Steam Controller?

[Just Charlie]

I'm trying to set up a Steam controller for use with Launch Box and running into problems - I went into the settings but it doesn't appear under the controller types. After playing around with it for a bit it seems like the directional analog stick works but the face buttons don't do anything (but strangely in Big Box Mode the controller doesn't appear to work at all).

Any tips for getting this working? Unfortunately I don't have any 360 controllers to use any more, just two Steam controllers. Thanks in advance for any help!

[DOS76]

Controllers don't work in BigBox until you go into the settings and turn them on. If you are having issues with it in LB you will most likely have issues in BB also luckily we have some users that may be able to help you out @cammelspithas a weird love affair with his Steam controller he maybe able to help you out getting it to work correctly

 

[cammelspit]

My Cammel sense is tingling! There's no need to fear Cammelspit is here! 

So, There are a few considerations with the steam controller you have to take into account here. Firstly, since the steam controller, at a hardware level is not a controller at all and is, in fact, a HID compliant KB and mouse device, technically 3 mice. Anytime you want the steam controller to work as a gamepad, you will HAVE to launch the game via steam itself as a non-steam game. So, if you want the steam controller to be a gamepad in LB/BB you will have to add it and launch it via steam. When you do this, LB/BB will open the emulators under itself in the hierarchy of processes and then you emulator will also work. The only exception I know of is FS-UAE because of some shenanigans it pulls while launching itself that messes that up. The other issue is steam will actually see LB/BB as a launcher and will actually use the desktop config instead. You actually have several ways to deal with this and get gamepad controls in LB/BB and the method you choose is entirely up to you and how much fiddling you are willing to do.

1. Once you have added LB/BB to steam as a non-steam game, go to the shortcut in BPM and select controller options, not configure the controller. There is a checkbox in there named something like 'allow desktop config in launcher', uncheck this. Then you should set a basic gamepad config for the LB/BB shortcut and all should work.
2. Instead, you can just use a KB/M config. This works equally well, besides, all you are doing is viewing roms, there isn't really a big need to use gamepad controls in BB, only the emulators.
3. You can use a few third party pieces of software that actually add a virtual gamepad device and make the SC show up as a standard gamepad device but there are some MAJOR drawbacks tho those. For completeness sake, they are Xoutput and GloSC. I would recommend staying away from these unless you ABSOLUTELY must use them, like with UWP games.
4. The final option is using a program called proxy. Technically, this won't actually give you gamepad in LB/BB but it does allow per emulator and even per game configs for the SC. Personally, I use this but it is a tad cumbersome right now. A new version is being made by the author right now but will likely be some time till it is finished. I did write a guide on how to use it if you are interested. http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=753876809

The main drawback I see with using option 1 is the fact steam will always say you are playing LaunchBox/BigBox and not the emulator so you may have to swap configs out for each emulator you use if they are different or if you need a special config for a specific game. I used to do it this way and I used touch menus and over 30 action sets to handle this. With touch menus, you can even use your own PNG images and such so it was super cool but got a little silly with having so man sets, nested touch menus, shifts... At this point, as I mentioned above, I use method 4 but its setup can be a bit fiddly. The payoff, however, is much cleaner and smoother IMO so it MIGHT be worth it to you.

Bottom line, the steam controller is strange and will always be strange in the way you use it so you do have to work around it if you want to use if a certain way. As a point of fact, I am perfectly fine with you sending me a friend request on steam if you like or if you need a hand getting anything set up and you should feel free to do so. My name on steam is just cammelspit so hit me up sometime if you like. Otherwise, those are the options you have available to you so you will just have to decide which one best suits you personally.

Good Luck and Happy Gaming!

[Just Charlie]

Thank you so much for taking the time to write such a helpful and thoughtful reply. I loved Big Box before this but I am in awe of helpful and good spirited the community is.

I think I understand all of the instructions, I think the first option which you mentioned makes more sense in my case. I went to controller settings and see an option for "Generic Gamepad Configuration Support" - is that what you mean? I have searched around and do not see anything like "Allow desktop config in launcher". I am looking at Controller > Controller Settings within the BPM settings. I sent you a friend request on Steam as well, my username there is Sensualettuce.

[cammelspit]

Alright, so I just went on ahead and recorded a short demonstration of how exactly to do it. I hope this helps!

 

[Just Charlie]

This is tremendous. Thanks again!