Valve updates the Steam Controller with an analog stick

Valve continues to tweak the elusive Steam Controller, recently adding in an analog stick into the design alongside the existing setup that includes two touchpads, several trigger buttons and traditional faceplate buttons.

The original design of the Steam Controller had a touchscreen in the center, which game developers were set to harness through an API. A revision of the controller in early 2014 replaced the touchscreen with more buttons, including a d-pad, in a design that was closer to traditional console controllers.

It's possible that Valve wants to make the Steam Controller more accessible to first time users, explaining the addition of an analog stick alongside two touchpads. Early reports from people who have tried out the controller say the touchpads take several hours to get used to, and even longer to achieve the promised PC-like accuracy.

There's still no definite word on when the Steam Controller, or Steam Machines for that matter, will be available to the public. In May, Valve pushed back the project's launch to 2015, so there's still a chance Valve will once again alter the design of their gamepad.

Next The Nostalgia Machine delivers the hit songs from any year you selectPrev Twitter diversity report looks no different than other Silicon Valley tech giants

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Valve updates the Steam Controller with an analog stick

Valve continues to tweak the elusive Steam Controller, recently adding in an analog stick into the design alongside the existing setup that includes two touchpads, several trigger buttons and traditional faceplate buttons.

The original design of the Steam Controller had a touchscreen in the center, which game developers were set to harness through an API. A revision of the controller in early 2014 replaced the touchscreen with more buttons, including a d-pad, in a design that was closer to traditional console controllers.

It's possible that Valve wants to make the Steam Controller more accessible to first time users, explaining the addition of an analog stick alongside two touchpads. Early reports from people who have tried out the controller say the touchpads take several hours to get used to, and even longer to achieve the promised PC-like accuracy.

There's still no definite word on when the Steam Controller, or Steam Machines for that matter, will be available to the public. In May, Valve pushed back the project's launch to 2015, so there's still a chance Valve will once again alter the design of their gamepad.

Next The Nostalgia Machine delivers the hit songs from any year you selectPrev Twitter diversity report looks no different than other Silicon Valley tech giants

View the original article here

Amazon updates Prime Music library with a massive number of new songs and more

Last month Amazon officially launched its Prime music service, offering its Prime subscribers unlimited, ad-free streaming. Today, the company has announced the library of songs users have to choose from is expanding dramatically along with some additional enhancements to the service.

Prime members already had access to over a million tracks when the service launched on June 12, and today Amazon has added "hundreds of thousands" of new songs to the mix. The additional tracks are from artists that are already in the catologue as well some new talent including Miles Davis, Kendrick Lamar, Linkin Park, Shakira, Deadmau5, Ella Fitzgerald, Young the Giant, A$AP Rocky, Oasis, Ray Charles, Skrillex, John Coltrane and many others.

Amazon said users are really pleased with its curated Prime Playlists and have decided to add hundreds of new ones. A few examples the company gives are “Upbeat Indie Vibes,” “Electronic Beats for Work,” “Rainy Day Jazz,” “Jack White and More,” “Bass Drops and Fist-Pumps,” and “Justin Timberlake’s Top Songs.”

Prime Music is available to all Prime members in the US and will run on Kindle Fire HD/HDX, iOS, Android, PC, and Mac. Those who are interested in giving it a test drive can check out Amazon's 30-day free trial.

The boost to its Prime Music catalogue joins its Instant Video service, Free Two-Day Shipping, and the Kindle Owners’ Lending Library as benefits of being an Amazon Prime member.

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