Valve Adds Steamworks API For Their New Controller

[phoronix]

Phoronix: Valve Adds Steamworks API For Their New Controller

Valve added the Steamworks API support yesterday for handling their new Steam Machines controller inside new games...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTU0NjY

[uid313]

It would be pretty cool if anyone made some open source application for the Linux desktop using the Steamworks API...

No idea what it would do... but yeah

[siteuntitled]

Multiple Controllers?

I'm assuming they must have figured this out since any living room device should support multiple players, but if this is reading as a mouse and doesn't need a special driver how is it going to support multiple controllers? I'm guessing that is part of the API? On the same note, is support for logging into more than one steam account simultaneously coming (so player 2 gets steam achievements on their account when they play)?

[ModplanMan]

I'm worried that Valve will not push drivers into the upstream kernel to fully support the controller. Instead the support will live solely within Steamworks and all the rest of us get amounts to a standard controller anyway, without access to the screen, re-mappable pads or proper mouse emulation support (the latter also lives within Steam, not the kernel as far as I know).

[kwahoo]

I'm worried that Valve will not push drivers into the upstream kernel to fully support the controller.

According to Plagman, they will push drivers into the upstream kernel.

[mmstick]

I'm worried that Valve will not push drivers into the upstream kernel to fully support the controller. Instead the support will live solely within Steamworks and all the rest of us get amounts to a standard controller anyway, without access to the screen, re-mappable pads or proper mouse emulation support (the latter also lives within Steam, not the kernel as far as I know).

I'd like to know why you are worried about that in the first place.

[ModplanMan]

I'd like to know why you are worried about that in the first place.

Because the only reference to using the controller from Valve has been using it with Steam/SteamOS. No mention has been made of Valve pushing patches for its functionality to the kernel, they add a Steamworks API specifically for the controller, and now according to this reddit comment half of it's functionality doesn't work without SteamOS.

According to Plagman, they will push drivers into the upstream kernel.

Do you have the link?

[smitty3268]

Because the only reference to using the controller from Valve has been using it with Steam/SteamOS. No mention has been made of Valve pushing patches for its functionality to the kernel, they add a Steamworks API specifically for the controller, and now according to this reddit comment half of it's functionality doesn't work without SteamOS.



Do you have the link?

The SteamOS kernel is just a fairly standard linux RT kernel, so anything they do with it should be GPL2 and easily ported upstream, whether they bother doing so or not.

The Steamworks part may not be opensourced, but as part of Steam it should be working everywhere as well. They don't really have any reason to try to reduce the number of places you can run steam - it's rather the opposite.

[bnolsen]

I really want to get a hold of one of these to do some interface testing for a precision 3d measurement tool. Could be promising, could be a bust but I won't go broke testing it!

[Azpegath]

I wonder if SDL will implement some specific support for it inside their GameController API.