Check out our Monthly Survey Page to see what our users are running.
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

Valve show the Steam Controller being built, and future software updates

By - | Views: 11,699
The Steam Controller excites me, you all know that, and their plans for it sound great! They also showed a really cool video of it being built.

YouTube Thumbnail
YouTube videos require cookies, you must accept their cookies to view. View cookie preferences.
Accept Cookies & Show   Direct Link
Pretty awesome video really!

As for the software, being able to take your selected configs with you sounds like a fantastic idea.

Another good thing they are planning is to actually allow some configuration of it for desktop use, with an on-screen keyboard. They specifically mentioned people using it for a media PC, so it's good to see them taking in feedback on how people are using it. That's going to be pretty awesome, but what I really want is the ability to have it fully useful in desktop mode as well as big picture mode, but it sounds like this is a step in that direction.

You will also be able to select and share community configs for non-Steam games soon too, and that's fantastic. So, games you buy on GOG and other stores could be run through Steam, and you could pick an already fine tuned config for it.

See their full update about it here. Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Hardware, Steam, Video
0 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
The comments on this article are closed.
17 comments
Page: «2/2
  Go to:

OlDrunk Dec 13, 2015
Haha, that was awesome as an retired Industrial Electrician; I use to install modular automated packing systems like those, don't worry the PLCs are only 386/486 so no GLaDOS.
Friendly Troll Dec 14, 2015
Does anyone else have a completely non functioning Steam Controller? I have Ubuntu 15.10, Steam Beta client and everytime I go to play a game there are no community configs to select from. I can't even save my own configuration, because it says something like "another configuration is already in process of saving it" which is of course not true.

Also sometimes when I quit Big picture mode the entire desktop freezes. Only sudo service lightdm restart helps.
Cybolic Dec 14, 2015
Quoting: Friendly TrollDoes anyone else have a completely non functioning Steam Controller? I have Ubuntu 15.10, Steam Beta client and everytime I go to play a game there are no community configs to select from. I can't even save my own configuration, because it says something like "another configuration is already in process of saving it" which is of course not true.

Also sometimes when I quit Big picture mode the entire desktop freezes. Only sudo service lightdm restart helps.

I don't have anything like that, but I do get the already-saving error, which just goes away if I try again. My guess would be that the permissions on your steam folder could be messed up. Have you checked that your user can write to ~/.steam/steam/userdata and its subfolders and that you have enough disk space?
Friendly Troll Dec 14, 2015
Hi, thanks for replying. I have almost half of disk space available. My user has permissions on all of the steam folders. Although I remember copying udev rules from here
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/steam-controller-on-ubuntu-a-tweak-you-need-to-do.6081
because controller didn't work for me out of the box.

I am hoping there will be an update that will resolve these issues. Would you mind pasting your udev rules here (if you are on 15.10)?
Cybolic Dec 14, 2015
Sure, but I don't think it has to do with the device itself, it sounds like an issue with the Steam client to me.
Here's my udev file anyway:
Quoting: /lib/udev/rules.d/99-steam-controller-perms.rules# Valve USB devices
SUBSYSTEM=="usb", ATTRS{idVendor}=="28de", MODE="0666"
# Steam Controller udev write access
KERNEL=="uinput", SUBSYSTEM=="misc", TAG+="uaccess"
# HTC Vive HID Sensor naming and permissioning
KERNEL=="hidraw*", SUBSYSTEM=="hidraw", ATTRS{idVendor}=="0bb4", ATTRS{idProduct}=="2c87", MODE="0666"

I should note that I also did the /dev/uinput access trick by installing python3-autopilot ("sudo apt-get install python3-autopilot" ).


Last edited by Cybolic on 14 December 2015 at 10:03 pm UTC
Friendly Troll Dec 15, 2015
Thank you very much! It seems to work now that I've copied your rules and installed python3-autopilot. However at the same time I did that there was another update to the Steam client, so I don't now what fixed it. I can see the community configs now for all the games even non-Steam game configs work.

But I still have system freezes once I launch a game, not all the time, but most of the time though. Probably has to do with my Intel 4600HD drivers and what not.

Thanks again!
Cybolic Dec 15, 2015
Great that it's working! It was such a shame that you couldn't enjoy this awesome controller so I'm glad to hear you can now :) I'll venture a guess and say the python3-autopilot install probably fixed it, as I was having a few issues before I installed it as well (though nothing as bad as you experienced).
Now You're Playing With Power; have fun! ;)
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
The comments on this article are closed.