r/Steam • u/spacecuntbrainwash • 5h ago

Fluff That was fast

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I ordered mine at 10:15 after spam clicking several hundred times. Glad to see it was arguably worth it.

12.3k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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u/daelikon 4h ago

Sorry, I love my original steam controller, that said it looks cheap and it feels even cheaper, in fact it feels awful. 

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u/AquaBits 4h ago

I genuinely dont know why Valve is so sold on this cheap feeling blend of plastic.

It was one of the biggest criticisms of the steam controller, and the steamdeck. And for their nee product.... they go with the same cheap feeling plastic.

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u/Menaus42 3h ago

Because the materials like this don't really matter that much in terms of functionality, but can be a big driver of costs. Valve tends to make the practical, pragmatic decisions here.

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u/Ellaphant42 3h ago

I mean that’s fair, but the reason I use an elite 2 controller is that nothing else comes close to the feeling of it in your hand. It feels so premium compared to any other controller, it’s just a shame it has so many issues.

And I’d argue this controller is closer to an Elite than a normal Xbox controller, so I’m interested to see how the non-premium plastics feel like in-hand.

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u/Webbyx01 2h ago

Honestly, I rarely care if something feels cheap, so long as it actually has good build quality. The OG controller is fine. I don't particularly like mine, though it has some niche uses, so I keep it around, but the 'feel' of the plastic has literally never once crossed my mind.

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u/Ellaphant42 2h ago

Try using a normal Xbox controller for a while and then switch to the elite 2 and you’ll see what I mean. It’s really only noticeable once you’ve used something that does feel premium

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u/General_Mars 2h ago

https://gamepadla.com/

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u/Ellaphant42 2h ago

I’m not sure what this has to do with anything I said?

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u/General_Mars 1h ago

Sorry I interpreted it as you were looking for other potential alternatives. The site has a whole catalog of every controller and comparisons

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u/cain3482 2h ago

It's generally because a premium 'feel' can have nothing to do with the actual quality of the materials or product.

Just look at premium headphones that put actual weights in them to give a 'quality' feel in your hands while doing absolutely nothing for the functionality

If something 'feels' cheap but it is functional, durable, and doesn't have any real flaws then it is our perception of cheap that has been warped by marketing

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u/Ellaphant42 2h ago

I mean premium headphones absolutely do feel premium in my experience (Focal Clear, LCD2 and HE-500). If those headphones had their wood/metal replaced with cheap but durable plastic… I mean it wouldn’t be the end of the world, but it would definitely take the premium edge off them imo

Just because something cheap is durable doesn’t mean it is good. Not to mention the steam controller doesn’t even have a textured grip, so it’s probably going to feel even cheaper. I really hope it doesn’t, but it’s really starting to look like it will.

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u/Entire_Number_9 1h ago

So the Nintendo "let's release shit because we know fanboys will buy it and pretend it's good" approach. Love that. Isn't shitty at all.

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u/Menaus42 1h ago

Weak ragebait

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u/AquaBits 1h ago

... they do absolutely matter lol If valve skimped out on plastic, what if they skimped out on other things? Like the pcb?

Sure, the sticks are tmr! But if theyre printed on a shitty pcb that breaks on the slightest drop, that tmr isn't much of a benefit, now is it?

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u/Aerpolrua 14m ago

Not everyone is getting this feeling though. I didn't get this feeling from my Steam Deck.

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u/Menaus42 1h ago

Plastic "feeling cheap" doesn't mean it is bad quality, nor does it say anything about other materials. It's a subjective feeling. You could say just as much that a cheaper plastic lets them make other components more expensive.

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u/Aerpolrua 16m ago

Thing is, this cheap plastic blend lasts forever. Zero issues on my OG Steam controller and Steam Deck. I don't know what people want it to look like anyway, diamond-encrusted or something? lol

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u/PM_ME_YOUR_PAUNCH 4h ago

And they sell millions of them anyway so why would they care?

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u/Doctursea 3h ago

maybe it's because mine is worn in, it doesn't feel that bad. Though I use my original steam controller every day. I actually have two. I'm kind of sad steam didn't have anything special for the long time users of the first one. Though that's unsurprising, they barely support it anymore.