I’ve been skeptical of Asha Sharma and any changes she may make, not so much because of her directly, but because Microsoft as a whole has been so unclear and dishonest about their intentions (the “only 4 titles will come to other platforms” comment for example) that I’m not confident that even if she wanted to she may not be able to make the meaningful changes that are required to improve the position of the Xbox brand and ecosystem.
So if this gives us clear direction about the vision and future of Xbox, and most vitally if they can stick to that vision, then I could see this being a turning point for Microsoft.
Many people have said this before, but it’s worth repeating that strong competition in the market drives innovation that the customers benefit from regardless of their platform of choice so a failing Microsoft is not good for the industry.
Having the 3.5mm jack working as well would be a game changer for me. That’s really impressive if they got it working. May have to give this a go myself if I can find a cheap pico pi.
I really want to give this a go but $150CAD is a big investment for someone who mostly uses their PC for media and less so games these days.
I found there to be too much resistance before a click is registered on the original steam controller and I haven’t looked into or used the steam deck so I’m curious how the clicking is on the new version of trackpads.
If any steam deck users have opinions on how they feel I’d love to hear them.
It baffles me how bad windows has gotten over the years. The issues seem so obvious from the outside yet the OS has continually become more bloated, fragmented, buggy, and frustrating to use so clearly there is disconnect within Microsoft about the direction of where the product is headed vs where it should be headed.
I’ve started using a Mac for work within the last year and it’s convinced me to switch when the time comes. At least for general computing use. These days I mostly game on consoles, and if I ever do decide to get back into PC gaming it’ll be because Valve has created an alternative OS that works, hopefully with nVidia, and without all the bloat associated with Windows.
Personally I just want to have the high end performance of a PC with the simplicity of a console. I understand that the nature of the PC platform means it won’t ever be as plug and play as a console, but I’m confident Valve can create a streamlined experience much more suited to the living room than anything Microsoft could do outside of their Xbox ecosystem which is increasingly looking like it will be merged with windows for better or worse.
PS: It’s given me a good chuckle reading Will’s frustrated tweets (is that what they’re called on blue sky??) linked in the articles. I hope for Will and the team’s sake windows can make big strides in the right direction with this update.
I’m looking forward to this releasing and wondered why they didn’t put it out despite the steam machine not releasing because of ram prices.
I regularly use my steam controller as my PC is hooked up to my TV and It’s where I watch YouTube and things I’ve downloaded to my computer. Ironically the one thing I don’t use my steam controller for is gaming.
I really enjoy using it outside of gaming but there are a few things that I’m hoping this one improves upon apart from being a more user friendly game controller.
First is the related software. I find that the original controller does not load the settings properly more often than not, so for example it will be back to the bog standard control scheme when steam loads or windows comes out of sleep mode. The on screen keyboard is pretty awful too, taking up a big chunk of the screen, most often blocking the text field I’m trying to enter. And when using the track pads to enter text on the keyboard it often doesn’t register clicks properly or rapidly switches between trackpad entry mode and analogue stick entry mode.
The second main problem I found, especially for gaming purposes, the track pads were too difficult to click in which meant the input was off because I had to push too hard. Like obviously I have the strength to push it, but it’s impossible to be precise and click at the same time.
The third main issue was the battery compartment. I don’t mind the disposable batteries as I use rechargeable versions of them, but one of the mechanisms would bind when trying to remove the battery and was a real pain to deal with.
Lastly was the build quality. While I haven’t had anything breaking in the almost 10 years I’ve been using it, it has a light cheap feeling to it which I think could be improved upon. Modern controllers have a heft to them that makes them feel much more durable, unfortunately that feeling is defeated by their poor choice of analogue sticks.
Having a more traditional controller shape with the track pads stapled on will be nice because I can actually use it for gaming in addition to general PC browsing. I’ll be picking this up sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed it’s fixes the issues I’ve had with its first version.
Edit: Also I was super stoked when I saw that you’re now working with the DF team again Will. I always enjoyed your hardware reviews and what you brought to the DF weekly episodes you joined in on. Glad you’re back!
Not too long ago I bought myself the Uplift V2 adjustable standing desk and I have to say I’m pretty happy with it. I work from home as well and I wanted something that would allow me to be proactive in preventing back issues and the like.
I wanted the standing option but even aside from that just being able to really dial in the exact height without having to disassemble the desk was important to me, not that I ever change the height while I’m sitting apart from switching to standing, however the right height was important to me and this gives me the flexibility to try different heights with ease.
One thing I was concerned about was wobble and so I looked at a lot of options available to me in person (I’m a fellow Canadian so shout out to Oliver) and they were all very unstable at height. I’m happy to say that the uplift I ordered is more stable than the PS4 after all those years of stability updates 😜. Even with just two legs I haven’t had any issues and I can type or write on it without much movement if any at all. I forget the exact measurements but it’s similar in size to what Alex purchased.
I’ll admit the desk I bought was spendy but I felt it was a good investment in my own health and was happy spending that money. It was delivered promptly and it was a breeze to set up, even by myself, though it’s recommended to have a helper and while you can manage like I did I would agree that it’d be easier with a helper.
Alex I hope your back improves and the worst of the pain is behind you (no pun intended). I’m interested to hear how you manage with the standing desk and also if you make any changes to the chair you’re using. That’ll be my next purchase to improve my work setup.
Comments 6
Re: Project Helix Stream Today: Xbox Game Dev Update Spring '26 Starts Soon
I’ve been skeptical of Asha Sharma and any changes she may make, not so much because of her directly, but because Microsoft as a whole has been so unclear and dishonest about their intentions (the “only 4 titles will come to other platforms” comment for example) that I’m not confident that even if she wanted to she may not be able to make the meaningful changes that are required to improve the position of the Xbox brand and ecosystem.
So if this gives us clear direction about the vision and future of Xbox, and most vitally if they can stick to that vision, then I could see this being a turning point for Microsoft.
Many people have said this before, but it’s worth repeating that strong competition in the market drives innovation that the customers benefit from regardless of their platform of choice so a failing Microsoft is not good for the industry.
Re: Dualsense on PC: This $16 Raspberry Pi Adds Wireless Adaptive Triggers and Haptic Feedback To The PS5 Controller
Having the 3.5mm jack working as well would be a game changer for me. That’s really impressive if they got it working. May have to give this a go myself if I can find a cheap pico pi.
Re: "We've Heard About Stick Drift and We've Experienced It Ourselves": The Big Steam Controller Interview
I really want to give this a go but $150CAD is a big investment for someone who mostly uses their PC for media and less so games these days.
I found there to be too much resistance before a click is registered on the original steam controller and I haven’t looked into or used the steam deck so I’m curious how the clicking is on the new version of trackpads.
If any steam deck users have opinions on how they feel I’d love to hear them.
Re: Windows K2: The 6 Best Features From Microsoft's Upcoming "Please Don't Leave" Update
It baffles me how bad windows has gotten over the years. The issues seem so obvious from the outside yet the OS has continually become more bloated, fragmented, buggy, and frustrating to use so clearly there is disconnect within Microsoft about the direction of where the product is headed vs where it should be headed.
I’ve started using a Mac for work within the last year and it’s convinced me to switch when the time comes. At least for general computing use. These days I mostly game on consoles, and if I ever do decide to get back into PC gaming it’ll be because Valve has created an alternative OS that works, hopefully with nVidia, and without all the bloat associated with Windows.
Personally I just want to have the high end performance of a PC with the simplicity of a console. I understand that the nature of the PC platform means it won’t ever be as plug and play as a console, but I’m confident Valve can create a streamlined experience much more suited to the living room than anything Microsoft could do outside of their Xbox ecosystem which is increasingly looking like it will be merged with windows for better or worse.
PS: It’s given me a good chuckle reading Will’s frustrated tweets (is that what they’re called on blue sky??) linked in the articles. I hope for Will and the team’s sake windows can make big strides in the right direction with this update.
Re: "Closer to the Performance of a Mouse Than a Controller": Valve Explains The Best Feature Of Its Next-Gen Steam Controller
I’m looking forward to this releasing and wondered why they didn’t put it out despite the steam machine not releasing because of ram prices.
I regularly use my steam controller as my PC is hooked up to my TV and It’s where I watch YouTube and things I’ve downloaded to my computer. Ironically the one thing I don’t use my steam controller for is gaming.
I really enjoy using it outside of gaming but there are a few things that I’m hoping this one improves upon apart from being a more user friendly game controller.
First is the related software. I find that the original controller does not load the settings properly more often than not, so for example it will be back to the bog standard control scheme when steam loads or windows comes out of sleep mode. The on screen keyboard is pretty awful too, taking up a big chunk of the screen, most often blocking the text field I’m trying to enter. And when using the track pads to enter text on the keyboard it often doesn’t register clicks properly or rapidly switches between trackpad entry mode and analogue stick entry mode.
The second main problem I found, especially for gaming purposes, the track pads were too difficult to click in which meant the input was off because I had to push too hard. Like obviously I have the strength to push it, but it’s impossible to be precise and click at the same time.
The third main issue was the battery compartment. I don’t mind the disposable batteries as I use rechargeable versions of them, but one of the mechanisms would bind when trying to remove the battery and was a real pain to deal with.
Lastly was the build quality. While I haven’t had anything breaking in the almost 10 years I’ve been using it, it has a light cheap feeling to it which I think could be improved upon. Modern controllers have a heft to them that makes them feel much more durable, unfortunately that feeling is defeated by their poor choice of analogue sticks.
Having a more traditional controller shape with the track pads stapled on will be nice because I can actually use it for gaming in addition to general PC browsing. I’ll be picking this up sooner rather than later. Fingers crossed it’s fixes the issues I’ve had with its first version.
Edit: Also I was super stoked when I saw that you’re now working with the DF team again Will. I always enjoyed your hardware reviews and what you brought to the DF weekly episodes you joined in on. Glad you’re back!
Re: Flexispot E7 Plus Review: Recovering From Injury With A Standing Desk
Not too long ago I bought myself the Uplift V2 adjustable standing desk and I have to say I’m pretty happy with it. I work from home as well and I wanted something that would allow me to be proactive in preventing back issues and the like.
I wanted the standing option but even aside from that just being able to really dial in the exact height without having to disassemble the desk was important to me, not that I ever change the height while I’m sitting apart from switching to standing, however the right height was important to me and this gives me the flexibility to try different heights with ease.
One thing I was concerned about was wobble and so I looked at a lot of options available to me in person (I’m a fellow Canadian so shout out to Oliver) and they were all very unstable at height. I’m happy to say that the uplift I ordered is more stable than the PS4 after all those years of stability updates 😜. Even with just two legs I haven’t had any issues and I can type or write on it without much movement if any at all. I forget the exact measurements but it’s similar in size to what Alex purchased.
I’ll admit the desk I bought was spendy but I felt it was a good investment in my own health and was happy spending that money. It was delivered promptly and it was a breeze to set up, even by myself, though it’s recommended to have a helper and while you can manage like I did I would agree that it’d be easier with a helper.
Alex I hope your back improves and the worst of the pain is behind you (no pun intended). I’m interested to hear how you manage with the standing desk and also if you make any changes to the chair you’re using. That’ll be my next purchase to improve my work setup.