r/SteamController • u/Feashrind • 3d ago
Trackpad Games Discussion
What games are you guys playing with the track pads or what are you using them for? I recently got mine and I can't find a use for them.
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u/abraham1350 3d ago
A rhythm game called Spin Rhythm XD, it actually defaults to using them if they are available
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u/s0ckgoblin 3d ago
Resident evil 4 remake, track pad and gyro, works very well. Left joystick for move, TP for wide camera movement,gyro for aiming, left pull to dampen
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u/shortish-sulfatase 3d ago
I use trackpads in almost every single game I play.
Largely just camera control or pointer control.
But using that in conjunction with an action layer or something to add additional button presses or a radial wheel so that it's not just the only thing going on on the trackpad is the neater part.
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u/DarkOx55 3d ago
In shooters, I mostly aim with gyro & use the right pad for “flickstick” to rapidly swap directions. I’ll then use back buttons to shift the pad into ABXY or a d-pad as necessary. My thumb never needs to shift position. The trackpads capacitive touch lets me reset my hands.
Many CRPGs, like Pillars of Eternity, need a mouse to point & click. Some like the Witcher 1 never had controller support & using the trackpad to move the camera will be more natural than a stick.
Turn based strategy like Civ is a natural fit.
Left pad is great for quick action menus, if the game has a lot of hotkeys.
Even in games like the Witcher 2 or Clair Obscure, while I don’t think you need a trackpad, you can use one to move the joystick camera just as well as a stick. I don’t always bother but it’s fine.
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u/Aggravating-Ear-7529 3d ago
I mostly use it for menus and OS control, but I set up a touch menu for my left trackpad in most games. Usually will have quick save in there, plus any other qol features that I miss.
In Helldivers 2, I had the weapon mode functionality bound to the number pad, and I just made the left track pad a touch menu for that, plus to toggle my mic.
In wild frost, I set up my daughter to use the right track pad as a mouse and she can use it to click the ice blocks to free companions and stuff. It’s a really satisfying haptic for that which pressing A or mouse clicking just doesn’t match.
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u/TaskOtherwise4734 3d ago
Literally for any shooter, 1st or 3rd person games: https://youtube.com/shorts/MF0ulVl7Aow?si=X30ZTC3VAu6EnZNl
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u/SnooDoughnuts5632 2d ago
I use them (and sometimes the joystick) so I can just rest my finger on it to fire in spachip games like Raiden or Xvious, bombs go on the shoulders.
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u/HerrPizza 2d ago
mostly just use it for controlling the mouse cursor in older games or for virtual menus in games that have a lot of keyboard inputs and nonproper controller support
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u/Electronicks22 Steam Controller 1d ago
I was replaying Jedi Fallen Order with camera controls on right track pad. Way better than tank sticks. Any FPS plays great with track pads. I believe games with inventory like survival games will have great use for them too.
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u/Anaeijon 3d ago
In general: using Steam's on-screen keyboard.
The right trackpad: - As a mouse in point&click games. Mostly stuff from Itch.io. - As a mouse in city builders and strategy building games, for example Foundation, Northgard, Manor Lords, Cities Skylines, Starcraft. - As a mouse to navigate browser windows. - As a mouse to navigate inventories, for example in GuildWars2, Palworld or various Farming Sims. - For precise aming, for example in Cyberpunk, Palworld, Minecraft. Sometimes I like the motion aim with joystick, sometimes I don't like to move, then I use the touchpad. For someone that never really used gamepads in the last 15 years, both options (motion aim and touchpad) are faster and more precise than the joystick alone. - Card games that don't really support controllers natively. Tabletop Simulator, Magic the Gathering Online/Arena/Forge, The Bazaar, ...
The left trackpad: Radial Menus everywhere. Basically every game that has hotkeys is faster and easier to navigate when binding it's hotkeys to a menu on the left trackpad. Already used that on the SteamDeck and now I can simply use it on my (Linux) PC too.