Steam Controller Macro Feature Enables Custom Button Sequences

Steam Controller beta update introduces customizable macros with timed inputs, command sequencing, overlapping actions, and subcommands for gaming controls.

Steam Controller now includes a macro feature in a new beta update, letting users assign multiple inputs to a single button. The feature lets users arrange, time, overlap, and combine commands to create sequences that run with one button press. Many users have asked how to set up macros on the Steam Controller.

Previously, there was not really a way to do that. There was a workaround, but it was unreliable and difficult to use. With the new beta, Valve has added the ability to do exactly what users have been asking for. Once the game is running, press the Steam button and go into Controller Settings.

Setting Up a Steam Controller Macro

Go to the gear icon and scroll down to the bottom where it says Edit Multi-Button Timing. You can change the button from its current assignment to another button. In this example, the Y button is selected, but it does nothing yet because you need to add more commands.

Set the first command to D-pad right. Then add another command by pressing the plus button and selecting D-pad down. The commands appear in different colors, so you can see how they are arranged on the timing screen. If the commands aren't firing in the required order, you can change their timing.

You can move the D-pad right command back to the beginning, then adjust the D-pad down command afterward. You can also adjust the timing by moving the cursor on the timing screen. For example, you can assign the first 200 milliseconds to the right button, followed by the down button at the 205-millisecond mark.

After setting the timing, press the Steam button to return to the game and test the R4 button. Then check the input to see whether the controller moves forward and then down. You can adjust the timing between inputs further depending on how you execute the sequence.

Adding More Commands and Adjusting Timing

When you return to the timing menu, a small issue can make the process less straightforward. If the macro is assigned to one of the back buttons, pressing it does not always return to the Adjust Timings menu. To return to the timing controls, expand the command menu until it says Collapse instead of Expand.
Then press the pencil icon for Adjust Timings. This brings the controls back to the menu you're using.

Another command can then be added. In this example, another D-pad down command is added, which creates another colored input and can also change the existing timings. You can move the commands to different positions on the timeline. For example, you can assign the first 200 milliseconds to right, the second 200 milliseconds to down, and another 200 milliseconds to down again. The gear icon provides additional options.

A subcommand can also be added. A subcommand allows two commands to fire at the same time. In this example, D-pad right is added as a subcommand to the D-pad down command, creating a sequence that includes D-pad right, D-pad down, and D-pad down and right. Another command can then be added for the Y button. The commands can be moved around on the timeline so they execute in the required order.

One major problem is using the feature for fighting games.

The feature lets you execute the forward, down, down-forward, and punch sequence without manually performing the entire motion. Hadoukens are easier to perform, but the Shoryuken motion has always been harder to execute consistently. With the macro, you can perform the sequence every time without manually inputting it.

The first command in the example is D-pad right. That means the macro works only when the character is on the left side of the screen, and the opponent is on the right. When the characters switch sides, the same directional inputs no longer produce the required movement.

The solution would require two macros: one for the character on the left side of the screen and another for the character on the right side. That makes the original use case harder because the correct macro would need to be selected based on the character’s position.