Steam Controller Auto-Charge – pilot to magnetic charging puck using CV
144 points by zdw 13 hours ago | 31 comments

jml7c5 12 hours ago
For those who can't decipher what this is, a video might be helpful. It literally crawls the controller along a tabletop using the haptic feedback motors: https://x.com/FossPrime/status/2070013003752251660
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jdpigeon 12 hours ago
Yea, interesting how this outs the README as AI Generated.

I don't think any human would ever write a sentence like this without first explaining THE FREAKING CONTROLLER IS MOVING BY VIBRATING

Proximity Creep Mode: Automatically cuts haptic pulse frequency by 50% when the controller is within 150 pixels of the puck to ensure a gentle magnetic dock.

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fhd2 11 hours ago
AGENTS.md is fun too, solid AI bro stuff:

> Code like Anthony Fu and Evan You

> default to the highest quality modern code the legends would ship

What a time to be alive.

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rootsudo 6 hours ago
Code like the masters FU, You.
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hombre_fatal 11 hours ago
But the intro paragraph does explain the project.

The person you responded to just points out how useful it is to see it in action.

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clayhacks 10 hours ago
No? It says “pilots the controller” which is fairly vague of the cause and effects going on. I think a real human would clarify the controller motors being used to physically move the controller.
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serf 9 hours ago
yes?

it says it uses the haptic motors like within 2 or 3 sentences, it says it 'slams the controller into the puck until it charges', it says it uses an overhead camera, and it even says that it navigates the controller to the puck using the motors and camera further down if you don't feel like taking the 3 seconds to connect the dots.

a video would've been nice, but I would've communicated this the same way and i'm not an llm, even if this thing may have been written by one, nor did I have any problem understanding the intent - not a brag, it just doesn't seem that strange to me.

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geon 2 minutes ago
No. I thought it meant the haptic feedback was for a human to make it easier to find the charger in the dark ir something.
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jorvi 8 hours ago
Any human would have taglined this "vibrate to magnetic charging puck with computer vision".

It just feels horribly low effort. Respect your fellow man.

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ssl-3 3 hours ago
They put some code together and published it for all to use, with an MIT license, that lets a game controller wiggle itself over to a charging puck using computer vision. That's pretty neat.

If you want the documentation to be written to a standard that is more to your liking, then you're free to submit a PR or fork it -- or do just about anything else you want with it (including ignoring its existence).

Respect your fellow man.

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Gigachad 9 hours ago
It doesn’t say haptic motor anywhere. The only reference to how it moves in the whole thing is “internal dual Linear Resonant Actuators” which seems intentionally obtuse and even that is buried in the depths surrounded by a ton of unimportant detail.
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isoprophlex 6 hours ago
Nice keyboard
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dmix 9 hours ago
That's hilarious
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lattalayta 9 hours ago
Similar idea to this, right? Cycloramic app for the iPhone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV8UkuD4gig&t=1
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Izmaki 12 hours ago
Must be nice to be able to even buy a controller.
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soupbowl 10 hours ago
Yup! I 'reserved' a controller May.15th and my estimated order availability is '2027'.
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zackify 9 hours ago
I got mine! Did the reserve list 10 minutes in a few weeks ago. I like it way more than I thought.
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nirav72 10 hours ago
That is odd. I did as well around the same time and mine shows September of this year.
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int0x29 9 hours ago
They tried to limit scalping by randomizing the delivery order.
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littlecranky67 4 hours ago
Very unpopular opinion: Scalping is the fair market price discovery - it is basically a requirement in free trade societies. Now, Valve has no interest in screwing up their users because of the AI hardware craze. But this is what happens if you reject free trading: You have to signup for a lottery to get something scarce/in high demand. No matter how hard you work in your daily life, the only way to get the scarce resource is being lucky in a lottery. Which raises the question, why would you work hard to create value for others in a system like that?
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Fargren 47 minutes ago
> Which raises the question, why would you work hard to create value for others in a system like that?

Because creating things for others is a fulfilling way to live your life, and creates a richer society.

Valve does not want to maximize revenue from the controller sales. If they did, they would auction the controllers. That would get rid of scalpers, and ensure each controllers is sold at the highest number the market would bear. They are not doing that, which implies revenue-maximization is not their goal.

My intuition is that they are trying to improve the health of the gaming ecosystem because that benefits their core business which is selling games. For them it's important that some people who are more price-sensitive get this controller. Because those customers buy different games than those who would pay top dollar, and those games are important to Valve. And because they promote gaming in ways that don't bring revenue directly but do create harder to measure value.

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maccard 3 hours ago
Scalping still exists. They're readily available sealed in box for 2-2.5x retail.

For someone who will purchase at a scalped price, this has no impact. For a scalper, it reduces the likelihood of a guaranteed return. For someone who will purchase at an RRP it gives them an actual timeframe for delivery and lets them make an educated decision on whether they want to purchase for £85 in 6 months, or pay £200 on ebay and have it tomorrow.

Scalping removes one critically important part of FMV - the lack of duress. It's not FMV it's effectively a distress value.

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ssl-3 3 hours ago
> Scalping is the fair market price discovery - it is basically a requirement in free trade societies.

This explains why there is always a sea of scalpers milling around outside of every Costco in the United States, selling rotisserie chickens for as high as ten bucks after they bought them for $4.99.

It's basically a requirement, and it's a natural process of price discovery.

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cryptoegorophy 9 hours ago
Is this due to ram?
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NekkoDroid 4 hours ago
Mostly not enough supply for the demand and scalpers. Mine is also with an "estimated order availability: 2027" with a reservation day of May 16
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brador 5 hours ago
Very cool. That controller has gyro and mic. Even more interesting solutions are available.
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choo-t 18 minutes ago
Are you sure about the mic ?
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tamimio 11 hours ago
The neighbors hearing the vibrations at the end of the night everyday will not believe that’s your “auto guided controller!” to get charged.
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Hamuko 4 hours ago
The sound insulation at your place must suck.
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mv_d5339e31 2 hours ago
[dead]
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