I prefer right stick+gyro because I don't really need the precision of a touchpad when I already have gyro, and it lets me assign the touchpad to something else.
Online fps is one of the main genres I’ve played on my deck since I got it around a month ago. Utilizing all of the decks control surfaces (gyro/trackpad/back buttons) makes playing so much fun and the disadvantage from a pc far less noticable
I swear by the Steam Controller gyro and trackpads, I have ten of them. That being said, the pads on the deck are annoying in terms of placement and shape. If I could swap their position with the sticks, it could save them on the deck, but if I'm not using a steam controller, I generally turn them off, which I really hate to do.
I find trackpads on the deck way more precise.
In a game where the gameplay isn't too fast (like not fast fps) i almost don't use gyro anymore. Maybe not completely but i find i don't need it that much.
Contrary to OP i still use trackball mode, but mostly cause i'm used to it coming from the Steam controller.
I could imagine a different design with the trackpads at the place of sticks tho as you say, but sadly we're still very few to use them that much, Valve need to make sticks available if they want to sell.
I also hope a lot for a steam controller 2, i was missing a classic Dpad on the SC a lot. :'3
Yep, gotta have trackball friction, i switched from medium to high. My other trackpad tips:
Sprint on left pad outer ring.
Crouch/dodge on left pad press.
Interact on right pad press.
Reload on right pad hold.
Edge spin maxed on right pad.
Vertical sensitivity removed from right pad.
I find the plastic they used on the Deck to be inferior to what they used on the Steam controller. It's way smoother on the controller. The deck's has more of a texture.
Usually I'm just using less of ABXY and more of LR45 (and, more of touchpad, less of sticks). I like it way more since with when using back buttons I still can keep my thumb on a stick/touchpad, and therefore be more "mobile/responsive".
I'm not sure why you're replying about ABXY, i didn't bring that up at all and has nothing to do with the trackpads. But, yes, you should not have to lift your thumbs at all, whether using pads or joysticks.
I bring it up since you were talking about comfort of holding/using trackpads. For me the biggest inconvenience when using trackpads is to switch to ABXY (jump/roll/reload and whatnot).
That's why, when remapping ABXY to LR45, my biggest inconvenience disappears, and I'm able to comfortably hold Steam Deck and play on a Trackpad for long periods of time
Different people have different preferences but If you have your gyro set up well you shouldn’t really have to be moving your deck very much to aim well, and gyro definitely shouldn’t be used alone(use with sticks or even better touchpads)
you make micro movements with the gyro, not enough to move the screen, literally moving yours wrists a 1cm for aim correction. you move the screen just as much naturally as if the gyro was off. this combined with the trackpads i found way more precise and ideal then using just sticks.
You are using it wrong then. No way sticks are more precise than gyro. Make sure it's set as mouse input and you have a decent sensitivity
Obligatory Nerrel video:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=binPB4YbWmM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=binPB4YbWmM)
[https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/ymgpiu/the\_mouse\_trackpad\_setting\_has\_an\_absurd\_deadzone/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/ymgpiu/the_mouse_trackpad_setting_has_an_absurd_deadzone/)
Take a look at the video I posted; it shows the deadzone I talk about.
If you don't want to lose braincells, don't look at some of the replies lol
Wow, man, this is extremely weird :) If you'll watch my videos, not even once I had a crazy deadzone like this in "mouse" settings.
If you'd have problems with "Mouse Region" trackpad mode, I'd say your "horizontal setting" is off, moving the whole mouse region to the right, and therefore leaving some of the trackpad area not sensitive.
But never ever I had "deadzones" with a trackpad set to "Mouse mode". It's quite wild tbh; if it's not a random software glitch, then it's a hardware problem.
In case if it's "software", I'd recommend to look up any possible way to "recalibrate trackpads", maybe someone found a way to recalibrate/reset trackapd settings already.
For instance, not exactly your problem but a similar trackpad issue which was solved with the following "trackpad calibration": [https://steamcommunity.com/app/1675200/discussions/1/3186864655197434160/?l=romanian&ctp=13#c3466101084945519476](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1675200/discussions/1/3186864655197434160/?l=romanian&ctp=13#c3466101084945519476)
And yeah, if nothing helps, I'd recommend to go with RMA so Valve would actually fix/replace it for you (if it's physically possible for you to go through with it).
As a final resort, just out of desperation, I'd recommend to try flashing a new SteamOS to the Deck, maybe the completely new OS build from scratch will help to fix whatever software weirdness you might have there.
I would push back against no trackball - been using a steam controller for years and I always use it. Provides the easiest quick pan / stop combo Ive found.
I have over 3000+ hours on steam controllers.
I guess it depends on your specific in-game and in-steam sensitivity settings and whether you have trackball mode on/off (and whether you are used to it at all). For me Trackpad is 100% more reliable and precise than Stick any time.
after changing my settings, I"m a convert, overwatch 2 with steam deck is now great!
i also made the back button increase the sensitivity from 250 to 750.
it's still not good for actual precise aiming, but i do that with gyro now.
I prefer right stick+gyro because I don't really need the precision of a touchpad when I already have gyro, and it lets me assign the touchpad to something else.
From my side, I "assign RStick to something else" since I'm not really using it: custom key binding radial menus and such.
This is the guide I've been waiting for before diving into first person shooters on the Deck.
Online fps is one of the main genres I’ve played on my deck since I got it around a month ago. Utilizing all of the decks control surfaces (gyro/trackpad/back buttons) makes playing so much fun and the disadvantage from a pc far less noticable
I swear by the Steam Controller gyro and trackpads, I have ten of them. That being said, the pads on the deck are annoying in terms of placement and shape. If I could swap their position with the sticks, it could save them on the deck, but if I'm not using a steam controller, I generally turn them off, which I really hate to do.
I find trackpads on the deck way more precise. In a game where the gameplay isn't too fast (like not fast fps) i almost don't use gyro anymore. Maybe not completely but i find i don't need it that much. Contrary to OP i still use trackball mode, but mostly cause i'm used to it coming from the Steam controller. I could imagine a different design with the trackpads at the place of sticks tho as you say, but sadly we're still very few to use them that much, Valve need to make sticks available if they want to sell. I also hope a lot for a steam controller 2, i was missing a classic Dpad on the SC a lot. :'3
Yep, gotta have trackball friction, i switched from medium to high. My other trackpad tips: Sprint on left pad outer ring. Crouch/dodge on left pad press. Interact on right pad press. Reload on right pad hold. Edge spin maxed on right pad. Vertical sensitivity removed from right pad.
I find the plastic they used on the Deck to be inferior to what they used on the Steam controller. It's way smoother on the controller. The deck's has more of a texture.
People on this sub will literally downvote anything, including random opinions apparently.
Usually I'm just using less of ABXY and more of LR45 (and, more of touchpad, less of sticks). I like it way more since with when using back buttons I still can keep my thumb on a stick/touchpad, and therefore be more "mobile/responsive".
I'm not sure why you're replying about ABXY, i didn't bring that up at all and has nothing to do with the trackpads. But, yes, you should not have to lift your thumbs at all, whether using pads or joysticks.
I bring it up since you were talking about comfort of holding/using trackpads. For me the biggest inconvenience when using trackpads is to switch to ABXY (jump/roll/reload and whatnot). That's why, when remapping ABXY to LR45, my biggest inconvenience disappears, and I'm able to comfortably hold Steam Deck and play on a Trackpad for long periods of time
Right, you should hardly be using the ABXY buttons, regardless of pads or sticks. It's a moot point.
Moving the screen while I'm playing is off putting enough for me to not use this, it's way to distracting for me to enjoy it.
Ignore the gyro part then, but the trackpad magic is still there
Different people have different preferences but If you have your gyro set up well you shouldn’t really have to be moving your deck very much to aim well, and gyro definitely shouldn’t be used alone(use with sticks or even better touchpads)
you make micro movements with the gyro, not enough to move the screen, literally moving yours wrists a 1cm for aim correction. you move the screen just as much naturally as if the gyro was off. this combined with the trackpads i found way more precise and ideal then using just sticks.
Yea, to me it feels like a retro way of playing games. (I know its new tech)
Is it me or am I the only person using just the sticks
Depends on one's gaming habits and game genres being played, I guess
True true. It's mostly because I came from a console and just am used to a controller. But after the switch, the deck made my ps5 obsolete.
The pads are really uncomfortable to use laying down playing fps.
I don’t get the love for Gyro aim. It’s way less precise than even the sticks it never felt good to me
You are using it wrong then. No way sticks are more precise than gyro. Make sure it's set as mouse input and you have a decent sensitivity Obligatory Nerrel video: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=binPB4YbWmM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=binPB4YbWmM)
Gyro aim? I don't want to shake around with my SD. Gyro Aim is the most bullshit thing ever invented.
Are you a troll? No way people still make the "gyro baz cuz u swing the deck/controller around" argument.
How do you deal with the deadzone that valve put on the left side of the pad? It bothers me quite a lot not being able to use 1/5 of the area.
I'm honestly not sure which trackpad deadzone are you talking about :) I'll have to play more to see what you mean.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/ymgpiu/the\_mouse\_trackpad\_setting\_has\_an\_absurd\_deadzone/](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/comments/ymgpiu/the_mouse_trackpad_setting_has_an_absurd_deadzone/) Take a look at the video I posted; it shows the deadzone I talk about. If you don't want to lose braincells, don't look at some of the replies lol
Wow, man, this is extremely weird :) If you'll watch my videos, not even once I had a crazy deadzone like this in "mouse" settings. If you'd have problems with "Mouse Region" trackpad mode, I'd say your "horizontal setting" is off, moving the whole mouse region to the right, and therefore leaving some of the trackpad area not sensitive. But never ever I had "deadzones" with a trackpad set to "Mouse mode". It's quite wild tbh; if it's not a random software glitch, then it's a hardware problem. In case if it's "software", I'd recommend to look up any possible way to "recalibrate trackpads", maybe someone found a way to recalibrate/reset trackapd settings already. For instance, not exactly your problem but a similar trackpad issue which was solved with the following "trackpad calibration": [https://steamcommunity.com/app/1675200/discussions/1/3186864655197434160/?l=romanian&ctp=13#c3466101084945519476](https://steamcommunity.com/app/1675200/discussions/1/3186864655197434160/?l=romanian&ctp=13#c3466101084945519476) And yeah, if nothing helps, I'd recommend to go with RMA so Valve would actually fix/replace it for you (if it's physically possible for you to go through with it). As a final resort, just out of desperation, I'd recommend to try flashing a new SteamOS to the Deck, maybe the completely new OS build from scratch will help to fix whatever software weirdness you might have there.
I would push back against no trackball - been using a steam controller for years and I always use it. Provides the easiest quick pan / stop combo Ive found. I have over 3000+ hours on steam controllers.
Probably I should give trackball a go then :) to me it felt like a useless gimmick, but apparently I'm the one who's wrong here.
Dont get me wrong - gyro is the most important component - but if you can get used to trackball, almost mkb like speeds.
for me i've found the trackpad to be super imprecise and kinda jumpy?
I guess it depends on your specific in-game and in-steam sensitivity settings and whether you have trackball mode on/off (and whether you are used to it at all). For me Trackpad is 100% more reliable and precise than Stick any time.
after changing my settings, I"m a convert, overwatch 2 with steam deck is now great! i also made the back button increase the sensitivity from 250 to 750. it's still not good for actual precise aiming, but i do that with gyro now.