Button presses occasionally don't register.

[GAME GOD FLUENT]

It seems to get progressively worse the longer you use the controller with a specific game. The game upon fresh install will seem to function alright, but then buttons don't register well after awhile. I have to press the Left Grip sometimes three times to get it to register, and all that's mapped to it is the Tab key and a shift modifier for the face buttons. Which, coincidentally, sometimes refuses to work as well. I have high haptic feedback set to the shift mode with a long press and sometimes it just refuses to work. Usually if I mash the buttons it becomes responsive again.

What is up with this? I've noticed it in several games, usually isometric RPGs like Planescape: Torment, Baldur's Gate and now Dead State, but even action RPGs like ELEX and the like. Those are 3 different game engines and still getting the same issues. It makes using the controller, which I feel is an excellent controller and the best I've ever used, frustrating at times. I don't want to have to mash the Left Grip or bumper buttons multiple times just to get a single click to register.

Any ideas? Had this issue with 2 separate Steam Controllers so I don't think it's just a single bad controller. Thanks in advance.

Edit - Seems the worst offenders are the grip buttons, usually Left Grip as that is the button I use for mode shifting. Bringing up and getting the in-game Steam keyboard to work is a challenge sometimes, too. I have it on a long press of the analog stick, and sometimes it doesn't show up in a game, although it usually works, but 50% of the time the trackpads won't work with it and you have to use the analog stick. Not a major issue but can be annoying. The Grip buttons are the real annoyance, though.

[Cerebrum123]

Try reconfiguring the controller in the settings tab. You might also try redoing your configurations. Sometimes they get corrupted after a while, and don't do what you want anymore.

[Balderick]

When your controller appears to not be working you should be able to press the "Guide" button to focus steam. Check big picture > settings > controller settings to make sure that option is enabled.

We have to configure controller settings and each game for each controller through Steam Input for controllers to behave like expected or needed.


Making sure steam client is visible on windows desktop running in large mode greatly helps games NOT loose input focus. This due to huge array of many long standing bugs with Steam Input when using Big Picture.

Also opting in too Steam client beta should help you out too.

You seem to be describing bugs associated with Steam Input not applying configurations properly because they use a mixture of gamepad and legacy (KB + M) bindings.

Valve keep on adding features and additional functionality without fixing underlying bugs. I really enjoy Steam Input when my controllers work like expected but the complexity of Steam Input makes it quite difficult to get controllers working at all. Steering wheels in driving games especially need configured through Steam Input for them too work in racing games.