Best controller that let me quit my console gaming for good.
Sure, it's different.
Sure, it takes some getting-used-to.
Sure, it lacks a d-pad* and rumble support**.
But this thing is literally a game-changer. I can play mouse-driven games, such as Icewind Dale Enhanced Edition, Pillars of Eternity, Card City Nights and the like, from the comfort of my couch. I can play FPS games with much more precise aiming thanks to a combination of trackpad and gyroscope aiming. I can remap games to play exactly how I want, even games that didn't include any gamepad support whatsoever - no need for external third-party software such as AntiMicro - and I can manage those configurations WITH the gamepad! I can also share my configurations with the Steam community easily, and they're applied automatically by Steam on the fly. Oh yeah, and it all works identically and seamlessly on Linux, Windows, and OSX.
Valve have pushed out several firmware updates for the Controller, as well as many beta Steam client updates which not only fixed some bugs, but also added, expanded, and improved upon the ways we can configure this thing. They're listening to our feedback emails, as I've seen several additions which I specifically requested, myself. Even how it is now, it's virtually infinitely configurable, and once you get used to creating and tweaking configs, you'll figure out what you like and become a pro at setting up configs for your favorite games in no time.
Battery life seems to be quite good. The included batteries endured daily use from the day my Controller arrived on October 16th, until I finally had to replace them on the morning of November 16th. It doesn't compete with my Logitech F710 experience, but I still can't complain about that, considering what I typically got out of my DualShock 3.
This is only the first retail iteration, but I think they nailed it. I now have no need for any of the other gamepads I've invested in over the years, and I no longer need a keyboard or mouse for the games that don't support gamepads natively.
Thank you, Valve!
Sincerely,
A long-time gamepad user who has longed for something better.
PS: now you gotta figure out a way to make fonts readable in all games in a ten-foot setup.
* - seriously, STOP calling the left trackpad a d-pad. IT'S NOT A D-PAD! It's a trackpad! It's far more useful than a d-pad will ever be, and touch-to-move is the best thing since sliced analog stick.
** - each trackpad has haptic feedback, but this is not yet being used in any games that I'm aware of to emulate traditional rumble support or anything of the like. And really, do you even care about rumble support? A lot of games don't support that anyhow, and it's not like you get it in your standard keyboard and mouse either.
