- Best Controller Games On Steam
- Steam Mac Game Controller Download
- Steam Controller For Pc
- Mac Steam Game Controller
- Steam Mac Game Controller Download
Gaming on the Mac isn't as big as on PC, but there's still some great games out there for Apple computers. In some cases you'll be OK using a keyboard and mouse, but for a lot of people, kicking back and using a controller is the way to game.
Manually pair the Steam Controller to be used wirelessly: Insert the wireless receiver into the front of your PC with clear line of sight to the controller; Turn your Steam Controller off and launch Big Picture Mode with your mouse and keyboard. While in Big Picture Mode, select the Settings icon from the top right section of the client.
If that sounds like you and you're looking for a good controller, look no further. Here's what to get.
Xbox One controller
You can't just plug and play the Xbox One controller on the Mac, but getting it working really doesn't take much effort. And when it's up and running you'll have one of the best controller experiences on any platform right there for your Mac games.
The Xbox One controller isn't all that expensive and has an offset design for its thumbsticks which many find much more comfortable than Sony's side-by-side arrangement. It's a great size, not too heavy and has nice big bumpers and triggers.
- Whether you’ve just recently purchased a new PC or simply want to start to hooking up your computer to the big screen, we’ve got you covered on how to quickly set up a controller on Steam.
- The XBOX 360 controller can be used wirelessly with OSX, but you need a wireless controller receiver (it does not pair via bluetooth). They both work fine wired, they both work fine in big picture mode. The main decision points are if you prefer one controller over the other, and if wireless.
The standard black controller is around $45, but there are a ton of special edition designs out there for various prices that might be more to your liking.
Sony DualShock 4
While the Xbox One controller is preferable for many, others swear by Sony's DualShock 4. It's a very different design but equally proficient in its own right for Mac gaming. Again, it's not exactly plug and play, but the process of making sure it's working properly is very simple.
The DualShock 4 is very comfortable in the hand with great triggers and bumpers, albeit both a little smaller than on something like an Xbox controller. The biggest difference is the side-by-side analog sticks.
It's lightweight so it's great for long gaming sessions, and Sony also has an official adapter to allow you to use it with your Mac wirelessly, though they can be hard to find. But for around $50, this is another great controller and it works perfectly with Steam.
Steam Controller
Steam is more commonly associated with PC gaming but there's still a decent supply of Mac compatible games in there. If this is where you get most of your games from, them the official Steam Controller might be the one for you, and it has full, official Mac support.
It's a bit unusual compared to many controllers, thanks in no small part to the touchpad which you find where you might expect one of the analog sticks. The Steam Controller has been designed so you can play keyboard and mouse games comfortably with a controller.
There's a bit of a learning curve, but when you get used to it it's just as easy to use as any other controller. It sells for $50 but Valve is frequently discounting it, so there's always a chance of a bargain if you can wait until the next sale.
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The Steam Controller in Box
The plan was to launch SteamOS on day one, release Steam Boxes on day two and finish off with the debut Steam Controller on day three. Like an alternative-universe-game-platform-holding Billy Ocean, they really wanted to get games out your monitor and into your
Not only was every gamer's favorite company making new toys, the Steam Controller itself was wildly different from its contemporaries. No analog sticks, haptic feedback, touch screen in the middle, nonstandard buttons and placement, and two very large touch pads. It wasn't pretty, but it had pizzazz. The goal was to create an input device that would allow you to play all your favorite keyboard and mouse centric games, along with standard controller supported games, comfortably on your couch. But how do you make an input device that works as well for Civilization V as it does for Counter Strike?
Fast forward a couple of years (valve time is poised to outlive Moore's law), sprinkle in some notable hardware layoffs, add a dash of an extremely limited public beta phase and a few internal redesigns, and what we've arrived at shares a lot more in common with Sony's DualShock 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One Controller than that original design.To meet their design goals Valve spun the wheel and landed on buttons!
Four standard face buttons that follow Xbox colors and layout (x, y, a, b) adorn the bottom right of the controller face, and a single depressible analog stick occupies the lower left. There is an arrangement of three buttons in the middle of the controller (select, steam orb, start), left and right bumpers, left and right triggers, and an additional left and right paddle on the back of each grip that mirror the 'A' and 'X' buttons by default.
The stars of the show are two very large, circular touch pads at the top. The touch pad in the top left is debossed with the shape of a standard d-pad cross, while the right pad is left completely smooth. Both pads are also clickable, adding two additional physical buttons.
For those keeping count that leaves us at a healthy 16 physical buttons on the controller. In software either of the pads can be configured in one of six ways: as a 4-way directional pad, as a 4 button pad (x,y,a,b on diagonals like on the face), a joystick optimized for movement or camera control, as an emulated mouse cursor, or as a scroll wheel.
By implementing two large touch pads, Valve managed to stumble on a somewhat ingenious two-controllers-in-one approach with their layout. You can use it like a standard controller with your left thumb on the analog stick, using your right thumb to trade off between face buttons and top-right pad duty, or alternatively you can 'choke up' on the controller, placing both your thumbs on the two touch pads and allowing your other fingers to rest on the shoulder buttons, triggers, and paddles on the back. This is particularly useful when switching between games written for mouse and keyboard or for standard controller input.
Unfortunately due to the amount of buttons and the size of the touch pads, trade-offs were made. The x, y, a, and b face buttons suffer the most, squished into the bottom right corner of the contoller's face at a reduced size. The controller itself also ends up being larger than either the DualShock 4 or the Xbox One Controller. I never found it uncomfortable to hold, but after a couple of hours with it I'm still hitting face buttons I didn't mean to.
Steam Controller (left), DualShock 4 (top), Xbox One Controller (right)
What all of this adds up to is a versatile controller with a lot of room for customization. These days Valve is known for their community focused approach to delivering software as a service, and the Steam Controller is no different. They are leaning heavily on user generated controller mappings for games, making it as painless as possible to download community made control schemes or to share your own through Steam.
Hardware is only as good as the software that enables it. Apple fans should be more familiar with that doctrine than most. As of this writing, the Steam Controller is not properly supported under OS X.
To be blunt, the Steam Controller is half implemented. Keyboard and mouse emulation are functional if you opt-in to the latest Steam client beta, but gamepad emulation is non-functioning. Valve has apologized, and promises fixes within the next few weeks, but as of right now it's impossible for us to recommend this to Mac users.
What does not having gamepad emulation actually amount to? Basically it means that any games that would normally detect and use gamepads will fail to do so. Generally this will surface in a 'controller not found' or 'connect controller' message of some type in the game.
Best Controller Games On Steam
No working gamepad emulation means games won't see your steam controller as a controller.
Steam Mac Game Controller Download
However, keyboard and mouse emulation is currently working with the latest Steam beta, so if the game supports keyboard and mouse as an input, you can try and map to that. Keep in mind, however, that is going to mean remapping your controller manually in almost every game, as well as avoiding the community and developer made mappings. If you don't mind putting in a little elbow grease, you may be able to get something functional out of the experience.Steam Controller For Pc
Eventually I just plugged it into my Gaming PC where everything just works. Out of the handful of games I tested (Darkest Dungeon, Crypt of the Necrodancer, Bioshock Infinite, Bastion, Rocket League) I was able to find configurations or manually map ones that I felt were pretty good. I'm not sure there was an experience in that batch of games that was compelling enough to make me choose it over a keyboard and mouse or DualShock 4 or Xbox One Controller when available.The sweet spot for this controller is undoubtedly playing a keyboard and mouse only game from your couch. Valve is making a bet that market is larger than most of us realize.