r/steammachine • u/blackriver35 • 13h ago
Question Controller recommendations for my living room setup
Hi everyone, I have been using my steam machine for about a week now in my living room and I’m really enjoying it. That said, while I did get a steam controller with it, my plan is to use this with friends for couch coops and other fun couch games. Does anyone have any recommendations on third party controllers for the steam machine? It would be great to get three more steam controllers, but thats obviously not going to happen.
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u/DiscreteFame GabeCube Enjoyer 13h ago
Mines was supposed to get here in 2027 and I got it last month (no, not by 2027, IN 2027 for those that always argue it), so I say you're better off getting another Steam Controller. I have 2 now since one came with the Machine. Don't think I need a 3rd or 4th right now, but you should be able to get one relatively soon as opposed to what it was like before.
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u/SmileByotch 13h ago edited 13h ago
Steam controllers honestly aren’t much more expensive than other core-gamer level controllers— here are some recs for you to save a dime:
- Buy third party (I think what you’re asking) — I use 8bit-Do Pro for PC and emulation— they’re good, but need to be reset with manual updates about 1x/year (my mileage)
- Buy Xbox— if you must buy first party and new and today, the Xbox series controllers are well made and designed to be windows integrated, and of course they’re the default controller Valve builds off of, regardless of Steam input. These are about half the price of pro controllers, which are marketed as Xbox Elite controllers by Microsoft.
- buy used NS1 Pro— if you can get mail from GameStop, the single thing I’d recommend from that dumpster fire of a company is their price from 6 months ago when I bought a Switch 1 Pro Controller— I wanted something console native for my hypothetical 2P after buying myself the NS2 Pro— well worth it, same price or cheaper than an Xbox Series controller new. Be absolutely sure you’re buying Nintendo first party when buying hardware from GS, they sell broken third party controllers at the same price and the staff don’t necessarily know the difference.
- Buy XB Elite with rewards points — this is absolutely free but will take at least a few months of accumulating MS Rewards points, but you can buy everything from games on sale to up to ~$600/year discount on hardware using just their loyalty program. I bought myself Elite Core 2 from MS with rewards points three years ago, it’s still my daily driver XB controller. Please note there are rumors that the XB Elite 3 is in development— the Elite 2 is a 2018/9 controller IIRC.
- IMHO PlayStation controllers have shit ability to pair with anything including a PS4, but they work wired on PC
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u/daelikon 13h ago
I have been using a couple of dual senses with zero issues for a couple years now, until I got my steamcontroller.
I also got me an 8bitdo and it works really well.
I would never recommend xbox controllers, they are the only ones without gyro.
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u/SmileByotch 12h ago
Thank you! I am admittedly very bad at controlling a dualsense— I have two but I (have) never use(d) my PS4– excellent point on gyro— gives a game like TOTK or AstroBot that feeling of “I touched the controller and magic happened “
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u/daelikon 12h ago
For me it was tomb raider, one of the best gaming experiences of my life was using the bow in the game with the gyro.
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u/SmileByotch 13h ago
Oh shit, and my last point was “don’t buy four” — your only controller purchase after buying a new console + controller should be for your intended 2P. Is your couch co-op-player a controller snob? Get them a Steam Controller and tell them if they don’t like it, bring their own. Are they a Nintendo player? Get them an NS1 Pro.
Don’t buy four. Why? Because I don’t have four adult friends who come to my house simultaneously to play games. When I have four acquaintances who come, they can watch each other play while we talk, or they can 2P coop in turns— most games with split screen coop or shared screen coop still don’t support 4P local; most 4p local games are little party games, or roguelike games that most of your friends won’t want to personally play
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u/OK_Atlas 11h ago
Another vote for 8bitdo. Their controllers are awesome and affordable. Take a look at the catalog and choose the one that looks good. Make sure to note the ABXY layout of some Xbox vs Switch version.
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u/Michaelpwn 11h ago
Would recommend the Gamesir cyclone 2! Bought it a while ago and love it! Comes with a dongle for 2.4 GHz connection and there’s an option to buy a charging dock with the controller as well. Been thinking about getting another for some fun couch co-op games and it’s pretty cheap on AliExpress.
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u/LtDarthWookie 9h ago
Do you have any other controllers? Most modern controllers have Bluetooth and can pair to the steam machine. You can use Xbox, Playstation, and even switch controllers. If not as other have said I'd get some of the 8bitdo controllers.
1
u/rednaxelo 7h ago
get ps4 controllers.
you can get them used for $15 and the ps4 controller even has gyro. it’s nearly as good as the steam controller, but only with 1 trackpad.
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u/SmilesUndSunshine 3h ago
In one of the Steam Machine official videos, Valve specifically said the SM can connect 4 controllers via Bluetooth (unlike the Steam Deck which had issues from time to time with more than a couple controllers). I haven't had a chance to test 4 controllers via Bluetooth specifically, but it should opens things up a bit.
As others have said, Dualshock 4 controllers should be available secondhand for cheap and connect well via Bluetooth in my experience (at least 1-2 at a time). Assuming Valve's statements are true, DS4 controllers might be the cheapest way to 4-player gaming with quality controllers.
Modern Xbox controllers can connect via Bluetooth or a separate 2.4 GHz dongle. However, there are repeated scattered reports of people having issues connecting modern Xbox controllers via Bluetooth. On the other hand, the 2.4 GHz dongle requires a 3rd party driver that needs to be manually reinstalled whenever there's a big OS update (usually once or twice a year). However, the 2.4 GHz dongle handles 8 controllers completely rock solidly, so IMO it's a good option if you want to play >4-player local co-op (and have the friends to do it). I personally went this route as Xbox controllers would go on sale consistently around the holidays (at least pre-AI crisis).
8bitdo is popular, and I don't hear many issues with it, but I don't see too many reports of people using 4 8bitdos in a set-up. One caveat is that, for 2.4 GHz connections, you need one dongle per controller. I bring this up because I once tried using a Frankenstein set-up on a Steam Deck of Bluetooth controllers, Xbox controllers (via dongle), and an 8bitdo controller (via dongle). The 8bitdo controller had some dropped input issues. Because of that, I went with the Xbox solution because it only means 1 dongle instead of multiple ones. Again, this was on a Deck, so I dunno if the Machine would be any smoother.
Also, note that on console, I think only Mario Kart on Switch 2 allows for 8-player gaming. However, Steam does have quite a few games with >4 players options. Many are lower-budget indie games, but there are some gems out there.
- TMNT Shredder's Revenge is 6 players on Steam.
- Pummel Party is a Mario-Party-like that's 8 players and customizable with mini-game mods
- Genital Jousting is 8-players if you're playing with an older crowd and want a NSFW game to try
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/11707935-More-Than-4-Local-Multiplayer/
https://store.steampowered.com/curator/45669016-More-Than-4-Player-Co-op/
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u/cjbruce3 13h ago
8bitdo Ultimate 2 — We have 3 of them, an Xbox, and Switch controllers. Everyone reaches for the 8bitdo. Much nicer than the Xbox or Switch, and they don’t rely on bluetooth. 2.4 GHz is more reliable.