Greetings! We have exciting news to share for those of you who want to hack, mod, or design accessories for the Steam Controller and Puck.
Today we're making the CAD files for the external shell (surface topology) of Steam Controller and Puck available for download under a Creative Commons license. This includes an STP model of each, an STL model of each, and an engineering drawing with critical features/keep outs for each. You can find the files here. We can't wait to see what you all...
As someone who (outside of basic game modding) hates to tinker out of fear of breaking something, that second part is aimed at people like me.
In other words I read this is “Hey FlipFlop, you could make all these changes, but let’s leave that to your buddies who actually know electronics and hardware so you don’t end up with $100 steam brand paperweight “
Edit: check out the page and that’s pretty much what was said right after “Any damage you do will not be covered by your warranty” “You might break your controller”
It’s a warning to those who would likely just break their expensive controllers. Some people know stuff about electronics and can make custom parts and other things. It could spawn a cottage industry.
Product specifications are different for the parts accessible to a user and the parts not accessible to the user.
If you tell a user “you can take it apart” the user will believe the product was made with taking it apart in mind. But it was not.
For example, a toy that is made to be taken apart, like legos, will survive it being taking apart thousands of times. But an electronic device that was made to take it apart only for repair purposes may last only tens of cycles.
So if a user disassembles their controller 100 times, a part will probably break, and the user will complain about it being such bad quality that it broke after taking it apart “a few times”.
That’s why it is important to disclose what you are MEANT to do as opposed to what you technically CAN do.
They release CAD files for DIYing “sweaters”, tell you you can do with it whatever you want, and then tell you they “strongly recommend” hiring someone else to do it for you in the next sentence, and you don’t think that’s mixed messaging?
Would you say the same if Framework told you they “highly recommend” hiring a professional to swap your SSD?
“Your house and electrical wiring is yours, and you have the right to do with it what you want. That said, we highly recommend you leave it to professionals.”
This is not mixed messaging, this is just advice. Mixed messaging would be something along the lines of: “Your house and electrical wiring is yours, and you have the right to do with it what you want. That said, you are not allowed to do what you want.” Mixed messaging colloquially means contradictory statements.
“Your house and electrical wiring is yours, and you have the right to do with it what you want. That said, we highly recommend you leave it to professionals.”
Your house is not delivered with documentation for the wiring. Further, fucking up the wiring in your house can literally kill you, so no, this is not an apt analogy.
Mixed messaging colloquially means contradictory statements.
No, that’s a contradiction. “Mixed” is exactly what it sounds like. The messaging is unclear.
I have no idea where you got the idea that that would be “such a technical task” for me. Nor why you think I had a “lego-less youth”. I’m >35 y/o and have been repairing computers since I was 15.
Then the warning obviously isn’t directed at you, chill out. It’s for everyone who does need to be told that tinkering with the electronics in the controller can break it if they don’t know what they’re doing.
“Welcome to your new linux system. You can delete or modify anything you want in the root directory, but we recommend leaving that to someone who knows what they’re doing.”
It’s for everyone who does need to be told that tinkering with the electronics in the controller can break it if they don’t know what they’re doing.
Anyone dumb enough to need to be told this would pay it no heed.
“Welcome to your new linux system. You can delete or modify anything you want in the root directory, but we recommend leaving that to someone who knows what they’re doing.”
No Linux distributor in their right mind would tell you anything like that. They would tell you to learn.
And what would be the reason to open up the shell in the first place? To mess with the electronics inside. Which is only recommended to people that know what they are doing because of the risk to break it.
You don’t need to open the shell and access the internals if you are making a controller sweater and it wouldn’t void your warranty. That is not what Valve is warning about. They ask you to not fuck with the internals unless you know what you are doing.
Talk about mixed messaging…
Personally I don’t think it’s mixed
As someone who (outside of basic game modding) hates to tinker out of fear of breaking something, that second part is aimed at people like me.
In other words I read this is “Hey FlipFlop, you could make all these changes, but let’s leave that to your buddies who actually know electronics and hardware so you don’t end up with $100 steam brand paperweight “
Edit: check out the page and that’s pretty much what was said right after “Any damage you do will not be covered by your warranty” “You might break your controller”
It’s a warning to those who would likely just break their expensive controllers. Some people know stuff about electronics and can make custom parts and other things. It could spawn a cottage industry.
Do people really need a warning to know that they might break something if they open it up without knowing what they’re doing?
Product specifications are different for the parts accessible to a user and the parts not accessible to the user.
If you tell a user “you can take it apart” the user will believe the product was made with taking it apart in mind. But it was not.
For example, a toy that is made to be taken apart, like legos, will survive it being taking apart thousands of times. But an electronic device that was made to take it apart only for repair purposes may last only tens of cycles.
So if a user disassembles their controller 100 times, a part will probably break, and the user will complain about it being such bad quality that it broke after taking it apart “a few times”.
That’s why it is important to disclose what you are MEANT to do as opposed to what you technically CAN do.
Noice, this is so clear. Thanks. So can you explain other concepts like this ? You look usefull to be around :D
As long as I know the answer, you can ask whatever you want.
Yes.
Yes, and there’s nothing mixed about the messaging. If you know what you’re doing, go ahead. If you don’t, dont.
Usually compsnies would just say no to everyone and throw around words like “unauthorized”.
You underestimate how stupid the average person is.
Ehhh… Reads like the standard “we’re happy with you tweaking it, but don’t want to be liable for you breaking it.”
If you try to sue them, they can point to this section of their docs and say you didn’t follow their recommendations.
They are addressing a diverse audience with their messaging. Not just you.
…I didn’t think they were?
Then why are you so butthurt about this?
Why are you fabricating all of these presumptions about me?
I can infer from all your replies in the thread that you are seething underneath all of these “composed” messages.
LOL you are not “inferring”, you are “fabricating”. And I don’t understand why.
Take a breather, bud
:^)
It’s not though?
They release CAD files for DIYing “sweaters”, tell you you can do with it whatever you want, and then tell you they “strongly recommend” hiring someone else to do it for you in the next sentence, and you don’t think that’s mixed messaging?
Would you say the same if Framework told you they “highly recommend” hiring a professional to swap your SSD?
“Your house and electrical wiring is yours, and you have the right to do with it what you want. That said, we highly recommend you leave it to professionals.”
This is not mixed messaging, this is just advice. Mixed messaging would be something along the lines of: “Your house and electrical wiring is yours, and you have the right to do with it what you want. That said, you are not allowed to do what you want.” Mixed messaging colloquially means contradictory statements.
Your house is not delivered with documentation for the wiring. Further, fucking up the wiring in your house can literally kill you, so no, this is not an apt analogy.
No, that’s a contradiction. “Mixed” is exactly what it sounds like. The messaging is unclear.
Contact whoever sold you the house - it should come with a full mapping of electric, water and heating systems.
My house did. With diagrams and photos. Very useful.
You’re grossly overestimating the competency of the general public
The competency of the general public is not relevant.
You are entitled to your own opinions but we advise you leave it to the professionals.
I didn’t expect changing an SSD to be such a technical task for you… I mourn your lego-less youth.
I have no idea where you got the idea that that would be “such a technical task” for me. Nor why you think I had a “lego-less youth”. I’m >35 y/o and have been repairing computers since I was 15.
Then the warning obviously isn’t directed at you, chill out. It’s for everyone who does need to be told that tinkering with the electronics in the controller can break it if they don’t know what they’re doing.
“Welcome to your new linux system. You can delete or modify anything you want in the root directory, but we recommend leaving that to someone who knows what they’re doing.”
It’s not a mixed message.
Once again, I didn’t think it was.
Anyone dumb enough to need to be told this would pay it no heed.
No Linux distributor in their right mind would tell you anything like that. They would tell you to learn.
It very much is.
Then why are you so butthurt about it?
What did I say that you interpreted as being “butthurt”? Why are you fabricating lies about my technical proficiency, my age, and my emotional state?
Sometimes you want someone else to do it. I added a 2nd SSD to my laptop a few years back. It resulted in a new drive and a few broken plastic tabs.
Did you not know that you might damage something if you open it? If someone told you that, would you have taken it to a professional?
For a screen or CPU replacement, yes. For memory, no. Gotta break what’s not broken to fix something.
This is not a screen or CPU or memory, this is the exterior shell. It’s like removing the cover from the back of your laptop.
And what would be the reason to open up the shell in the first place? To mess with the electronics inside. Which is only recommended to people that know what they are doing because of the risk to break it.
There’s no reason to speculate, they spell this out plainly in the OP:
You don’t need to open the shell and access the internals if you are making a controller sweater and it wouldn’t void your warranty. That is not what Valve is warning about. They ask you to not fuck with the internals unless you know what you are doing.
Yes, that was indeed my point, thank you.
…its exactly what they’re warning about. You should really read the content in the OP before commenting on it.