This may sound like heresy but what about having a bunch of servers exclusively for players on steam-link with steam-controllers?
http://store.steampowered.com/hardware/
I’m sure Valve would welcome it if developers embraced their new Steam-link technology. Games that are the first to adopt could be promoted more on Steam. Look at the page, the ones that optimise really get the spotlight.
How could you even police such a thing and ensure that kb/m players aren’t going in for the easy kills?
Difficult I’d imagine, given you can still use the kb/m locally even when you’re linked…
That said, I’m really impressed by the Link, played DB using a wireless kb and mouse (work ones so not great), the rendering speed and quality are superb and the input latency is barely discernable. Don’t get me wrong i’m playing using a fairly new 50" Samsung tv, CAT6 cabled connections to the router with 1GB ports, with a 970GTX in the pc, but even still it is near as damn it like sitting in front of the pc.
Also the fact you can go into desktop and launch anything else (I’ve ran MAME, superb playing R-Type on the telly :), is a real bonus.
But back on topic, no idea if or how you could possible setup dedicated servers exclusively for the steam machin/link…
I want a steam controller but I have no illusions of using it for a FPS like dirty bomb and expecting to play on par with KBM.
I doubt it would be possible because in Steam Controller Mode valve even says that you shouldn’t play shooters, because its not for that.
I want one too, however after sifting through reviews it looks to be a stinker. As most are reporting it’s not comfortable to use for protracted periods, due to the parts where your palms rest being raised.
Well got one today, and whilst it’s really early days, I got to say I can’t see it ever replacing the kbm for FPS’, but then I doubt that’s it’s main aim (no pun intended). There are plenty of games out there that need mouse input and it does that really well. The integration of custom configs from the community, listed by number of users using it, it is really cool.
Out of the two, I would really only recommend the Steam Link as doing exactly what it says it will do out of the box.
Interesting to hear some people found the controller uncomfortable. I’ve found mine to be rather nice but it does expect a slightly different/higher position with thumbs on the trackpads (probably best to get your hands on one before ordering). That said it’s extremely versatile and I’ve had good luck replacing mouse+keyboard on a variety of stuff (dosbox, audiosurf, grim fandango,…). I’d also say it’s a definite upgrade over a traditional controller for FPS or 3rd-person games with lots of aiming, particularly if the game allows simultaneous mouse+joypad input.
Ontopic: Steam controller only servers could be difficult to enforce because the controller reports to the OS as kb/m in the most useful configuration for FPS. I knocked up a usable profile for Dirty Bomb but am just too ham-fisted with any controller to really get close to mouse input.
I don’t think SD needs to enforce it. Just need a way to get on that page with the new controllers. (free advertising?)
There is no way that this could be done due to SD having no way to enforce it.
However, I do own a Steam controller and I made a profile for Dirty Bomb to test how well it works in DB compared to using a mouse and keyboard. It’s definitely not as awful as using an analog controller but it’s far from optimal even after a lot of firmware and software updates (they are updating the controller with new software that fixes issues and adds features almost daily). It would definitely be a good option for somebody who is hell bent on playing with a controller instead of a mouse and keyboard or people who have disability issues that can’t use a mouse/keyboard combination but can use a controller.
Even on day one, before all the firmware/software updates, it was surprisingly easy to use in DB. I thought about making a second Steam account for DB only using the Steam controller so I could compare my stats with a keyboard vs. a Steam controller. Then I realized I just don’t have the time to dedicate to a peripheral I’ll never take seriously in a competitive shooter (but have no issues using for games like Far Cry 4, Mass Effect 3 or Fallout 4).
As far as the controller goes I’ve never had any issues with discomfort while using it and I’ve got some serious hours behind it now. The complaints about it feeling cheap are pretty valid though as it feels like it’s still a 3d print quickly made device compared to an XB1 or PS4 controller. But that is just the feel/weight/aesthetics and doesn’t really impact performance.