Playing with Valve Index controllers - howto

[keldorn]

The default controller mapping, "Index Controller Legacy Defaults", has issues:

• Sticks and touchpads both scroll, but a left/right scroll will change categories and up/down will scroll between items; it's easy to slip and drift left or right when trying to scroll down to find something, which generally means you have to start over.
  
• Rotating while having a companion targeted will cause you to activate the interface to give that companion orders. It's nasty in combat because you can't shoot until you cancel and, in tight quarters, it keeps happening over and over.
  
• Toggling the build interface while staying in build mode doesn't "stick", it keeps toggling back randomly while trying to walk around.

Those are the big ones. There are some minor issues like mapping A button to grip, and the function being "light" on the left and "reload" on the right; I thought the game was randomly reloading for me, but it turns out I was likely squeezing the controller. And disarming mines using the "push" button of the stick isn't the smoothest operation.

Anyways, yesterday I figured out how to switch it into Oculus Touch mode and, while it will take getting used to, it's amazing. Scrolling is fixed in that the stick only scrolls between items, you use X/Y (left stick A/B) to change categories. Well, X/Y on the PIpBoy, just Y during an inventory swap; X is "take all", which is messing me up because that was "exit" previously. Exit is now "grab", which is squeezing the grip, but I'll get used to that.

It also fixes the companion issue; the only problems I've found are that I haven't figured out how to change the trade quantity in a more granular manner, or how to zoom on the map. I read that zoom is "grab+stick", but maybe I'm just challenged.
Edit: trade quantity is 1 per tick on the right controller's stick. I still haven't figured out the map zoom yet.

Still, overall the interface is way better; I highly recommend that nobody play with the default mapping. To change it:

• launch SteamVR
  
• select "Devices / Controller Settings" from the menu
  
• Click "SHOW OLD BINDING UI"
  
• Click "Show More Applications"
  
• Click "FALLOUT 4 VR"
  
• click "Edit" on the Current Binding, which should be "Index Controller Legacy Defaults". If it's not, Activate that one first, then Edit.
  
• Scroll down until you can see "Thumb Stick". On both sides, mouseover and click the trash can to delete the "BUTTON" mapping so all you have left is "USE AS JOYSTICK" with the appropriate Click/Touch/Position mappings for Left and Right.
  
• Scroll down until you can see "A Button". Mouseover it and click the trash can to remove the current binding to the "Left Grip Button/Touch". Add a new "USE AS BUTTON" binding to "Left A Button/Left A Button Touch"
  
• Click "Set Up Legacy Actions"
  
• Click "None" next to "Pretend to be this type of controller" and select "Oculus Touch"
  
• Click "<- BACK"

Your Current Binding should now be "Index Controller Legacy Defaults (Local changes).

[keldorn]

It appears there may be an issue with the "Pretend to be" Oculus Touch not working until you open the bindings. At least, launching Fallout 4 VR doesn't pick it up the first time; you can tell if the icon for "Cancel" isn't "Grab" when loading a saved game.

Edit: this is only an issue if you launch the game from the Steam Library. If, instead, you launch the game from Steam VR Home, everything works as expected. That's a minor inconvenience, but I submitted a bug report.

[keldorn]

A quick update, I changed the right hand controllers so "grip" is activated by the touchpad click instead. I did that because it sucks to get excited in combat, squeeze too hard, and reload when I should be shooting.

[fabs]

you have to replace a file to get it to work. just changing the bindings isnt enough

[keldorn]

Originally posted by fabs:

you have to replace a file to get it to work. just changing the bindings isnt enough

Not anymore. The whole point to this post is that you can do it (appear to the game as a Rift controller) within SteamVR on a per-game basis now.

[fabs]

Originally posted by jgaudet:

Originally posted by fabs:

you have to replace a file to get it to work. just changing the bindings isnt enough

Not anymore. The whole point to this post is that you can do it (appear to the game as a Rift controller) within SteamVR on a per-game basis now.

If so, that's great news. If i have to reinstall i will keep it in mind.

[mrorange]

Alright, so I just need to change this in the menu and I can improve it to my likings, so nothing else needed. This is good. Default Index controls seem to be a little bit annoying.

[Maichevsky]

Thanks a lot man! I just took your index profile from steam. Going to try it out soon :)

[himbeerkuchen]

Thank you, this worked like a charm and saved me a lot of messing around

[Lizara]

you can share bindings afaik. if you haven't already.
i just tried to replay it with my index and couldn't even get the menus to work properly since they are all designed with the vive wands in mind.

[wo-wo]

Hi,
what about the Right A Button ?