
Valve announces that the newly-updated controller can be used even outside of Steam.
We are all accustomed to Valve’s approach on the gaming industry, and we are not talking only about games this time. Valve’s steam controller receives firmware update and all of us are excited to see how the newly-updated controller fares outside of Steam.
Yes, you heard it right. With the new firmware update, you’ll be able to use the controller outside of Steam and you can even use it for activities that do no imply gaming. According to the update’s description posted on Valve’s website, the improved controller will now incorporate a myriad of functions which can be used in order to navigate through your computer. Among the goodies packed in the new update are a couple of configurable functions for volume control and even play or pause buttons.
Moreover, it would seem that Valve wants to get the controller out of the yard, and even launched a beta client which enables the controller to work with non-Steam devices. Also, the new Steam Client beta features whole new set of functions that enable the controller’s save setting to be transferred between several Steam accounts.
In terms of gaming, the controller comes to surprise us with enhanced flexibility and versatility. We all know how hard it is for an inveterate computer gamer to switch from mouse and keyboard to a game controller. Most of us would rather smash the joystick into pieces after being machine-gunned by a low-level foe.
But Valve has the solution to that problem. In the new firmware update, Valve included a couple of modification concerning how easily the gaming stick can be handled. And so, the boring rudder will turn into an almost mouse-like controller which is sure to screw a smile on everyone’s face. Moreover, it would seem that the mouse-like joystick is even customizable, meaning that, for example, the players are capable of assigning a hotkey for certain game functions such as switching between the minimap and shooting mode.
As for FPS aficionados, the controller comes packed with other goodies such as gyroscopic aiming. Also, we are able to see that the newly-updated controller is combining the use of d-pads with the body’s movement.
As a part of their campaign for improving gaming controllers, Valve also had the courtesy of including a presentation of their fully automated manufacturing plant. According to their statement, it would seem that the manufacturing used to create the game controllers is considered to be the largest fully automated plant in the United States.
Photo credits:www.wikipedia.org