Steam confirms the compatibility of the new PlayStation 5 controller with its game client. It can be used now thanks to the Steam Input API.
Steam has announced that, due to the latest update of the Steam client for PC, all games that use the Steam Input API can now use the PS5 DualSense with full compatibility. After a trial period in which many functions were limited, all players who make use of this API and have access to the beta client can now play with the PlayStation 5 controller.
As they explain, compatibility with the LED, touch panel, vibration and gyroscope functions are guaranteed and can be configured in video games such as Death Stranding, No Man’s Sky or Horizon: Zero Dawn. Of course, the public Steam client will not incorporate this compatibility until a while, since they have to perform “some more tests.”
This is the description provided by Steam to present the new updated Steam Imput API for the use of DualSense:
- Flawless player experience with the correct glyphs for all devices, including any remapping.
- Support for advanced features such as motion controls, touch panels or additional buttons.
- The updates just work. When new features and / or devices are added to the API, they “just work” with the games that use them, without requiring additional work from the developers.
The number of Steam players using a controller grows exponentially
All in all, the PS5 controller is already one of more than 200 input devices that support the Steam API. As explained this week on their blog, the number of players using controls on the platform has doubled, with millions of users choosing to use a traditional console control method instead of keyboard and mouse. In some cases, the percentage calculation reaches 60%, while in other titles, such as skateboarding, 90% of its players use controls.
Likewise, the PlayStation controller ecosystem (where the PS4 DualShock 4 predominates) has gone from having a 10.9% share to 21.6%. It is expected that this percentage will continue to grow with the imminent incorporation of DualSense in the public version of Steam.
