Steam Controllers, Fighting Game Woes, and the Agony of Xenoblade 2

The episode opens with a deep dive into the new Steam Controller, which Pat describes as essentially a Steam Deck without the screen — a lightweight controller featuring those excellent trackpads that are "the best way to mouse in a game without a mouse." The trackpads provide tactile feedback with slight rumbles as you move your thumb, making them feel remarkably accurate. The controller's cleverest feature is its charging solution: a wireless dongle that sits wherever you want it, and the controller itself never needs to be wired in (except for firmware updates), eliminating the common failure point where a charging port bends or breaks.

However, the controller has notable flaws. The D-pad and face buttons sit uncomfortably high on the controller's face — pushed upward to make room for the trackpads — which makes them awkward for fighting games or anything requiring quick D-pad inputs. The triggers lack the adjustable threshold found on PlayStation's elite controllers, so you can't set L2 and R2 to instant taps instead of full analog pulls. Pat paid $90 for an unopened unit, and while he sees it as a solid option for MMOs like FF14 or mouse-heavy games like Deadlock, it won't replace anyone's current preferences.

The State of Fighting Games: Matchmaking, Performance, and Team Communication