Steam dev days are, um, steaming along in Seattle at the moment. It’s a strictly “no press allowed” event, but the power of twitter is strong. Gotta love developers keeping us informed – we even got a pretty picture of the updated Steam controller.
First up, that beautiful controller just got some backwards compatibility. Check it out:
I’m glad that Valve is taking such a different approach with their controller – it may not be what we’re used to, but it might be really fantastic. Besides, if it’s geared towards PC gamers who primarily use mouse and keyboard, it doesn’t have to replicate the Xbox or PlayStation controllers – it needs to be closer to what mouse and keyboard can do. In fact, the abilities of the controller sound pretty cool and flexible:
Steam Controller can be reprogrammed on the fly so context changes use in game. #SteamDevDays
— Tomas Rawlings (@TomasRawlings) January 15, 2014
Meanwhile, Gabe Newell took to the stage to tell people that
Greenlight will fade away as the blocks between development and publishing on Steam are removed
I think this is a double-edged sword. Sure, it’s important to let developers get their games out into the wild, to publish and get seen. However, publishing and getting seen are often two very different prospects. Greenlight and Steam publication in general often serve as a form of curatorship. Most people know that they can just head on over to Desura, IndieGoGo or other indie sites and pick up plenty of independent games that haven’t made the cut for Steam. However, it’s hard to tell which games will be of any sort of quality. Via Steam, and Steam Greenlight, people often get informed about games they wouldn’t otherwise play, and are assured of a certain standard. I hope that as the process is streamlined, there is still some form of curatorship and recommendations – it’s hard enough to find fantastic indie games as they come out, the “Steam bump” (as Mike Bithell called it) can be a huge help for developers looking for exposure.
Last Updated: January 16, 2014
Kensei Seraph
January 16, 2014 at 11:43
I really want to try out that controller.
Admiral Chief in Vegas
January 16, 2014 at 11:51
Yeah, same here!
General JJ Raven (John)
January 16, 2014 at 11:53
I’m a bit skeptical about it, since I primarily only use a controller for racing games, but seriously curious.
TiMsTeR1033
January 16, 2014 at 11:56
Get a Steering wheel!
Kensei Seraph
January 16, 2014 at 11:57
Like this one you mean?
And of course I need to link the gif or it converts it into a jpg.
General JJ Raven (John)
January 16, 2014 at 11:57
I have one. But I also have a car and it feels a bit pointless. I like my racing games because they’re games.
TiMsTeR1033
January 16, 2014 at 12:00
Yes but your car games with realism are awesome with steering wheels, use your real world skills in a game!
General JJ Raven (John)
January 16, 2014 at 12:02
Honestly, I’d love one of those kickass steering wheels with the seat and all, but it’s not worth it for me for the few games and few hours I’d spend on it. There are just so many other games out there besides racing games and my backlog is huge.
TiMsTeR1033
January 16, 2014 at 12:07
Huge back log you say. there is hope! http://www.wikihow.com/End-a-Video-Game-Addiction
General JJ Raven (John)
January 16, 2014 at 12:42
Video game addiction? Pah! That’s like saying having fun is a disorder.
RinceThis2014
January 16, 2014 at 11:48
I like that they are trying to incorporate a ‘touch screen’ into their controller. May be awesome.
El Capitan del Blade
January 16, 2014 at 11:50
They opted out of the touchscreen for the 8 buttons you see on the pic.
RinceThis2014
January 16, 2014 at 11:51
I meant the D pad, it’s touch sensitive.
El Capitan del Blade
January 16, 2014 at 11:58
Oh yeah that, Theyre basically like 2 laptop trackpads that click
RinceThis2014
January 16, 2014 at 12:10
Will be interesting to see how that works, I’m used to the force of a joystick, not having that seems weird…
General JJ Raven (John)
January 16, 2014 at 12:43
Force of a joystick? Are you purposefully dropping these lines all the time?
RinceThis2014
January 16, 2014 at 12:46
Your mind! http://www.rollonfriday.com/Portals/0/images/Drunk-in-Gutter.gif
Her Highness the Hipster
January 16, 2014 at 15:11
he’s just preoccupied with the idea of haptic feedback – not used to things vibrating when he touches them 😛
General JJ Raven (John)
January 16, 2014 at 11:59
That’s what she said.
Kensei Seraph
January 16, 2014 at 11:59
I should hope so.
RinceThis2014
January 16, 2014 at 12:45
Ha!
Sageville
January 16, 2014 at 11:49
I think I’d like to get hold of this badboy. It looks schweet.
General JJ Raven (John)
January 16, 2014 at 11:53
No greenlight makes me a sad panda
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 16, 2014 at 12:00
What would a greenhouse do?
General JJ Raven (John)
January 16, 2014 at 12:00
Don’t confuse me!
Alien Emperor Trevor
January 16, 2014 at 11:59
I’m not so sure about no Greenlight. I’ve done a bit of voting & there’s some really dodgy looking stuff that’s submitted.
Gareth L (That Guy)
January 16, 2014 at 14:14
Waalllll-EEEEE.
I’ll freak out if the sensor pads blink like eyes when the controller is idle.