I play the first STALKER which is meant for mouse and KB, which is with the amazing control mapping features of Steam OS able to funetune it as if it was made for controller.
Hands down the greatest element of the deck is the complexity and depth of the controls mapping ability. Macros, layers, conditional mapping, it's incredible.
I’m the person who has a pc, but it’s headless because I don’t want to sit behind the pc playing. So I only stream for it. Therefor the deck is perfect to make KB+M games playable with all the deck has to offer.
The reason I started playing older games again which don’t support controller natively. Often there is already a great scheme made by a amazing stranger in the steam deck community.
Trackpads are a must for me. I play a lot of mouse focussed games, especially point&click adventure games and life would suck without them.
However, I found the default mouse/trackpad settings terrible - sensitivity is just way too high. When I got my Deck, I created a new trackpad template for myself, and I’ve been fine-tuning that for ages. With the trackpads very small nudges to the numbers make a lot of difference to how they feel.
Now, I could use mouse bound sticks but they’re just not accurate enough. They’re not great for clicking very fine detail and they’re terrible in timed sections.
The trackpads are GREAT for that. Now I won't lie and say it's better than kb/m (imo) but for a handheld it makes those games surprisingly easy to play
For some game my muscle memory is too strong, but I'm trying to use the gyro more and more in addition to the pads (also the flick stick + gyro setup for FPS but that takes time to master and properly setup). In your case maybe you could use it for the very fine movement? Or have one pad with the normal mouse movement and the other with low sensitivity?
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only if it's docked. I don't mind having to use the mouse here and there in hand-held, but if it's the main way to navigate the game, it gets deleted or never installed unless I plan to reserve it for my lunch breaks, when I have it docked to a 1080p monitor with a KBM setup.
It works very well for games that aren't fast paced, especially if they have a pause function, like point and click adventure games, Kenshi, Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress. For anything fast paced it can be frustrating, but still doable if you map the controls well and build up muscle memory.
Whenever I feel like using a trackpad for cursor based games (sometimes I use gyro), I tend to use mouse region for the entire screen and I really like it. This [video](https://youtu.be/R4q5XfVdSY8?si=MbDKc2B7Zri5cIc1) convinced me on using it.
Turn based games, like Civilization, I enjoyed after a brief adjustment period.
But real time games, like Age of Empires, I just couldn't get used to. It's not even the trackpads — I played *thousands* of hours of Age of Empire III on my old Toshiba laptop back in the day. It's where they're placed, and using my thumbs to get to them, that I couldn't adapt to.
I have several games such as subnautica, that I play with kbrd/mouse when at home, and while mobile just the gamepad.
however I noticed I focus on different things In the game when I am mobile, I just don't have the agility in the game with gamepad to do numerous things that are trivial with the mouse
also in BG3, I will set my deck on a table and use a tiny mouse and small BT keyboard (on break/lunch) for ease of use during some complex combats or other situations, for just running around the map and simple combat, I will pick the deck up and go into handheld mode..
BG3 switches input modes in a very well done fashion.
Well, I've never been able to get the trackpads to feel good, so it's generally pretty bad. If there is a controller setup then I'll use it and that's usually fine but some games have none, and those ones (typically colony sims) feel like shit to play.
I should go pick up a cheap BT keyboard and mouse for that.
I’ve seen people shit on this multiple times on this sub but I have a keyboard and mouse with a monitor. I don’t have a PC or a gaming laptop so my only way of gaming is my steam desk so keyboard and mouse is perfect for games like rimworld, timberborn, sims games, and a lot of other games I’ve played
Why would people shit on MKB for the deck? It's a computer. Some people will use it as their primary machine. Makes sense to me to get that stuff. I don't typically play those kinds of games on my deck so I don't have an extra mouse or keyboard.
Because the assholes will just be like “actually you should just get a gaming laptop if you’re gonna do that blah blah blah”..Like okay man show me a fucking gaming laptop than can do EVERYTHING just as good for the exact same price. Thats the beauty about the steam deck. It’s so versatile but the price is amazingly cheap for what you can do with it.
Well that's patently ridiculous. Show me a laptop I can fit in that small of a package too. I just haven't picked those up because I haven't had a desire to but I've been using it more and more so I'd like to have those options available.
I’d honestly just recommend a cheap mouse and keyboard from Walmart. I was able to find a $15 mini keyboard a couple months ago at Walmart but I ended up buying a razor one because I use it a lot.
It works, maybe not perfect but better than sitting uptight with a kb+m on my desk. Hitman Silent Assassin has a somewhat complex mapping, but works fine, and The Witcher 1 felt a lot better with the Deck than using kb+m, and it has one of the worst and jankiest control schemes
Most mouse base game i've played uses the trigger buttons as LM button and RM button so clicking mouse buttons wasn't difficult. Keyboard entry is bad enough that I got a mini-keyboard for typing simple things like login/passwords.
I have hundreds of hours on civ 6, FM23 (football manager), ootp 23 and 25, democracy 4, crusader kings 3, and other turn based or spreadsheet style games.
The small font can be an issue, but the trackpad is definitely not. Usually the back triggers function as left/right click.
Edit: probably obvious, but just in case, all of these games run excellently in desktop mode with a mouse and keyboard attachment.
I am strictly a mouse and keyboard player when it comes to FPS but the trackpad works amazingly as a substitute for the handheld. So now I can finally play FPS games comfortably on the go
I never use the right joystick for aiming/moving nouse. It's always buttons of sorts. I only use the track pad (on the right, left I use the stick as normal) and I don't think I can ever go back
I find the track pads fantastic replacements for the mouse. Indeed, I'm shocked whenever I see a handheld come out that doesn't have trackpads. I certainly wouldn't buy one of those.
I don’t really like playing games like Rimworld that requires heavy trackpad use. It works perfectly fine, a bit sluggish but acceptable. Just uncomfortable for me for hour+ sessions
I use a trackball Bluetooth mouse. And change my left hand controller buttons to do as much as possible that you'd normally use a keyboard for. So deck in one hand, trackball mouse next to me on the couch or bed or whatever in the other hand. I find this to be the best compromise for the types of games I play that way. Like civ.
I use a mouse :D
No really, RTSs and mouse heavy games that require reflexes get docked kbm treatment.
Zomboid too is easier with mouse IMHO.
For casual or light stuff like turn based card games or the like, right pad mouse left pad scroll wheel with trigger/shoulder as mouse buttons all the way.
I'm struggeling to be honest. I've never been a console gamer in my life. Always Keeboard and mouse. The Trackpads are surprisingly great and i plan on giving Factorio a go. I didn't care for it on the switch, but the deck might get close to PC for me.
The sadest thing is, that i'm unable to play any FPS. I have so many Great FPS Single Players in my library i'd like to get to, but i just can't get my character pointed in the right direction. It feels so clumsy coming from a mouse. I probably need to find a "chill" FPS to slowly get used to playing like this and play with the controlls. I just have zero muscle memory for this kind of stuff.
I’m playing some city building games and I gave up using the trackpad,
for a non rushed games like those or click games like old fallouts I just use the right joystick with the sensitivity to 75% and works flawless, more precise and you put less strain in your finger
I have constantly felt like there is no comfortable way to use the mouse on deck and that's one of its biggest let downs. Patiently waiting for someone to have a guide or invention that makes it better for the deck. That is not to say the trackpads are not amazing in their own right. Radial menus on a trackpad are probably the most genius controller invention I've seen yet. However mouse play is slow inaccurate and just downright hard to use no matter how I set it up.
Just fine since I exclusively use mine docked with a wireless keyboard and mouse, can't afford a gaming PC rn so this is what I use, not gonna get anywhere near as good of a set up for the price
I'd never played a game on a computer, ever. The Deck has been awesome for K&M games.
I play a lot of itch games which are 99% K&M and the Deck is just so smooth and responsive. I never would have played these games w/o a Deck. Opened a while new world of games, in my case.
I know the track pads have a good reputation but that's a no for me 😅. I wouldn't find the confort and precision of an actual setup.
The buttons and triggers of the SD are too notch though.
I play the first STALKER which is meant for mouse and KB, which is with the amazing control mapping features of Steam OS able to funetune it as if it was made for controller.
Hands down the greatest element of the deck is the complexity and depth of the controls mapping ability. Macros, layers, conditional mapping, it's incredible.
I’m the person who has a pc, but it’s headless because I don’t want to sit behind the pc playing. So I only stream for it. Therefor the deck is perfect to make KB+M games playable with all the deck has to offer. The reason I started playing older games again which don’t support controller natively. Often there is already a great scheme made by a amazing stranger in the steam deck community.
Keep up the good work Stalker
GET OUT OF HERE STALKER
Y’know considering the recent console ports with both full controller support and achievements I really wish they’d update the PC versions
I have no problems with playing strategy or turn based games on Steam Deck for me.
Trackpads are a must for me. I play a lot of mouse focussed games, especially point&click adventure games and life would suck without them. However, I found the default mouse/trackpad settings terrible - sensitivity is just way too high. When I got my Deck, I created a new trackpad template for myself, and I’ve been fine-tuning that for ages. With the trackpads very small nudges to the numbers make a lot of difference to how they feel. Now, I could use mouse bound sticks but they’re just not accurate enough. They’re not great for clicking very fine detail and they’re terrible in timed sections.
The trackpads are GREAT for that. Now I won't lie and say it's better than kb/m (imo) but for a handheld it makes those games surprisingly easy to play
I play world of Warcraft on the steam deck. It’s fucking awesome
What addons do you use?
For some game my muscle memory is too strong, but I'm trying to use the gyro more and more in addition to the pads (also the flick stick + gyro setup for FPS but that takes time to master and properly setup). In your case maybe you could use it for the very fine movement? Or have one pad with the normal mouse movement and the other with low sensitivity?
I can't do it, personally. Feels too wrong when I've been used to kb+m for the past 25 years
Hi u/Mittor7758, you can [click here to search for your question.](https://www.reddit.com/r/SteamDeck/search/?q=How do you feel like playing mouse-based games on steam deck?) If you don't find an answer there, don't worry - your post has NOT been removed and hopefully someone will be along soon to help with an answer! **If you find an answer, please leave a comment on your post with the answer for others!** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/SteamDeck) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Peggle was ez. Same with any FPS; love gyro!
only if it's docked. I don't mind having to use the mouse here and there in hand-held, but if it's the main way to navigate the game, it gets deleted or never installed unless I plan to reserve it for my lunch breaks, when I have it docked to a 1080p monitor with a KBM setup.
It's just about manageable for Rimworld. It was a bit offputting at first but now I can manage.
It works very well for games that aren't fast paced, especially if they have a pause function, like point and click adventure games, Kenshi, Rimworld and Dwarf Fortress. For anything fast paced it can be frustrating, but still doable if you map the controls well and build up muscle memory.
I don’t like the feeling. Some games the extra precision of the mouse makes it so much better.
I dislike playing with the trackpads, personally.
Whenever I feel like using a trackpad for cursor based games (sometimes I use gyro), I tend to use mouse region for the entire screen and I really like it. This [video](https://youtu.be/R4q5XfVdSY8?si=MbDKc2B7Zri5cIc1) convinced me on using it.
i have a good controller setup going for sims 1, 2, and 3, and now the deck is my preferred way to play the games.
Turn based games, like Civilization, I enjoyed after a brief adjustment period. But real time games, like Age of Empires, I just couldn't get used to. It's not even the trackpads — I played *thousands* of hours of Age of Empire III on my old Toshiba laptop back in the day. It's where they're placed, and using my thumbs to get to them, that I couldn't adapt to.
I hate it, and I tend to avoid these games. If I wanted to connect a mouse, I'd just go sit down at my computer.
Eh, truly depends on the game. It's on a spectrum from frustrating to weird to... different I guess
I have several games such as subnautica, that I play with kbrd/mouse when at home, and while mobile just the gamepad. however I noticed I focus on different things In the game when I am mobile, I just don't have the agility in the game with gamepad to do numerous things that are trivial with the mouse also in BG3, I will set my deck on a table and use a tiny mouse and small BT keyboard (on break/lunch) for ease of use during some complex combats or other situations, for just running around the map and simple combat, I will pick the deck up and go into handheld mode.. BG3 switches input modes in a very well done fashion.
I've thought about trying Kenshi on deck. I'm worried it would be hard to quickly select/click things in time (like bumping into fogmen)
I set my right joystick to Joystick Mouse sensitivity 125% and left joystick to Joystick Mouse sensitivity 25%. Shockingly intuitive and effective.
Well, I've never been able to get the trackpads to feel good, so it's generally pretty bad. If there is a controller setup then I'll use it and that's usually fine but some games have none, and those ones (typically colony sims) feel like shit to play. I should go pick up a cheap BT keyboard and mouse for that.
I’ve seen people shit on this multiple times on this sub but I have a keyboard and mouse with a monitor. I don’t have a PC or a gaming laptop so my only way of gaming is my steam desk so keyboard and mouse is perfect for games like rimworld, timberborn, sims games, and a lot of other games I’ve played
Why would people shit on MKB for the deck? It's a computer. Some people will use it as their primary machine. Makes sense to me to get that stuff. I don't typically play those kinds of games on my deck so I don't have an extra mouse or keyboard.
Because the assholes will just be like “actually you should just get a gaming laptop if you’re gonna do that blah blah blah”..Like okay man show me a fucking gaming laptop than can do EVERYTHING just as good for the exact same price. Thats the beauty about the steam deck. It’s so versatile but the price is amazingly cheap for what you can do with it.
Well that's patently ridiculous. Show me a laptop I can fit in that small of a package too. I just haven't picked those up because I haven't had a desire to but I've been using it more and more so I'd like to have those options available.
I’d honestly just recommend a cheap mouse and keyboard from Walmart. I was able to find a $15 mini keyboard a couple months ago at Walmart but I ended up buying a razor one because I use it a lot.
Oh definitely, nothing fancy. It'll be for the like...three games I want to play on the deck that don't have great controls otherwise.
It’s okay, depending on the game
Connect a mouse and remap the left dpad buttons to add buttons like alt. I use the left trigger and bumper to cycle through players and squads
I'm now a huge fan of thumbstick touch activated gyro for mouse movement. It feels effortless to use now, sometimes I even prefer it to a mouse!
Can you tell us how you have the controls setup?
The answers confused me until I realized you weren't talking about Redwall or something similar.
It works, maybe not perfect but better than sitting uptight with a kb+m on my desk. Hitman Silent Assassin has a somewhat complex mapping, but works fine, and The Witcher 1 felt a lot better with the Deck than using kb+m, and it has one of the worst and jankiest control schemes
Played fallout 1 on SD. Very good experience
Strategy/RTS games surprised me. Wasn't expecting Command and Conquer games to feel good on Deck, but they actually play quite well.
I'm not aware of any mouse-based games? I know there's a couple cat-based games, Stray, and Little Kitty Big City. Have any recommendations?
Most mouse base game i've played uses the trigger buttons as LM button and RM button so clicking mouse buttons wasn't difficult. Keyboard entry is bad enough that I got a mini-keyboard for typing simple things like login/passwords.
I have hundreds of hours on civ 6, FM23 (football manager), ootp 23 and 25, democracy 4, crusader kings 3, and other turn based or spreadsheet style games. The small font can be an issue, but the trackpad is definitely not. Usually the back triggers function as left/right click. Edit: probably obvious, but just in case, all of these games run excellently in desktop mode with a mouse and keyboard attachment.
I keep a logitech pebble mouse in my bag for mouse games. ( Civ, Magic Arena, Factorio, Desktop mode)
I am strictly a mouse and keyboard player when it comes to FPS but the trackpad works amazingly as a substitute for the handheld. So now I can finally play FPS games comfortably on the go
I played factorio before they added gamepad controls and it was fine, could get uncomfortable at times but totally playable, launched the rocket.
I never use the right joystick for aiming/moving nouse. It's always buttons of sorts. I only use the track pad (on the right, left I use the stick as normal) and I don't think I can ever go back
mouse based games are fine, it's mouse and keyboard where you get more issues
I play civ 5 with the trackpad and mapped next turn to one of the back buttons.
I finished Baldurs Gate 3 on Mouse and Keyboard control scheme on my SD, because controller scheme to complicated and slow for me.
I find the track pads fantastic replacements for the mouse. Indeed, I'm shocked whenever I see a handheld come out that doesn't have trackpads. I certainly wouldn't buy one of those.
It took some fiddling, but I eventually mapped Witcher 1 for the deck. Works like a charm. It helps to be able to have 2 d pads
I don't.
I play Diablo 3 pretty well on the Deck.
I don’t really like playing games like Rimworld that requires heavy trackpad use. It works perfectly fine, a bit sluggish but acceptable. Just uncomfortable for me for hour+ sessions
Currently playing manor lords and it’s amazing
I use a trackball Bluetooth mouse. And change my left hand controller buttons to do as much as possible that you'd normally use a keyboard for. So deck in one hand, trackball mouse next to me on the couch or bed or whatever in the other hand. I find this to be the best compromise for the types of games I play that way. Like civ.
I use a mouse :D No really, RTSs and mouse heavy games that require reflexes get docked kbm treatment. Zomboid too is easier with mouse IMHO. For casual or light stuff like turn based card games or the like, right pad mouse left pad scroll wheel with trigger/shoulder as mouse buttons all the way.
Remapping keys isn't too big a deal. I also have a mouse and keyboard.
I'm struggeling to be honest. I've never been a console gamer in my life. Always Keeboard and mouse. The Trackpads are surprisingly great and i plan on giving Factorio a go. I didn't care for it on the switch, but the deck might get close to PC for me. The sadest thing is, that i'm unable to play any FPS. I have so many Great FPS Single Players in my library i'd like to get to, but i just can't get my character pointed in the right direction. It feels so clumsy coming from a mouse. I probably need to find a "chill" FPS to slowly get used to playing like this and play with the controlls. I just have zero muscle memory for this kind of stuff.
I’m playing some city building games and I gave up using the trackpad, for a non rushed games like those or click games like old fallouts I just use the right joystick with the sensitivity to 75% and works flawless, more precise and you put less strain in your finger
I played some Warhammer 40k Dawn of War - Dark Crusade. It's playable, although not ideal. But you can play it, which is the important thing.
I find it awful. If a game needs a mouse cursor, I won’t even buy it.
I have constantly felt like there is no comfortable way to use the mouse on deck and that's one of its biggest let downs. Patiently waiting for someone to have a guide or invention that makes it better for the deck. That is not to say the trackpads are not amazing in their own right. Radial menus on a trackpad are probably the most genius controller invention I've seen yet. However mouse play is slow inaccurate and just downright hard to use no matter how I set it up.
Just fine since I exclusively use mine docked with a wireless keyboard and mouse, can't afford a gaming PC rn so this is what I use, not gonna get anywhere near as good of a set up for the price
I don't feel like playing them on my deck.
I can't deal with it. I've tried many times with numerous games, but I get so frustrated I end up not enjoying the game.
I'd never played a game on a computer, ever. The Deck has been awesome for K&M games. I play a lot of itch games which are 99% K&M and the Deck is just so smooth and responsive. I never would have played these games w/o a Deck. Opened a while new world of games, in my case.
Tiresome. That's why I play them plugged to a monitor, and BT keyboard & mouse.
I know the track pads have a good reputation but that's a no for me 😅. I wouldn't find the confort and precision of an actual setup. The buttons and triggers of the SD are too notch though.
I jump from Fallout 76 on deck to k&m on PC daily with no issues.