this post was submitted on 05 May 2026
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Steam Hardware

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A place to discuss and support all Steam Hardware, including Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and SteamOS in general.

As Lemmy doesn't have flairs yet, you can use these prefixes to indicate what type of post you have made, eg:
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https://x.com/valvesoftware/status/2051695149026353424

"Steam Controller ran out faster than we anticipated, and we hate that not everyone who wanted one was able to get it. We’re working on getting more in stock and will have an update on expected timeline soon."

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[–] Elting@piefed.social 5 points 2 weeks ago (4 children)

As an owner of the original I find the track pads to be pretty meh. Theyre equally as good as any track pad, so not great. What I like and cant understand why isn't universal are the paddleflaps/buttons on the back. The closest anything has ever gotten is the Z button on the n64 controller.

[–] otacon239@lemmy.world 13 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

For me, the trackpads are specifically useful for mouse controls, not for precision. I’m a couch gamer and tired of having to reach for my mouse or keyboard just to do one thing and then grab my controller again.

With the trackpads, I also get the virtual keyboard. Another killer feature.

[–] Elting@piefed.social 3 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

Yeah they have their uses. I'm glad they relocated them to the bottom of the controller though, as they aren't quite useful enough to be at the center. I'm curious if the new one will have the same comfort level as the old one.

[–] phailhaus@piefed.social 11 points 2 weeks ago

The trackpads on the Steamdeck/SC2 are much better than the SC1.

Valve was forced to stop manufacturing the SC1 due to patent trolling related to the paddles.

[–] Maiq@piefed.social 5 points 2 weeks ago

I use mine for radial menu input without the need for a modifier button. Many of the best mods I use for skyrim/fallout use keybinds for all sorts of actions. Games that work best with mouse/keyboard that have way too many keybinds for a normal controller worked awesome on my OG steamcontroller and great on the deck with a little configuration.

[–] Blaiz0r@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 weeks ago

It took me a while to get used to them but using dual track pads for all games made everything feel so much better, I'm getting the new controller but I think there's a good chance I'll stick to the original Steam Controller.

If yoi take some time to tweak the settings the track pads can do anything.