Steam has updated its store page so that it now shows which games support Sony’s popular PlayStation controllers. From consoles to PC its clear that Sony’s PlayStation controllers are the choice of many players as Steam updates its store page to add greater support for them. While not all games fully support all the features of DualShock or DualSense such as adaptive triggers and haptics, it is a welcome step forward. Steam has updated its API which now inlcudes additions to its search filters, the ability for players to user their PlayStation controllers to navigate the Steam HUB, controller configuration options, and more.
Steam has long made it easy to find games that have great support for Xbox controllers. Today’s Steam update expands on that foundation to help the millions of players with PlayStation’s DualShock and DualSense controllers easily find games to play with those devices.
-Steam
As Steam updates its store page it has also provided analytics regarding controller use with games on PC. Over 3 billion players used a controller on PC in the last year, up from 990 million in 2019, with 60% using an Xbox controller and 27% using a PlayStation controller. Steam has said that the remaining percent is made up of other controllers, the Steam Deck and Switch Pro. Even though it is still very much a minority by comparison Sony has been gaining ground with PC players since it was at 19% only four years before. Steam’s support for Sony’s controllers includes both USB and Bluetooth options. Valve is also encouraging developers to use Steam’s Input API for greater compatibility and support.
These improvements add better options for sorting and filtering areas of the Steam store, seeing clear compatibility information on individual store pages, and finding whether games in one’s library will work well with the controller in their hands.
-Steam
Steam Patch Notes (via Steam Blog):
- Store: Updated the display of supported controllers to split out DualSense, DualShock, and Xbox controllers separately
- Store: Updated search filters to include more device types to filter results by
- Store: Updated Controller Friendly hub to include filters for device type and device-specific Top Played/New and Trending results
- Store: Added display of “Controller Recommended” when a developer suggest that their game is best with a controller
- Store: Updated the notice on store pages of games that require a controller or VR to play as well as the notice on store pages for games which support both VR and non-VR modes
- Steam Input: Implemented a new, default mode for PS controllers where Steam Input will be enabled only in games without their own support for the device
- Library: Added a section in library game pages to describe the level of controller support. This only appears if Steam can tell that you have a controller currently connected
- Library: Enabled the controller configuration button to always appear next to the settings button for individual games.
- Library: Updated the controller configurator screen to also describe the full set of popular devices supported by the game while indicating the currently connected device.
- Library: Added a yellow notice to Steam library game pages when looking at a game that requires a controller to play
- Library: Added launch process steps to prompt users to plug in a controller when launching games that require or recommend them
- Library: Added a launch process step to describe when Steam Input is translating button presses from a typically unsupported device
- Library: Updated the logic and icons that indicate controller support for each game when in grid view