Keyboard and Mouse support for Streaming on Android

[priceburnett]

It would be awesome if I could connect my wireless mouse and keyboard to my phone and control it that way. It works a little bit the keyboard works great but the mouse doesn't fade into the game cursor and when the mouse hits the end of the screen you can't move more (a problem in fps games and game that makes you look around). I know the developers probably didn't plan on having this supported as its suppose to be more portable but I have a really hard time using a controller.

[Wadera]

I've got the same issue with mouse.
I'm using Steam Link on my Chromebook, and framerate and quality is gorgeous. I'm really surprised how good it works. Only issue is with mouse - I need to click left button to move around (like in touch screen), but then - I can't using left and right.

There is any way to pair my mouse as "controller" and use it as "regular mouse"?

[slouken]

The features needed for relative mouse mode were added in Android 7.0. If you can update your device to Android 7.0 it should work well.

[priceburnett]

Originally posted by slouken:

The features needed for relative mouse mode were added in Android 7.0. If you can update your device to Android 7.0 it should work well.

I'm on the pixel xl with Android 8.1.0 installed.

[Packetdancer]

Originally posted by priceburnett:

Originally posted by slouken:

The features needed for relative mouse mode were added in Android 7.0. If you can update your device to Android 7.0 it should work well.

I'm on the pixel xl with Android 8.1.0 installed.

Right now, the 1.1.4 Steam Link app seems not to go into mouse mode properly on anything with a touchscreen. I'd guess that'll be fixed in 1.1.5, especially since there's special mouse pointer capture APIs in Android 8 and later.

[Balderick]

SATV is not touchscreen device and Steam Link App suckks on SATV because controlker is not detected as controller in games.

I dunno why you keep going on about android 8 helping with mouse support in windows apps, truth is some kind of USB passthrough is used so that your mouse connected to android device works with windows drivers in windows, thus making your mouse connected to android device a windows device from Steam for windows perspective.

Have noticed we see windows mouse cursor and NOT virtual android mouse cursor in windows. This proves USB passthrough is used for mice.


Because android does not have a controller api your controller really works as KB + m mapped too touch events on android and then gamepad emulation is used to make windows sees xinput controller for steam to use.

AFAIK android uses virtual mouse cursor due to android being optimised for touchscreen devices. This why we see better support for mice in latest android builds, for android apps.


Steam for windows is NOT an android app so android 8 optimisations for mice is Irrelative to using controllers or mice with Steam Link App to access Steam for windows apps. This is why gamepad emulation is used for controllers which has nothing to do with android mice.

When Valve were at CES 2014 showing off Steam Machines, Nvidia were demonstrating how Steam games can run on android devices by demonstrating Gamestream being used with Shield Portable .

I use Shield devices and both Gamestream and Steam Kink App are broken for me, due to Steam client bugs and Steam Input bugs.

Shield devices have replaced my more than VR ready pc due to next gen gaming apps using next gen technologies arriving in Play store and being made available.

Have used Steam on android devices for years, but Valve are breaking a lot of things just now and really hope fixes start coming very soon as seeing such drop in enjoyment of gaming using Steam has me looking at using other options for managing my pc games.

Not much of what Valve promised with what Steam Machines would bring was fulfilled but conversely during the same time period I have witnessed Nvidia Shield android gaming platform evolve and grow and is imo the most under rated and under hyped gaming platform available today.

But I can not use controller or keyboard in steam games using Steam Link App using Shield Controller connected to SATV running android 8.0.0


The recent changes too steam client and steam input api made for Steam Link App and adding better support too steamvr for android displays and android controllers and other non steamvr tracked devices have broken Gamestream

The last six months have been torturous with both steam client stable and beta branches riddled with Steam Input bugs
For more than a year I have been trying too report and describe Steam Input related bugs which many others are also describing.

Steering wheels being detected by game in in game settings but wheel not working in game is a great example. What is needed to fix is registering your wheel base buttons as controller in big picture controller settings. This makes wheel work as wheel with added benefit you can now navigate big picture with dpad and buttons on wheel. You may need to set priority in controller options/settings for game before launching also.

It is getting increasingly difficult to find workarounds or even reproduce hard too describe bugs.

There is something fundamentally wrong with how Steam client detects controllers which seems to be related too if your controller being used is registered as a controller or not to your steam account in controller settings found in big picture settings.
These issues affect all controllers with steam client on local pc and is major contributing factor as to why Steam Link App is not working for as many folks. Steam Link App simply causes the long standing bugs in Steam Input too manifest themselves more obviously.


EDIT: Steam Link App just needs optimised for my hardware config. Plenty of other Shield users are sharing positive feedback. Could be my old 2015 Shield and 2017 Shield Controller combo