The new gamepad configuration UI is NOT ready for BPM.

[dubigrasu]

It feels like the new configuration gamepad UI was designed for the Deck and only for the Deck without giving any thought for the actual big screen users.
While the old BPM has its bugs and quirks, it did one thing right, and that was the gamepad configuration section. And strangely, that's exactly what Valve decided now to change, with this half baked new interface. I don't understand why, because from all of the old BPM features it was the least one in need of changing.

I'm aware that this is steam beta, but the new gamepad UI isn't beta on the Deck, is already established, and it show the direction they already took, direction that doesn't work for the big screen. Here is not even beta, is alpha, is just not ready, why change it in this state?

I honestly don't know how it feels on the Deck, but here on big screen the new interface is highly un-intuitive and cumbersome to work with: you can view the layout, but not edit it?!
And those small puny fonts, I mean, does Valve even remember what BPM stands for? Is BIG PICTURE MODE for Christ sake!

Really, the list of things that go wrong with the new interface is too long and boring to start here. What they should do is maybe put the Deck aside for a change, grab a Steam Controller and use an actual TV or a big monitor to come up with a working interface, or maybe just port the old one, I mean, is already there.

[Raiden_chino]

I don't think anyone can use both interfaces for a minute each and consider the Deck one superior.
"...because from all of the old BPM features it was the least one in need of changing."
True. Even for Deck I think is bad.
Unfortunately there is no going back, they just pushed the whole Deck interface replacing Big Picture now. I just hope the rest of the interface is better than BPM (which shouldn't be hard to be honest), but I also hope they realize the gamepad UI needs to be improved and go back to show the controller layout as a starting point.

EDIT: After a quick test of the new Deck UI, at least everything else seems to be better.

[✘GreedoShotFirst✘]

Honestly, as someone who uses the Deck daily, I've never liked it's Controller Configuration UI, it's for the most part a big step down imo.

Then again, most of the new Steam BPM is poor anyway. It suits Steam Deck, somewhat but a lot of the UI is visually messy, overly buggy (just like the current BPM) and ugly imo.

Valve's non gaming software is always riddled with poor UI and bugs in my experience, it'll never change (my experience with Steam Controller, Link, Steam Deck & the Dock reaffirm this).

[dubigrasu]

What saddens me is that despite all the negative feedback (I browsed a bit the forum and I see I'm not alone in this) they will just keep trucking forward ignoring it. I didn't see any developer addressing the complaints.
Even worse, they think and say things like:

This controller-first interface was designed for Steam Deck in handheld and docked mode, and is perfect for all the scenarios Big Picture mode currently handles.
....
New controller configurator, designed for ease-of-use of picking, adjusting, or creating custom controller configuration

Come on Valve, is far from "ease of use".

[Balderick]

After applying latest beta update and finding -gamepadui completely removes both Big Picture and Large modes on desktop pc makes me very sad. I couldnt even find a way to access community hubs like for Big Picture like that blog post suggests for leaving feedback. -gamepadui sucks for far too many reasons it not funny so much so all i wanted to do was turn -gamepadui OFF.

I can not see how or why Valve thinks gamepadui is a replacement for Steam running in Large or Big Picture Modes on desktop pc. I mean even windows has tablet mode for handheld pc's and Valve are nuts if they think an OS/ desktop client optimised for handheld pc is ever going to be applicable to or wanted by desktop pc users.

The Deck experience should be unique to Deck users. I hate how Valve have cut QoS and Steam Input features like being able to map layout of detected controllker and save that layout as any controller type, just to help development of Deck. Sorry but NO. No Valve gamepadui on desktop pc is not cool.

[✘GreedoShotFirst✘]

The current BPM was better in performance for me, it also allowed for easier access into the community features of Steam such as your activity feed, marketplace, etc that the current DeckBPM has stripped away (or atleast ive never seen it when using my steam deck)

Also, the store pages for games are atrocious, Valve shouldve created feature parity between both BPM modes before shipping this out to the main client.

[CH3DD4R_G0B-L1N]

Originally posted by dubigrasu:

The new gamepad configuration UI is NOT ready for BPM.

The new gamepad configuration UI is NOT ready. Period. It wasn't ready for steam deck, it's not ready to be the end all, be all.

[gambiller]

The reason they are switching bpm to the deck UI is that the deck UI was built on a frame work that is being used by desktop, so basically when they update desktop, BPM gets that update (to some extent. This will allow us to have a more up to date BPM in the future without them specifically working on it. So there is a positive.

I do think were missing a lot of features (switch to desktop/shutdown/restart/Bluetooth/desktop and chord controller configurations as the most notable examples) and I think the older config UI is better from an understandability standpoint, it was easier to look and see both what you have bound and what has not been then having a view tab and a config tab. (honestly I feel like the steamdeck had too many inputs to keep it the way it was and that's why it got switched)

either way I understand why they are switching it, but it is more alpha than beta in its current state