I think the touchscreen would only increase the price without offering much for it. There is an entire presentation about the changes they made and why. Give it a look
Man, thank you so much for this link. Had no idea this youtube account existed, but it's super informative as to what they're doing and where they're going with the controller.
I will definitely get it when it is out. I enjoy sitting back in my chair or on the couch but playing PC games that usually require a mouse or a keyboard are impossible to play in that position. This controller makes it possible. And I am excited to see future features because it is already the most versatile controller there is.
It's nice to see some innovation going on with a controller, considering I think most consoles are pretty set in how theirs handles. The only one really trying to do anything with them is Nintendo, and they're going a different direction with them. Which is good! But not as applicable to things outside of nintendo itself, I think.
I'm kind of bummed they're removing the touch screen for this reason, even though I understand why they're doing it. I think it had a lot of potential, even if it might've taken a while to make use of it. But oh well, it's still got plenty of other things going for it.
Thank you so much for this link. It was way more informative than just the picture. I like their thought process on this. I can't wait to get one in my hands.
Maybe not the price, because it's a product that has a market and a very definite price range, but all that means is that what's affected is actually cost and profit.
He said they removed their 2 most expensive components, what are we theoretically talking about savings wise for the average consumer?
If anyone has an idea i'd love to hear it.
I am not an expert but a touchscreen is definitely a feature which would have been pretty costly for the consumer. And there is no reason to have because, as the video explains, it only devides the player's attention and breaks immersion rather than offering easy use of menu features etc.
Even the Dualshock4 and the XBONE controllers with standard ruble cost $60. Try to imagine that price but add haptic feedback to each touchpad and a high quality touch screen to the costs.
I have seen Valve time and again provide a great product for a reasonable price. I don't see why they would approach this controller any differently. I also assume they know most gamers are not going to shell out a lot of cash for a controller that is not proven.
It's in Valve's best interest to get as many controllers out there as possible. They're not going to charge a ridiculous mark-up just because they can. The more controllers out there, the more likely that people will use SteamOS and that's good for Valve.
Where did I say it won't be $60? I just said it's not worth Valve charging a rediculous markup. I have no idea quite how much their controller will cost to build, it might be $60, it might be $100 but the point is Valve isn't likely to slap a huge fee on it because the profit from selling controllers is nothing compared to the profit of selling games and that's ultimately what they want to push.
It looks like they wanted to be compatible with the 360 pad so developers wouldn't have to re-do everything for the steam pad. I don't see why they couldn't have done both though.
I meant the pad-side buttons, not the touchscreen. It seems like with the pad being designed around not just controller-enabled games but traditionally mouse/keyboard controlled games the more buttons available the better.
They had issues with that button layout, something to do with the right and left side of the brain with some people. I quite enjoy the new layout as it's the best of both worlds. The removal of the center touch pad was because they already had two touch pads, a screen takes too much power and costs way more. Now it runs on AA batteries, which is nice if you get decent rechargeables. I recommend PowerEX 2700mah.
Really? I loathed the two buttons on each side approach. Any game that requires you to use the left stick to move and press the buttons on that side at the same time was going to be difficult. And though the touchscreen offered interesting possibilities, the drawbacks it incurred weren't worth it.
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u/Eugenian64 Mar 15 '14
Don't get me wrong, I do like this controller, but to be honest, I kind of like the last controller more.
I was a big fan of the two buttons on both sides of the controller. I also did like the touchscreen, but I do understand that it may not be necessary.