Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2 add native gamepad support with Steam Deck in mind

Pillars of Eternity and its sequel Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire are receiving full gamepad support on PC, bringing the console versions' control schemes to Steam. The update is currently available as an opt-in beta for both titles. This addresses a long-standing gap for players who preferred controller-based play on PC, particularly those using handheld devices.

The implementation derives from the existing console builds rather than being newly developed, suggesting the porting work focuses on adapting those control layers to the PC release. Players can access the beta through Steam's properties menu for each game. The timing aligns with continued interest in handheld PC gaming, where controller-native interfaces significantly improve usability.

Controller support implementation and Steam Deck relevance

• Beta availability: Both Pillars of Eternity titles now offer an opt-in beta branch through Steam containing the gamepad support update.
• Console-derived implementation: The PC gamepad support ports the existing control scheme from the PlayStation and Xbox console releases rather than creating a new controller layer from scratch.
• Steam Deck targeting: The announcement explicitly cites handheld PC gaming as a motivating use case, acknowledging that previous Steam Input community templates were insufficient for comfortable play.
• CRPG interface adaptation: The implementation must translate a mouse-driven party-based role-playing interface with tactical pause mechanics to analog stick and button controls.

Why it matters

Native gamepad support in classic PC-exclusive CRPGs reduces reliance on Steam Input community configurations and improves the out-of-box experience for Steam Deck and Linux handheld users. This follows a broader trend of developers retroactively adding controller support to mouse-driven genres as handheld PC hardware gains market presence, reducing the friction that previously pushed such players toward console versions or emulation layers.