For those who already own the Steam Controller: How much of its functionality is there when not using it with Steam/Steam Input API?

Like can you use the touchpads? Gyro?

Cause at this point I strongly consider buying the thing, but I am also strongly opposed to peripherals that need software that goes beyond scope of a driver.

@memoriesin8bit there's already work to fully support the new steam controller under SDL, which is looking like it should be an easy slot in alternative to xinput as a driver

@Atatra That's the best news I got in this thread so far. Thanks!

@memoriesin8bit it's not a functional driver yet as is, but it comes down to the fact that xinput just can't support the steam controller without stripping it down to only the inputs also found on an Xbox controller working. sdl already allows devices to read all the inputs of a steam controller, it's just that there's no equivalent of xinput yet that has done the work to support more types of controls as a basic desktop driver. it is fully functional under Linux however due to valves drivers

@Atatra Yeah I can't see this working fully without making this like one of those multi devices. Like how mice also are keyboards. This pad would also need to be like.. 3 additional mice. (2 for touchpads, one for gyro?)

@memoriesin8bit yep, that's the big issue. valve was able to roll their own driver to seamlessly handle what is basically two mice strapped to a gamepad with three joysticks in software, and that driver is steaminput and also in the Linux kernel due to valves work with open source, but It would take Microsoft modifying xinput to specifically support a competing company's hardware for it to just work on any device

@Atatra okay that is a much better explanation. I thought that driver actually just lived in SteamInputAPI (somehow, don't ask - I am not a driver devel).

So the way I understand it: the device reports all its capabilities but since most games are just made to support XInput or DirectInput, there is no way to access the Gyro stuff whereas the track-pads should work if a game were to support mouse (multiple due to existing mouse)/gamepad inputs at the same time?

@Atatra Actually scratch that, I am very well aware that games with just Xinput alone couldn't just magically support gyro or additional mouse inputs - I am not quite as dumb. But I thought this was a care more closely resembling those "gaming keyboards" where they sometimes have macro keys that don't trigger ANY events - so you couldn't hope to make them work with your own software even if you tried.

@memoriesin8bit I think the right driver could probably translate most of the inputs on the steam controller and pass them to xinput or direct input, but you'd still be left without the gyro or track pads, albeit I think the track pads would still work fine as mice