How to use Virtual Menu on PC with a controller?

[zedd wilson]

Is there any way to use Virtual menus that's been introduced with the new Steam UI on a PC with a controller? I have tried but it's not working properly with a controller and I heard it's only works with a trackpad of Steam deck, Im not really sure, can someone answer me please, thanks!

[60r40Nfr33m4N]

i belive you can only acess games and games menu with a controller my friend and with the last update some poeple are experiencing some weid bugs as well

[tintingaroo]

Yeah, it works on PC with a controller. The virtual menu stuff was there in old BPM but didn't have its own set-up - you chose which gamepad control should use the menu and what type of menu (Radial, Hotbar, Touch), then would build the VM. With new BPM the VM exists on its own, its independent from any gamepad control (can still be created the old BPM way though).

So presumably you've gone to Virtual Menu and created something there, now you want to assign it to a valid gamepad control e.g. Right Stick.
Joysticks > Right Stick Behaviour > the VM you created

Or you could do things this way:
Right Stick Behaviour > select Radial Menu, Hotbar Menu or Touch Menu > build & config the VM


With those two paths the normal right stick functionality is lost, so could create a mode-shifted Right Stick and apply the menu to that instead.

In my short testing I found Hotbar wasn't functioning as expected on a mode-shifted RS, it wanted Down and then Left/Right for the menu to be displayed. If I kept holding the mode shift button (in this case LB) after the menu was first displayed, Down would then work as expected

(Hotbar controls: Down = open/close the menu, Left/Right = select menu entry, Up = perform selected entry)

Sometimes the menu's were a bit... iffy... took a few tries before the menu would be displayed, a handful of times it felt like the settings in the config didn't apply or something

[zedd wilson]

Originally posted by tintingaroo:

Yeah, it works on PC with a controller. The virtual menu stuff was there in old BPM but didn't have its own set-up - you chose which gamepad control should use the menu and what type of menu (Radial, Hotbar, Touch), then would build the VM. With new BPM the VM exists on its own, its independent from any gamepad control (can still be created the old BPM way though).

So presumably you've gone to Virtual Menu and created something there, now you want to assign it to a valid gamepad control e.g. Right Stick.
Joysticks > Right Stick Behaviour > the VM you created

Or you could do things this way:
Right Stick Behaviour > select Radial Menu, Hotbar Menu or Touch Menu > build & config the VM


With those two paths the normal right stick functionality is lost, so could create a mode-shifted Right Stick and apply the menu to that instead.

In my short testing I found Hotbar wasn't functioning as expected on a mode-shifted RS, it wanted Down and then Left/Right for the menu to be displayed. If I kept holding the mode shift button (in this case LB) after the menu was first displayed, Down would then work as expected

(Hotbar controls: Down = open/close the menu, Left/Right = select menu entry, Up = perform selected entry)

Sometimes the menu's were a bit... iffy... took a few tries before the menu would be displayed, a handful of times it felt like the settings in the config didn't apply or something

Thanks for the reply, I have tried the VM in the new Steam UI, but as you said, it's so clunky and unusable. I am not really sure what causing this issue. Also tried from putting the right stick to the mode shift and stuff, but no luck.

Can you tell me how to access the VM from the old Steam UI? In what settings in the controller configuration I can find the VM settings? Never knew it exist in the old UI. Maybe that one might works.

[tintingaroo]

Without the Big Picture overlay, the VM can still be activated but it won't be displayed, so check these out as it would affect things regardless of new or old UI:
1. The VM should be for a game, not for a non-game layout (e.g. Desktop Layout).

2. You should be able to open the Big Picture overlay in the game. If not:

a)
Check the Steam Overlay is enabled globally. Global setting is at Steam > Settings > In-Game

While you're there, also check that 'Use the Big Picture Overlay...' is ticked
(If you're not launching a game from Steam in Big Picture mode, you want Steam to use the Big Picture overlay so the VMs can be displayed)

b)
Check the Steam Overlay is enabled in the per-game setting:
Right-click game in Steam Library > Properties.

-----------------

To use old UI, launch Steam with the command

-oldbigpicture

(Right-click Steam shortcut > Properties > at end of Target field, press space > type the command)

Get to the config via Big Picture mode (BPM > Library > the game > Manage Game > Controller Configuration), then e.g.:
Select Right Stick
Set Style of Input to Radial Menu
Set Menu Activation Style to Always
Menu Button 1 = dpad up
2 = dpad right
3 = dpad down
4 = dpad left

Back out the config and start the game. I think you can know it'll be OK once you're getting the blue Big Picture overlay notifications.

[zedd wilson]

I did everything you said, and it's working but not perfectly but I guess still some tinkering required. If I select the Right stick and set the style of input to Radial menu then the normal function of the right stick will get lost, which is very essential during gameplay. So from what I know, I tried using the mode shift with the Right Stick, like when you pressed both right stick and the left trigger soft pull, the VM will appear, but again it has some issues and you can't use the menu easily without affecting the controls needed for the games, I mean I can't really explain to you because of my poor English (it's not my first language), but I hope you understand. Do you have any button combination ideas where I can use without affecting the gameplay controls? Guide button is set for the xbox game bar, while I left with the back and start button, both of the buttons will be reserved by the game for the map/main menu stuff. I am totally ran out of any button combinations from what I know, wish the controllers had few more extra buttons like the Xbox elite ones.

[tintingaroo]

Yeah, I understand what you mean, it overlaps with the regular controls.
I guess things will depend on the game... like if it doesn't use analogue triggers you could have full pull be for the mode shift, and softer pulls do the regular action (or vice-versa).
Or if something like double-tapping LB is free that could do the mode shift for RS.

Or could even switch around the regular controls, like have double-tap Back perform the regular select action (generally open/close the map/inventory right?), then normal press will be free for other uses. Or have normal-press Start perform select, and long-press/double-tap Start perform start.

So there's a bit of opportunity... what is free (double-taps? long-press?), what is comfortable to press, what game control isn't so important so it could be moved to/activate by e.g. long-press...

What game are you targeting at the moment?

[zedd wilson]

Double-tapping of the LB or RB buttons worked! I didn't got on my mind that double press of those two buttons are still idle (at least not many games have used).
From currently how it's working is; I double press the LB button and then quickly move the Right stick to the down, I will see the VM. I can activate the elements in the VM by moving right stick to the left or right, to select the element in the VM I can move the right stick to the Up and it will get activated. This way it's much usable now while also having the right stick functionality unaffected.

I didn't targeted just for a specific game, but targeted for all the games. Also the elements I added in the VM are not game related but rather things like Alt+F4 to exit games, Show keyboard, take screenshot, show Steam overlay, Power off the PC from the game which are QoL things to me lol. Again thanks for answering, it was really helpful to me!

[tintingaroo]

Hmm, seeing the commands in the VM are not game related made me think & also realise I didn't have it all quite right before...
I was going wrong by saying the VM has to be on a game config, actually it'll be OK on the Guide Button Chord config.

This depends if you want Guide for the Xbox game bar or not...:
If not, you could free Guide so Steam can use it instead, and then set things on the Guide Button Chord config. It would mean normal game controls are unaffected, plus be a global VM/set of commands for all the games. Perhaps you're already familiar with the Guide Button Chord config, but it has some of the commands already set-up (as standalone chords e.g. Guide + RB for Screenshot). I tested out a hotbar VM and it was good (used Guide + RB + Right Stick).
Anyway what you have is already good, so just another possible path.

[Дед Яшкино Skydar26]

ok