Steam Controller will work wirelessly on both iOS and Android

The upcoming Steam Link App will allow the Steam Controller to connect wirelessly to iOS and Android Devices. Valve recently confirmed that both platforms will support the Steam Controller, and that a cable is not required.

Complete Game Streaming Support

Traditionally, iOS and Android devices have very specific support for controllers. On Android, controllers need to support an “HID” mode. iOS only officially supports “MFi” controllers. These protocols limit the types of controllers that can work on each platform.

Android natively supports controllers with up to 16 buttons. This allows it to play PC Games that are streamed over a network. iOS only natively supports controllers with up to 13 buttons. It’s missing support for the Select and Analog Stick buttons.

It’s a big deal that Valve is bringing the Steam Controller to mobile devices. For Android users, it means that they will have a fully-customizable controller that they can use for Game Streaming. It’s even more impactful for iOS users.

Without the Steam Controller, iOS lacks a controller that is fully compatible with PC games. Other Apps have gotten around this problem by adding 3 virtual buttons to the touch screen. While this sort of works, it obscures part of the screen and is hard to control.

How does it work?

Instead of programming the Steam Controller to use HID and MFi modes, Valve is using it as a BLE device. While that may not sound familiar at first, you’ve probably used this protocol before. It’s common in the fitness tracker world. The Steam Controller will connect in the same way that your Fitbit does.

BLE allows devices to connect over bluetooth and pair with your device through a companion App. The Steam Controller will work in this way, and will pair through the Steam Link App. BLE protocols are not restricted by iOS or Android, and allow the Steam Controller to be fully functional.

Valve explained that the BLE protocol allows for optimal efficiency and latency management. It allows them to send very compact low-bandwidth and high-frequency input data. The bottom line is that it works wirelessly with both iOS and Android, and it works well.

Coming Soon

The Steam Link App is slated to release on iOS and Android during the week of May 21st 2018. It will be available in the Apple App Store, and in the Android Play Store (as a beta). We are excited to test it and share our results with the Community. You can read Valve’s statements about Steam Controller Support on Reddit.

So what do you think? Are you excited to test the Steam Controller with your mobile device? Do you like the Steam Controller? Let us know in the comments!

Originally published at Flickstiq.