When comparing Steam Controller vs Xbox One Controller, the Slant community recommends Steam Controller for most people. In the question“What are the best PC gaming controllers?” Steam Controller is ranked 7th while Xbox One Controller is ranked 13th. The most important reason people chose Steam Controller is:
The trackpads built into the controller make it simple to play certain games that would otherwise be impossible with a controller, such as Civilization and Cities: Skylines.
Specs
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Pros
Pro Developed specifically for PC games
The trackpads built into the controller make it simple to play certain games that would otherwise be impossible with a controller, such as Civilization and Cities: Skylines.
Pro Integrates well with Steam
Considering this is a controller designed by Valve, it should come as no surprise that the integration with Steam is quite good. The user can easily launch into Big Picture mode straight from the controller for ease of use. The controller is plug and play, so there is little to mess around with in order to get going. For those that would like to customize the button layout, Steam allows for this in their settings.
Pro Good battery life
A user can get around 80 hours of play out of a single charge on the device, which is a considerable amount of playtime. This frees the player up from having to constantly worry if their controller is charge on every use.
Pro Good mouse emulation
Some games don't support joysticks and you need to use a mouse. Joysticks are very poor at emulating a mouse, but the touchpads on the Steam controller do a much better job.
Pro Can also be used as a remote control
Since it emulates mouse and keyboard you can also use it as a remote.
Pro Comes with a wireless receiver
Comes with a wireless receiver to to avoid most of the Bluetooth issues.
Pro Professional use
You can assign the buttons to macros or shortcuts for other apps, such as the Adobe Creative Suite.
Pro Extremely flexible
Custom configurations for various apps allow it to be used in a massive variety of settings.
Pro Crisp, clicky and well-positioned buttons
The buttons are overall well-positioned and you don't have to reach for any of them. Compared to the older Xbox 360 controller, the buttons are also very crisp and clicky, at the same time making less noise. None of the buttons are slippery, while some of them even have rubber padding on them.
Pro Feels solid and comfortable
The controller feels very solid in hand - it doesn't give you a feeling that it could break. The shape is comfortable for longer playing sessions, even for people with bigger hands. At the same time it's noticeably lighter than the old Xbox 360 controller.
Pro Wired and wireless options
The Xbox One controller can be used wirelessly, but it comes with a cable, which allows you to use it on Windows. For a wireless connection you need to purchase an Xbox wireless adapter for Windows.
Pro Tons of customizability
You can choose between several base designs, but you can also add skins and button covers to your Xbox One Controller.
Cons
Con Only for Steam games
Most features won't work without Steam.
Con Feels cheap
The controller does not have much weight or heft to it and the entire things is made out of light plastic giving it a cheap feel, something akin to a $20 controller for one Android or iOS device. The face buttons on the device are also small, with the shoulder buttons feeling stiff. Overall the lack of attention to detail with the buttons and the overall feel of cheap material gives a sense that this is not the most well designed or thought out controller on the market.
Con Emulated joystick on trackpad difficult to use
Con No D-Pad
No D-pad here.
Con Non-rechargeable
Needs two AA alkaline batteries.
Con No vibration motor
There is only an option to emulate force feedback with the haptic motor however its not strong enough to create a real vibration.
Con Small buttons
The ABXY buttons are very, very small, and positioned in an area that feels awkward, especially when compared to the XBOX or even the four buttons on a PS4.
Con Not as accurate as keyboard and mouse
The touchpads on the device are designed to emulate a mouse when playing games, but they are not as accurate and will at times require a lot of swipes in order to just turn a character around or even just look around. This lack of accuracy and delay in how long it takes to get the movement required may be difficult to get used to.
Con The shoulder-buttons are hard to click
The shoulderbuttons(L1 and R1) are a little cumbersome for many users. They also click differently on the inner and outer side of the buttons, requiring different amount of force.
Con On the expensive side
The very basic Xbox One controller costs around $50. There are various editions available that cost even more.