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Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

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Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#51

Post by tapoxi »

Fire-Dragon-DoL wrote: post #40
poisonborz wrote: post #29

Even if Valve and Steam is great and overall a blessing for the PC space, I don't like the direction they take with this controller. It only works with Steam, it can't work on a desktop OS without it, despite standard layout. It is a subtle move towards a walled garden.

Kinda. SteamOS is open source, so it's not really walled. It's possible they deferred making generic drivers to release faster and those will come out later,kinda like steamOS windows drivers came out later

The driver exists in the proprietary Steam client, not in SteamOS itself.

Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#52

Post by tjpnz »

herpdyderp wrote: post #8
roer wrote: post #4

I love the readme on the gitlab page [1]. It feels so.. friendly :) > This repository contains CAD files for the external shell (surface topology) of Steam Controller and the Steam Controller Puck, under a Creative Commons license. This includes an STP model of each, an STL model of each, and an engineering drawing with critical features/keep outs for each. Feel free to use these to make your own Puck holders, Contro…

Sometimes I wonder what we did to deserve Valve and how long it can possibly last.

I'm optimistic provided they continue to be privately held and don't parachute in a professional executive to be CEO after Gabe departs.

Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#53

Post by bluGill »

embedding-shape wrote: post #10
jandrese wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Imagine if everybody did this. You break some stupid plastic part on something? No need to throw it away, just print an exact replacement on the spot. Or maybe tweak it first so it's less flimsy then print the replacement.

Going a step further, imagine hardware manufacturers noticing specific defects, then publishing new updated CAD files for a part that lasts better than the last, for customers who already have 3D printers to print their own upgrades/"patches".

That can work, but 3d printing doesn't in general make for strong parts (layers). Most of the time you want some form of molding or CNC subtractive machining (either plastic of metal) - while some hobbyists have this, 3d printing is far more common. (and often easier)

Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#54

Post by bsimpson »

poisonborz wrote: post #29

Even if Valve and Steam is great and overall a blessing for the PC space, I don't like the direction they take with this controller. It only works with Steam, it can't work on a desktop OS without it, despite standard layout. It is a subtle move towards a walled garden.

I'm not sure that's Valve's fault.

Windows is designed for gamepads to emulate an Xbox controller. All those Steam Deck competitors are implemented as an Xbox controller with a partial keyboard grafted on. That's why you need Legion Space or Armoury Crate to make them usable - they tell the controller firmware what keybindings to send for those rear paddles.

InputPlumber serves this purpose on Linux. Without it, you just get ABXY, start, select, nav, and shoulder buttons - the same layout that's been on the Xbox forever, because games don't understand the random partial keyboard that shares an internal USB hub with the Xbox pad clone. Thankfully on Linux, you're not stuck with one durable keybinding per paddle - once InputPlumber unifies that USB hub back into a controller, you can map all its buttons per-game with Steam Input. This controller brings that same convenience to Windows too.

It's not that Valve is making a proprietary controller - it's that the Windows gaming ecosystem assumes a proprietary controller, and Valve doesn't conform to that assumption. Instead, they provide a fully featured controller and let you configure it per-game in Steam. Considering Steam is the launcher most people use for most games, that's a totally reasonable tack.

Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#55

Post by junaru »

poisonborz wrote: post #29

Even if Valve and Steam is great and overall a blessing for the PC space, I don't like the direction they take with this controller. It only works with Steam, it can't work on a desktop OS without it, despite standard layout. It is a subtle move towards a walled garden.

Id bet some money it has more to do with certification. Consoles ban 3rd party controllers that provide a competitive edge. Steam controller is exactly that.

Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#56

Post by nananana9 »

benoau wrote: post #19
herpdyderp wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes I wonder what we did to deserve Valve and how long it can possibly last.

We let kids gamble so much money in games that they don't have to nickel and dime the adults.

They also nickel and dime the adults, but only the ones who make the games.

It's fine though, because they're nice to players and they've brainwashed them into giving their money to Valve instead of to the developers who actually make the games they fucking play.

Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#57

Post by ZekeSulastin »

herpdyderp wrote: post #8
roer wrote: post #4

I love the readme on the gitlab page [1]. It feels so.. friendly :) > This repository contains CAD files for the external shell (surface topology) of Steam Controller and the Steam Controller Puck, under a Creative Commons license. This includes an STP model of each, an STL model of each, and an engineering drawing with critical features/keep outs for each. Feel free to use these to make your own Puck holders, Contro…

Sometimes I wonder what we did to deserve Valve and how long it can possibly last.

If your “we” is Australia, you could have implemented consumer protections then sued Valve for ignoring them: https://www.accc.gov.au/media-release/valve-to-pay-3-million...

Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#58

Post by BadBadJellyBean »

Computer0 wrote: post #31
KumaBear wrote: post #3

If only scalpers didn’t scoop up every unit

I think valve typically has pretty good scalper protection. Was that not the case this time?

I think nobody but valve knows and they are not telling us. We don't know how many units were sold and how the protections were (at least I didn't see anything). Some people seem to assume that scalpers are to blame when a product is sold out really fast (which is understandable when looking at past hardware releases).

Me, I don't think so. I just think people really wanted to get one.

Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#59

Post by Onavo »

roer wrote: post #4

I love the readme on the gitlab page [1]. It feels so.. friendly :) > This repository contains CAD files for the external shell (surface topology) of Steam Controller and the Steam Controller Puck, under a Creative Commons license. This includes an STP model of each, an STL model of each, and an engineering drawing with critical features/keep outs for each. Feel free to use these to make your own Puck holders, Contro…

I think at this point Steam might as well just release the hounds and let third parties build and sell steam compatible hardware (the Android play). Their own attempts have been, well, not great. Dealing with hardware supply chains is a very different game than software. They already have a platform, the hardware is purely for distribution. Whether they make a profit on hardware or not doesn't really matter. They are basically the opposite of Apple.

Re: Valve releases Steam Controller CAD files under Creative Commons license

#60

Post by kridsdale1 »

tjpnz wrote: post #52
herpdyderp wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sometimes I wonder what we did to deserve Valve and how long it can possibly last.

I'm optimistic provided they continue to be privately held and don't parachute in a professional executive to be CEO after Gabe departs.

This is the answer. Enshitification is a requirement of the fiduciary duty of public companies. A private company can stay good forever.
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