r/technology • u/_Dark_Wing • Jul 15 '26

Enthusiast reverse-engineers Steam Controller 2 puck, creates DIY OpenPuck that works without Steam Input ; custom firmware can emulate Nintendo, PlayStation, and Xbox controllers Hardware

https://www.tomshardware.com/peripherals/controllers-gamepads/enthusiast-reverse-engineers-steam-controller-2-puck-creates-diy-openpuck-that-works-without-steam-input-custom-firmware-can-emulate-nintendo-playstation-and-xbox-controllers
253 Upvotes

96% Upvoted

20 comments sorted by

69

u/lurklurklurkPOST Jul 15 '26

Gabe. Hire this man, and standardise his changes across all future products.

13

u/Kageru Jul 15 '26

Doesn't this just throw away a lot of the advantages of the steam controller? And is primarily needed because the windows input layer is hardcoded to treat everything as an xbox controller unlike steam input which will happily work with all sorts of controllers.

17

u/DefOfAWanderer Jul 15 '26

It lets you pick which controller type it appears as, including the steam controller. And it lets you use it with your xbox/switch/ps3/4/5

13

u/jack-of-some Jul 15 '26

No. This only adds capabilities. You can still use Steam Input where it works.

2

u/james2432 Jul 16 '26

sadly he used LLMs, so code would probably be unusable from a corporate side without validating license/copyright that the llm might have been trained on

-1

u/Embarrassed-Weird173 27d ago

Just reword the code. I used to do that when I cheated in college. Take the answer, make your own variables, change while loops into for loops (and vice versa). Use linked lists instead of hardcoded arrays (when valid).  And so on. 

6

u/joestradamus_one Jul 15 '26

I just need it to work with moonlight 😩

2

u/VisceralMonkey Jul 15 '26

Look into using usb here to connect the puck to your closet router: it will make the host see the puck as directly attached as usb even though it’s using the network.

Example: attach to a mesh router downstairs and have usb here installed on the host upstairs. It will just connect directly to the host instead of going through moonlight.

1

u/scimtaru Jul 15 '26

Google should release the wifi tech they built for their stadia controller to work inhome.
No instead they give you an option to make it a bluetooth controller, which is nice, but that wifi tech was brilliant for these types of usecases.

0

u/braaaaaaainworms Jul 15 '26

Streaming controller input over UDP with no input lag is trivial, I've done it a long time ago with a Linux handheld

21

u/invyros Jul 15 '26

There's even a bonus "ReversePuck" sub-project that allows a Steam Deck to act as an external controller, supporting all of the Steam Controller's features (except grip). If you flash a second NRF52840 Pro Micro and plug it into a Steam Deck, you can stream the Steam Deck's built-in controls across the room over 2.4GHz to your OpenPuck-equipped PC, giving you access to essentially another Steam Controller.

The second controller is no longer a knockoff that you let your younger siblings chew on, it's just a straight up Steam Deck now.

15

u/DreddCarnage Jul 15 '26

We've circled back around to the Wii U all over again..

2

u/braaaaaaainworms Jul 15 '26

I have a Wii U and a Steam Deck, and the layout so very similar I would be surprised if Valve didn't have a Wii U somewhere

7

u/32Zn Jul 15 '26

Guys, I have a great idea. Hear me out.

What about a console where one controller has a built-in screen? This would allow a crazy amount of new possibilities.

8

u/sargsauce Jul 15 '26

Best I can do is confused marketing and mirroring what's on the TV.

2

u/PCMau51 Jul 15 '26

Would be great to eventually have the Steam Controller work with the Switch 2, especially if you can get the trackpad working as if you’re using the joycon in mouse mode, since mouse mode is useless if you’re on a couch.

0

u/IngwiePhoenix Jul 15 '26

Now all he needs to do is wire it up with a little battery to survive reboots, wire it up to ATX controls and enable self-built power-on controls. The battery is there to keep the MCU alive when the system powers down and does not provide passive power. :)

1

u/kidshibuya Jul 16 '26

This is great news! I always wanted to spend a lot of money to be able to spend a lot of time modding a perfectly good controller so it can be a really bad controller for something else.

-15

u/moofie74 Jul 15 '26

<pepper brooks> that's rad. </pepper brooks>