Adding game controller support was something we had wanted to do for a very long time. It really changes the whole experience of the game. If you have one of Apple’s supported game controllers available, or you want to grab one, you won’t be disappointed. We plan on supporting game controllers in all our releases where it makes sense going forward.
@alexhall The PlayStation Dualshock or Dualsense controllers work really well with Apple devices. I would be surprised if they weren’t supported by Steam as well, but you should double check that. Controllers tend to be highly subject to user preference. Everyone has their own favorites. Those just happen to be mine.
@Draconis Thanks. I'll have a look, and see how expensive they are. I don't game that often, and I'm usually happy with a mouse/keyboard when I do, but I'm intrigued by the idea of the vibration feedback. Besides, controllers must be popular for a reason. They have to be best for certain kinds of games, or no one would use them.
@alexhall Consoles are one of the most popular forms of gaming, and they all use controllers. They really are the best in many, probably most, games. YMMV, of course.
@Draconis That's true. I always forget how popular consoles are. I'm used to doing everything from a PC, and thinking of consoles as under-powered boxes that play basic games. That view, of course, if about 20 years out of date. Modern consoles are powerful computers all on their own. Some even talk!
@alexhall My recommendation for a great general purpose PC/Phone controller has to the 8bitdo Pro 2. It’s a bit cheeper than official controllers but lasts twice as long - about 20 hours, has both USB C and bluetooth for connectivity and supports multiple modes (Input for modern windows games, Direct Input for older ones, Apple for Mac and iPhone and Switch for connecting to a Nintendo Switch. The Sony DualSense is amazing, especially if you play games designed to take advantage of its extra features like the adaptive triggers or advanced haptics (THe Last of US on PC can make use of this for example). On APple platforms it pretty much works out of the box like Draconis said, but for most Windows games you need an extra app which makes it fake an Xbox controller which is a bit of a hassle to set up. The official Xbox controllers also work out of the box on Apple platforms and most Windows games, and its triggers also have something called impulse rumble which are tiny vibration motors under each trigger. THey’re nowhere near as cool as the DualSense triggers but could give you something for the few games that use them (IE the new Forza almost certainly will). THat being said, Microsoft has decided to stick to non-rechargeable AAA batteries which die very quickly if you want to use it wirelessly. The Xbox One controllers use a Micro USB cable, and the connector on mine died only after a few months. The new Series X/S controllers switched to USB C so that should be less of an issue, but I don’t think they’re worth the extra premium over the 8Bitdo I suggested at the beginning just for the impulse rumble. So over here I use the 8bitdo for most PC gaming, and the Dualsense on playstation or for things that support it. This ended up being way longer than I thought but hope it helps. Playing games with a controller is amazing.
@HarmonicaPlayer @Draconis @alexhall Draconis's games aren't coming to PC. But in general, Playstation Dualsense controllers do work with many Steam games, and of course Remote Play.
@Draconis I kind of do want to grab one, but I have no clue what to even look for. Force feedback, or whatever they call vibrations nowadays, sounds cool, but if my experience with phones is anything to go by, it's hard to find a system that actually feels good. Any recommendations for a controller that works on Apple as well as Steam for Windows?