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In addition to an update to the excellent SC Controller software, it seems there's also work towards getting full Steam Controller support in the Linux Kernel.

Currently, to get proper use out of the Steam Controller you either need the Steam client open, or to use something like SC Controller. However, this could change due to the reverse engineering effort from one hacker. This is actually the second revision to their patches, which cleans it up and implements a few more features.

Part of the problem, is that currently it will show up as multiple different types of devices like a virtual keyboard, a virtual mouse and so on. Here's what the developer of the patch said:

This driver was reverse engineered to provide direct kernel support in case you cannot, or do not want to, use Valve Steam Client. It disables the virtual keyboard and mouse, as they are not so useful when you have a working gamepad.

Working: buttons, axes, pads, wireless connect/disconnect.

TO-DO: Battery, force-feedback, accelerometer/gyro, led, beeper...

They said they are working on a third revision to the patches and there will likely be more work to be done if it is to be accepted. Valve developer Pierre-Loup A. Griffais has been commenting on the mailing list as well to provide some help and ask questions. Part of the issue, is this needs to not break support for the Steam Controller with the Steam Client or other software like SC Controller. Nothing seems set in stone right now in regards to this particular code, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

You can find the information here on the mailing list.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Hardware
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Purple Library Guy Mar 2, 2018
Quoting: jens
Quoting: Shmerl"Done right" or not, it means removing user's choice.
I prioritize "done right and just works" far above "complete freedom of users choice". Time is much to precious for me to spend hours into setting up my environment.
Because those two things are antithetical, and openness makes things work badly. Got it.
jens Mar 3, 2018
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Quoting: Purple Library Guy
Quoting: jens
Quoting: Shmerl"Done right" or not, it means removing user's choice.
I prioritize "done right and just works" far above "complete freedom of users choice". Time is much to precious for me to spend hours into setting up my environment.
Because those two things are antithetical, and openness makes things work badly. Got it.
For this specific case here my assumption is that supporting the Steam Controller (for Steam games) the FOSS way would, as also stated by others, take considerably more time. The overall experience for Steam games i.c.w. the controller would be in the short time, my assumption, not as good as it is now. This does not exclude that the final result of both approaches can be of the same.

-> "If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." (African Proverb)
There are situation where going fast is a valid alternative, imho.

Just to be sure: FOSS and drivers upstream is cool and definitively the better way, just not the only way. There are different ways leading to Rome. I'm more pragmatic than others it seems, that's just all. Since Linux is supposed to be so much about freedom, why isn't Valve free to support their products te way they want? Valve is not forcing anybody to use their products. It works for them (and for me). People should simply choose different products and move on if they don't agree instead of cursing Valve continuously for their approach.

(English is not my native language, could be that I got your statement and the irony in it completely wrong. If my response makes no sense, then this is most likely the case.)


Last edited by jens on 3 March 2018 at 5:30 pm UTC
Ardje Mar 5, 2018
Quoting: jensJust to be sure: FOSS and drivers upstream is cool and definitively the better way, just not the only way. There are different ways leading to Rome. I'm more pragmatic than others it seems, that's just all. Since Linux is supposed to be so much about freedom, why isn't Valve free to support their products te way they want? Valve is not forcing anybody to use their products. It works for them (and for me). People should simply choose different products and move on if they don't agree instead of cursing Valve continuously for their approach.

(English is not my native language, could be that I got your statement and the irony in it completely wrong. If my response makes no sense, then this is most likely the case.)
I do think good supported driver source eventually is the only way.
But I am pragmatic: sometimes a shortcut is easier so you know what to do for a real driver.
As the same pragmatic it usually is a good business choice to not buy hardware that has no (good) open source support. This pragmatic rule came after sinking a few thousand $ into the hardware vendor requesting them to port the driver.
Things are easy on ARM: you have opensource support, or we won't buy. Some things are not completely opensource but a large percentage of an exynos platform is opensource. At least much more than a PC.
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