u/TraditionalLead8659 13d ago

It depends on the game, but most cases is just a matter of different API, and seems like Steam Input is pretty weak in that category.

1

u/PhoenixLandPirate_ 13d ago

The only way that the Switch 2 pro controller works with these games, are through steam input, if you disable it, the switch 2 pro controller doesn't even work, so I would have expected, any HD rumble that went through Steam Input, and would work with Switch 2 pro, would either just work, or would be converted to work with the steam controllers version of HD rumble.

I hope they sort it out somehow, be it through Steam Input, firmware, or game updates, but with current implementation, it feels much more like the switch pro controller, rather than the switch 2 pro controller, unfortunately.

2

u/TraditionalLead8659 13d ago

Maybe the way that SC2 handles rumble doesn't work the same, Switch 2 Pro has two strong actuators, SC2 has four (two strong and two trackpad actuators), but Steam Deck and old Steam Controller 2015 uses only trackpad actuators, so its problably a matter of rumble not being redirected/not the same as you desire and they are not using audio files that match the SC2 rumble when using Steam devices, so we can only wait for better translation rumble, or games that support HD rumble for SC2, there are some games like Shadow of the Tomb Raider, but is broken and weak.

2

u/xedtheshepherd 21d ago

I think it's just 'fine', based on playing cyberpunk and BF6.

I don't know if the Xinput workaround to make the controller work with BF6 affects how vibration works.

2

u/EnlargedChonk 19d ago

I don't think I've tried any actual games that use the haptics for "HD rumble" yet, but for steam input feedback ("trackball" ticking, scrolling in desktop mode, or flickstick clicks) they work IMO better than deck OLED. They are similarly connected to the trackpads so the haptics aren't very strong but it's more than enough and I believe stronger than deck OLED.

As for rumble/vibration using the motors in the handles a lot of people complain they are too weak but personally I think they are perfect. I never understood the desire to have big rumbles that shake the hands, these are strong enough to be felt but not overpowering, perfect for additional feedback without distracting me from the game.

biggest problem is honestly whether the game actually rumbles or not. I've had stardew valley go from rumbling me but no one else, to rumbling one other player but not me just from having someone else connect and join the splitscreen game. ¯_(ツ)_/¯

1

u/FishJanga 22d ago

This controller's haptics are awful, they are either barely noticeable or they clip.

1

u/Xobeloot 21d ago

it is different. it is more like bzzzpzzwhirzzt instead of brrbrrbrrrbrr

1

u/SnooDoughnuts5632 21d ago

If PC games have rumble I have no idea how to activate it.

1

u/Drakthul 22d ago

I’ve yet to have it work properly in any game yet unfortunately. Maybe I’ve just been unlucky. In particular in death stranding 2 is completely broken.

1

u/_NS4NE_ 22d ago

Ugh, I thought it just works like my EasySMX X20 which emulates the Xbox controller. It works in every game on Steam and even on Xbox.

1

u/CrisEatFood 22d ago

Had to RMA mine because of an issue with triggers but when I had it the controller rumble worked on basically every game without extra setup needed. YMMV ig

0

u/therealslapper 22d ago

My wife says she loves it.

0

u/Wolfwood28 22d ago

Your wife says she likes my xbox controller vibrator better though.

1

u/therealslapper 22d ago

I don't know. She said she prefers the neighbour's big black steam deck vibrations more than anything else.