darthbator

Return of the Steam Box!

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There's a blutooth option on the main menu, before you pick which PC your going to stream from. I think that's where you'd go? I've not used it myself.

Thanks! I was trying from the point after I had selected my PC so I wasn't seeing it.

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So it's impossible to use the virtual keyboard with the Steam Controller? I've been using the Xbox 360 controller for games for ages, so it never really occurred to me that Valve would limit the Steam Controller to Steam. My blue eyes keep getting me into trouble.

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So it's impossible to use the virtual keyboard with the Steam Controller? I've been using the Xbox 360 controller for games for ages, so it never really occurred to me that Valve would limit the Steam Controller to Steam. My blue eyes keep getting me into trouble.

What do you mean by "the virtual keyboard"? The one that comes up when you have to type something in Steam? Steam Controller isn't limited to Steam, if you quit big picture mode (when using Link) you get control of your own desktop. I haven't tried if there's a way to still access the virtual keyboard there, though.

 

Also, the desktop usage of Steam Link kind of sucks. Even if I have all settings turned to max, I see horrible artifacts, and any text clarity disappears, and sometimes the artifacts even flicker on and off. Watching movies is ok (or well, depends on whether the Steam Controller ends up in the right mode for Kodi, sometimes it's just fucked), but after the horrible desktop experience (which I'll still probably use somewhat), I have my doubts and now went back to Kodi running on Rasperry Pi 2 to watch movies.

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In a most recent beta update they added the ability to allow you to bring up the virtual keyboard in windows, but the current caveat is that you need to run big picture mode minimized or something? I'm sure they'll get there eventually.

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Is there a way to change what monitor shows up when using the Steam link to view your desktop? A couple times when I've been using it it's changed the monitor, but it's always been on accident and I don't know how.

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it changes monitor when you scroll the mouse in the direction of the other monitor. So if you've got them side by side and left is your default, scrolling to right will display right. Scrolling mouse back left will display left.

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That's what I thought since it's always changed when I accidentally scrolled to the side, but it never switches back when I scroll the mouse back to the other side. I always get stuck on one of my monitors.

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Just got Steam controller about two weeks ago, a friend bought it for me from another town far from here since Gamestop for some incredible decision has the global selling rights in normal shops for the Steam hardware. Gamestop shops are all far away from the region where I live. Should get a Steam Link soon, he got that for me as well so next time he visits I shall finally have it.

 

I didn't want to buy it directly from Valve since I wasn't sure that will the toll and VAT come on top of that if they are sending the stuff from USA and not from some warehouse in Europe.

 

I am expecting great things from Steam Link, hopefully it works in the living room as well as I have imagined.

 

The Steam controller seems quite interesting, I haven't really mastered it yet. I have been playing mostly only Broforce with it so far. All the clickyness of all the buttons in the controller annoy me and also the haptic noise from the touch pads are slightly annoying as well. I hope those wear out so the controller becomes more silent after some use. I can see that there is definitely a lot of customization options since there are so many button configurations that could be built for pretty much any game.

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Yes, I'll have to study it more, as said I have been just playing around a bit with Broforce. I hope the settings become even more advanced in time when Valve releases new firmwares.

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There's a ton you can do in Steam Big Picture. Unfortunately that's the only way to adjust it, but it's seriously versatile. I can play Elite with it sitting on my sofa, landing and dog fighting like a pro (then air my petty complaints later on these forums) without ever needing a keyboard or a mouse. And that game has a lot of controls.

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I thought that I read that the link has a built in steam controller wireless connector thing, but can't seem to figure out how to use it. I just have the USB single plugged into the back. Is that a thing I just made up?

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After a recent update, GTA V is no longer playing well on Steam Link :( The game just hangs for a second every few seconds. I guess Valve maybe changed the default video encoding settings recently? I remember it being fine a week or two ago. I really have no wish to play around with these settings to see if it improves something, as GTA V takes 2-3 minutes to load on my PC. Also the sound coming out of the Steam Link started crackling a lot (not that it didn't before). I guess I might try to switch to the non-beta software.

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Was it the GTA update or a steam update? GTA V is really weird for me too. Sometimes it'll just not load past the rockstar launcher thing unless I open it from my desktop, then close it then open it through the link, and yeah those load times are terrible. I haven't tried since the latest GTA update though.

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So I was doing some reading on the Steam Link, thinking about picking it and a Steam Controller up with some reward points I've got, but is it true that the Link does not support any surround sound, just stereo?  If so, that's a major deal killer for me.

 

 

Those of you with the controller, once the novelty wore off, have you continued using it?

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I believe that's true, though I know they're going to add surround sound eventually. I believe there might even have been some references to surround sound in one of the more recent beta updates? But, yes, it's currently not available, unless it was added VERY recently.

 

I haven't used the controller lately, but only because I haven't really played many games. Except N++ which is on PS4. I will definitely continue to use it. Unfortunately, my computer is not powerful enough to stream any actual half-demanding game without losing frames, so couch PC gaming is currently a nonstarter for me if I want to do anything intense. In which case I'll be sitting at my desk and kb+m is still better.

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That's disappointing, but at least that means I can delay getting one until it's a little more fully baked.

 

I usually switch between controller or keyboard depending on what game I'm playing, favoring controller for anything that's not a strategy game or the like.  I really need to replace one of my controllers.

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I'd hold off on the controller. It works quite well but there's just a lot of little things that leave me picking up my 360 or PS4 controller instead. I've been playing Tomb Raider over Christmas and while I got the Steam controller set up to my liking anytime a QTE came up I was left wondering what way I had bound the keys to the buttons on the pad. With Mad Max the right touchpad won't work properly as a right analogue stick for me so the camera just moves around like crazy so it's of no use. I think the simple fact is that anything designed for a controller is way better with a 360 pad and anything that's designed to be played with a keyboard it's cool to be able to map it to a controller and play comfortably on the couch but it's kinda hit and miss if it will map well. It's also very time consuming to tweak things to how you like them.

 

Maybe in a few months when games support it better(with layouts provided by the developer and correct button images) but that's hopeful thinking. It's been in development and there's been early versions sent out to developers and Valve didn't convince anyone to add in proper support for it in time for launch? I don't have much faith that's going to change, seems like that's counter to Valve's philosophy.

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Since it arrived, I've been using the Steam controller more regularly than my 360 controller. For playing games, that is; I'm ignoring game development stuff. I really really like it.

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The controller takes getting used to, but once you do its rather good.  There is a fair amount of setup involved in getting it to work for certain games.  Things like tweaking the pads to respond the way you want or configuring the buttons.  A lot of these can be taken from the community though since a lot of people make their controller setups public.  It also shows you how popular the community setups are so you aren't trying a bunch of random ones.  I've been playing Helldivers with it, which is designed as a twin stick top down shooter.  Once I got a setup I liked, the controller works great.  It's even better than the 360 controller because that game requires precise d-pad input which the 360 controller is terrible at.  The one thing that bothers me the most about it is it requires you to be in Big Picture mode.  That's not a problem in itself but Big Picture mode doesn't like it when you switch between a controller and keyboard, something I do frequently.

 

Basically, if you like having a lot of control over stuff like settings and want some flexibility, I'd recommend trying out a Steam Controller.  If you want something that's more plug and play, then a regular controller will probably be a better choice.

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That's not a problem in itself but Big Picture mode doesn't like it when you switch between a controller and keyboard, something I do frequently.

 

This is a complaint I've seen pop up in several places, and is something that sounds super annoying.  Even when I'm using a controller, I often still have a mouse and/or keyboard available if they make certain things easier (like menu navigation, as an example).  Like in Warframe, controllers work fine to play the game, but many of the menus are virtually unnavigable with a controller because of how they are set up.

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