Properties2
| Type | Practice |
| Note created | Jun 19, 2026 |
By default a OpenPuck-flashed puck presents the Steam Controller 2 to the host as a Steam Controller, which requires Steam Input (i.e. Steam must be running). For games and launchers that don’t go through Steam — Game Pass, emulators, anything expecting a standard gamepad — you can switch the controller to emulate an Xbox 360 controller, which Windows recognises natively as XInput with no extra software.
Switching to Xbox mode
Hold all 4 back buttons and press X (back-4 + X). The puck re-enumerates over USB (~2 s) and the host now sees a standard Xbox 360 controller.
To go back to Steam mode: back-4 + A.
In Xbox mode the extra paddles map to sensible defaults (e.g. L4 → LB, L5 → L3) and are configurable from the WebUSB panel. The right trackpad acts as a mouse, but at present that part only works on Android and SteamOS.
All mode combos
Modes are switched with back-4 + a face button (see OpenPuck for the full reference):
| Button combo (configurable) | Mode | Comment |
|---|---|---|
| back-4 + A | Steam | Steam Controller mode (default, needs Steam Input) |
| back-4 + B | Lizard | Keyboard/mouse-ish mode; works even when Steam is closed |
| back-4 + X | Xbox | Xbox 360 controller — the one to use for non-Steam games |
| back-4 + Y | Switch Pro | Switch controller + gyro + haptics |
| WebUSB panel → mode 4 | Hori Pad | Switch mode, no gyro/haptics |
| WebUSB panel → mode 5 | DualSense + gyro + trackpad | PC only |
| WebUSB panel → mode 6 | DS4 / HIDGYRO + gyro + trackpad | PC only |
Notes
- The selected mode persists across reboots (stored on the puck).
- If you only ever want a plain gamepad, just leave it in Xbox mode — Steam isn’t required.
- The OpenPuck WebUSB config panel (safijari.github.io/openpuck, Chrome/Edge) lets you remap the back paddles for this mode.