Steam's DualShock 4 support is now in beta

Steam now boasts official support for the DualShock 4, ie, Sony's much-loved PS4 controller. Valve announced the support was incoming at Steam Dev Days last month, but now you can go and use it right now – though it's still in beta.

According to the most recent Steam Client Beta Update, which rolled earlier today, the DualShock 4 will now boast "the same sort of customization/configuration support as Steam Controllers, including native API support". To activate DualShock 4 support now, you'll need to enable it in Big Picture settings, under the Add/Test Controller tab.

Here are the full patch notes pertaining to the DualShock 4, for your convenience:

Added Steam Configurator support for PS4 Dual Shock Controller. Note that this is a beta release. Enable in Big Picture settings Add/Test Controller settings. When enabled, PS4 controllers will have access to the same sort of customization/configuration support as Steam Controllers, including native API support.

PS4 Controllers using this system can map the trackpad, gyro, buttons, etc. to keyboard, mouse, or x-input outputs and can make use of action sets, touch menus, radial menus, and so forth.

Added New Mode – Joystick Mouse. This is a joystick based mouse control useful for stick based controllers.

Added default PS4 templates.

Added software calibration for non-Steam controller based IMUs to counter for gyro drift.

Configuration Browser can now be toggled to show all available controller types rather than the default of the in-use controller type.

Configurations can now be marked as “Unique” to a specific controller. This configuration will only be applied to that controller for that user’s account. By default, all controllers of a specific type will share a configuration unless marked as Unique.

Big Picture now supports PS4 controller glyphs when using Steam Configurator support.

Despite not having official Steam support for years, the DualShock 4 has long been one of the PC Gamer team's favourite controllers, as its placement in this list will attest.

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Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.