Valve’s latest triumvirate of announcements have caused quite a stir in the gaming world. But lost among most of the analysis and speculation seems to be the fact that we don’t necessarily have to wait for SteamOS. We can start trying this out right now.
We already have the tools to build a home-brewed “Steambox.” First, put together a PC out of commodity hardware, and connect a compatible controller. Then, download and install a GNU/Linux distribution of your choice (it’s free). Once it’s up and running, install Steam for Linux (also free). Configure Steam to start when the computer starts, and to open in Big Picture Mode. Finally, look through your Library for games available under this platform that would play well with a controller.
That last part, however, is currently the limiting factor. The sweet spot for this application will be the intersection between three sets of games. Those available on Steam, those with working Linux clients, and those that have gamepad controller support.
So, as a prelude to setting up my own Steambox, I decided to take a run through my Steam for Linux library and see which games would be most enjoyable in a console setup. My test platform was my gaming desktop, running Xubuntu 13.04. I’m using an X-Box 360 wired USB controller, an almost clairvoyant gift from my awesome brother.
Prologue: The Big Picture Experience Itself
As soon at you hit the Big Picture button, a full screen interface takes over. The menus respond to controller input or mouse clicks. Use of the controller causes the mouse cursor to disappear, and relevant X-box button prompts to pop up, which is a nice tough. There’s a lot of eye candy going on here, and the minimalist in me wonders what the performance impact will be if this pretty little GUI is always open in the background.
Upon entering the Library, the interface presents you with a list of recently played games. This would be a pleasant convenience, but games are presented here regardless of whether or not they are available on Linux. You can break into an “all games” submenu, that lets you filter for Linux games only. There’s also a “Controller supported” filter, but again, it shows purchased games for all platforms, not the current platform. Some usability tweaks here would be appreciated: I don’t care about the games I cannot currently play.
Handy icons in the Big Picture list show you at-a-glance which games have “Full,” “Partial,” or zero support for a game pad. What “Partial” actually means is anybody’s guess; these games seem to either work perfectly fine, or not at all. And as you’ll see, there’s not a lot of correlation between the listed level of controller support and the actual playability contained therein.
Now, let’s get to the games!
Left 4 Dead 2 (Controller Support Rating: Full)
This was one of the first titles to offer Steam for Linux support. And its profile in the library advertises “Full” controller support. So I went in with pretty high expectations.
But upon starting, I could only navigate the menus with the D pad. Huh, that’s weird. Then, upon starting the game proper, controller input does nothing. Except shooting. Which is not very useful without being able to aim or move.
I must admit I was a bit taken aback by this turn of events. This game should have been a slam dunk. It exists on the X-Box 360. It led the charge into Linux. But it’s currently unplayable in a Steambox setting.
Verdict: Dead on arrival
Half Life 2 (Controller Support Rating: Partial)
For the sake of consistency, I thought I’d take a trip back to City 17 to see how this port compares to L4D2, both being Source games. Even though it claims less controller support than its younger brother, this game was actually very playable.
Movement and combat both work fine, for the brief span of play I attempted. Both also felt rather ungainly, but bare in mind I’m a PC gamer at heart. I’ve never been particularly skilled at navigating a first person shooter with dual analog sticks. Clearly I’ve got some learning to do. But I can’t blame the game.
Verdict: Rise and Shine
Mark of the Ninja (Controller Support Rating: Full)
Another recent Humble Bundle purchase, this game was a mixed bag on Big Picture mode. It boast Full controller support in the library, and I’d say that’s about accurate. The game immediately recognized the X-Box controller and gave me accurate instructions in-game on its use. In no time, I was skulking through the shadows and hiding bodies like a true ninja.
Then, suddenly, everything sloooowed doooowwwwn. The entire game seemed to start running at half speed (could actually be kind of an advantage, but at a cost of fun). The game would not let me alt-tab or minimize away to diagnose the issue. Only quitting and restarting brought me back to full speed. And a few minutes later, it happened again.
If I launch the game outside of Big Picture mode, there’s no such performance drop-off. Perhaps the eye candy of the UI still gets rendered when the game is in session? No idea. But until that issue is resolved, it’ll be a tough sell for a dedicated Steam Box setup.
Verdict: Mostly Honorable
Thomas was Alone (Controller Support Rating: Partial)
I must admit I was pleasantly surprised by the playability of this quirky minimalist platformer. I had to adjust the options to force it into full screen mode, but beyond that it was seamless.
The game doesn’t show any indication that it was intended for console play: on-screen control hints seemed oblivious to the fact that I was using a game pad. But beyond informing the user, the gamepad functionality is perfectly adequate.
Verdict: Feels
Awesomenauts (Controller Support Rating: Full)
A side-scrolling MOBA that got its chops on X-Box Live Arcade seems like a shoe in for a console-like experience. Especially with an X-Box controller. The game boasts “Full” controller support, so it must just work, right?
Wrong.
Another disappointment that caught me off guard. The game client started well enough (after going through a separate window to configure the thing), video and sound work fine, but the game has no clue what to do with my controller. The default button scheme won’t even let you confirm menu choices. Attempts to re-bind the broken controls didn’t work out very well: Awesomenauts was convinced that my left trigger button was the Z axis, and that my right trigger button didn’t actually exist.
This is a pretty addictive game that allows split screen and can work with a dual stick game pad. I know it can. I’ve played it thusly. I would love to try this on my TV, with my friends, on my Steambox. But at present, that’s just impossible.
Verdict: Not even slightly awesome.
VVVVVV (Controller Support Rating: None)
The lovely platformer by Terry Cavanagh works perfectly well in Linux. And the fact that there are only three controls (left, right, flip) should mean a gamepad would work just fine compared to a keyboard. But unfortunately, its Big Picture behavior isn’t great.
When launched, the player is dumped back to the desktop, and a small window is presented. If you close the window, the Big Picture UI is restored. From that point on, the controller does nothing. This game was advertised as having no controller support, so I got what I was promised. But it seems like a small detail to add for such a simple game.
Verdict: ZZZZZZ
Super Hexagon (Controller Support Rating: Full)
Another Terry Cavanagh game, this one involves only two buttons (clockwise, counter clockwise). The experience was identical to the previous title: good Linux support on paper, dumped from Big Picture to desktop, small window, no controller response.
What’s baffling here is, the game was listed as having “Full” controller support. But it actually doesn’t work with a controller at all. I’ve got nothing.
Maybe it’s for the best. Playing this game on a big screen might be seizure-inducing.
Verdict: Super Hexa-don’t
Bastion (Controller Support Rating: Partial)
The kid picked up an old favorite from the library. Thought he’d take one more stroll along the Rippling Walls, for old time’s sake. A lotta’ fine works didn’t make it this far, you see. And truth be told, he woulda’ been mighty disappointed if this one didn’t pan out. But luck has a way o’ changin’ her pace, just when she needs to. And wouldn’t ya’ believe it, this old tome stood the test o’ time real well. The good ones always do.
Ahem. Anyhow, I did notice some minor performance issues with this title. They certainly weren’t severe enough to hamper gameplay.
Verdict: A proper story
Fez (Controller Support Rating: Full)
More good news from the land of Humble Bundle platformers. Fez worked flawlessly. There were no performance issues, no control misdirection, no interface oddities. The game saw my X-Box controller and instructed me appropriately.
Really, there’s not much else to say here. The game just worked. If all of the games I checked went this smoothly, this post would have been much shorter.
Verdict: Sweet Headgear
Hotline Miami (Controller Support Rating: Partial)
I originally hadn’t intended to review this one. Then I saw the Partial support icon under it, and was confused. I can’t fathom playing this game without a mouse, but I guess people do?
Upon launch, the program dumps you out of Big Picture mode into the Hotline Miami Launcher, wherein you have to pick your resolution. Full screen mode is available from this point on, but the interruption still breaks the cohesive Big Picture user experience.
Once you get through the launcher, it’s smooth sailing. I’m still not sure what Partial support means, because this game played just fine with the controller after I got the hang of it.
Verdict: Katana
The Suspiciously Absent
I mentioned above that the ideal Big Picture game would involve a combination of Steam availability and Linux compatibility. Maybe I should narrow that down further. It has to be available on Steam for Linux. Three games in my library made clear how important that distinction is. Braid, Super Meat Boy, and The Binding of Isaac all have Linux versions (made available via various Humble Indie Bundles). All three are available on Steam. But none of them are available Steam for Linux.
Three games wouldn’t be such a big deal normally, but these are darlings of the indie gaming world. And they function beautifully with a controller (arguably better than with a keyboard+mouse). Gamers are going to be very disappointed if they put together or buy a Steam Machine of some sort and find they are absent. I know I was, for damned sure.
Final Thoughts
I’d classify the results of this little experiment as “mixed.” There were multiple sighs of relief in there, some surprising positive turnouts, and a few disappointments. Although I could certainly have fun with the collection currently available to me, I’m not sure if an average Windows gamer would go out of their way to have this experience.
Most troubling are the number of games promising much better controller support than they actually deliver. When an X-Box user picks up a game at Gamestop with the intent to buy and play it, he doesn’t stop and think “I wonder if I can actually play this on my console, with my controller.” It’s just a given. But a Steam console user currently needs to do more background checking before making a purchase, or risk disappointment. Valve seems to think their own controller solution will bridge the gap a bit, so they seem to be aware of the coming problems they’ll face in their strange foray into the console world.
Stay tuned for the next post, in which I actually set up a proper Steambox and see how this experience translates from the computer desk to the couch.