r/steammachine

Yes, that's Starcraft on the living room TV, played with a Steam Controller.

It took some tinkering but using the trackpads makes it about as good as playing on a laptop. It's not competitive but neither am I. I just enjoy Starcraft as a casual, cozy game with friends and playing on the couch is that much cozier.

I just managed to win an FFA against 2 computers. So thats something.

Both tracks pads are set to mouse input with left click on the right one and right click on the left one. That might sound weird but it feels natural and is how I've been "driving" every mouse+keyboard game, as well as desktop mode.

Left bumper is set to the "A" key so I can attack move by holding it and right clicking.

Right bumper is set to the "Ctrl" key so that I can assign control groups to the Dpad.

The Dpad is set the number keys 1,2,3,4. I might add 5-8 on the back buttons but it would be nicer if there were a way to cycle through all of them with one button - open to ideas. (Maybe a radial wheel on the right joystick? SteamInput is cool but not intuitive).

Left trigger moves the cursor to the bottom right corner so that I can quickly click the UI buttons down there (Build, repair, siege, cloak, etc). And then goes back when I release the trigger. It's like holding a trigger to open a sub menu. (That UI changes dynamically depending on what is selected so creating shortcuts for each unit and building didn't make sense. But a short cut to move the cursor over there makes it easy to quickly hover over the area and click).

Right trigger works the same but for the minimap.

Left joystick is set to arrows keys - which controls the camera.

That's it so far. It's surprisingly playable. Open to suggestions on how to improve this layout. I should probably figure out something for Hold Position and Patrol. What else does this need?

I’m travelling for work this week and staying in a hotel. Using the Steam Machine for some browser based work and games whilst here.

Using the JSAUX carry case. First time using it, seems pretty good, compact, has room for everything, feels sturdy enough.

Pretty sweet how small it all packs up to be.

I got annoyed by the Puck flying around when connecting/disconnecting to the controller, so I designed this 3D printable riser stand. I've added sticky tapes on both sides, so now my Puck has a fixed place on top of the Steam Machine and I can easily attach and detach the controller with one hand.

I figured it might be useful for others too, so here's the link to the model: https://makerworld.com/en/models/3392612-steam-controller-puck-riser-stand#profileId-3861603

GabeCubeAura now has Audio Sync, turning game and system audio into real-time animations across the Steam Machine’s 17 LEDs. Everything is processed locally.

I originally planned one simple audio visualizer. There are now 10 patterns. Try them out and find yours.

Every pattern can use built-in palettes such as Sapphire for a Steam-like look, custom colours, the game’s artwork, or live colours captured with Screen Sync.

https://i.redd.it/ztd2ruruwith1.gif

Audio Sync is the main addition, but GabeCubeAura 1.3.2 also brings:

• 9 one-click lighting presets, from Focus and Essential to Immersive, Festive, and Lights out
• Artwork colour intensity, so washed-out game art can produce stronger colours
• 3 selectable icon styles for the existing weather and temperature indicator beside the SteamOS clock
• a real Lights out preset that keeps the bar dark even during downloads, while still allowing the critical red safety warning
• an optional calibration mode for more consistent brightness

Existing users can open:

GabeCubeAura → Updates → Check now

Otherwise, the Stable channel checks automatically every 24 hours.

For a new installation:

Decky Settings → Developer → Install Plugin from ZIP → select GabeCubeAura-v1.3.2.zip

If the Developer page is missing, enable Developer Mode under Decky Settings → General first.

At this point, I’m running out of reasonable things to make 17 LEDs do, which probably means the next idea will be completely unreasonable.

As always, your feedback is always appreciated!

Ever since I got the Steam Controller, I had a few huge issues with, mostly, the ergonomics:

1. The controller is not very flared/angled outward so it has the same issue as the 8Bitdo controller where people with larger frames like myself find it uncomfortable because it forces our arms more inward.

2. The back buttons are in a position where I could only click them with the lower meat of my fingers.

3. It’s not a very wide controller and so my fingers constantly touch and it’s very much something I never got used to.

4. this is a bonus one, but DBrand makes a skin for the controller and most people (myself included) didn’t perfectly apply the skin and so there are rough edges.

ComfortGrips on Etsy solved all 4 of these issues with their “Ergonomic Comfort Grips for Steam Controller Grip.” [Please note that I am not affiliated with this seller in anyway and purchased 2 of them with my own money. I did however message them before the product was live asking if they were making a Steam Controller Grip that would solve my issues and to my surprise, they said they were almost done with it].

Fast forward to today and my controller grips arrived and it fixed all 4 of my issues perfectly. I remember seeing so many people share the same sentiments as myself when the controller first launched so I just figured I would share because it’s literally so perfect for my hands now. The texture is also incredibly nice. The only thing I would note is that with a Dbrand skin applied, they don’t appear to close/“lock” all the way but it’s still works great for me. [it might also impact that touch sensor on the sides but I don’t use that feature]

Overall, can’t recommend it enough to people with wide frames, medium-large hands, or own a Dbrand skin that wasn’t applied perfectly. Pictures of the black model on my controller can be found here.