Totally forgotten PS3 controller works surprisingly well on Steam Deck
THQ/Pexels.comA Reddit user has discovered the uDraw Game Tablet is fully supported on the Steam Deck, despite not being created for the PlayStation 3.
The Steam Deck is just a PC at the end of the day. Just like any other PC, the handheld can be hooked up to a myriad of controllers and accessories, to get the full PC experience.
However, not everything is compatible when you connect a controller. In a surprising twist of fate, one Reddit user has discovered that the Steam Deck is fully compatible with the UDraw Game Tablet.
Reddit user DootTheScoot revealed on r/SteamDeck that the PlayStation 3 controller works with the Steam Deck as a trackpad.
As revealed in the short footage, the Steam Deck fully registers the controller as the “THQ uDraw Game tablet for PS3” in the handheld’s settings without any additional drivers or setup. For whatever reason, Valve has done the legwork to get this long-forgotten controller to play nice with Steam’s controller layer.
According to DootTheScoot, the tablet currently “only works as a touch-based trackpad with controller buttons” and you cannot click and drag using the decade-old tablet.
As a controller intended for a dedicated series of art games on the PS3, the fact it works at all is nothing short of miraculous.
The uDraw Game Tablet was originally developed by THQ and launched in 2010. First released for the Nintendo Wii, the tablet was later developed for the PS3 and Xbox 360 where it had its own library of art-based games, from uDraw Studio: Instant Artist to SpongeBob SquigglePants.
The PS3 version of the tablet, as featured in the Reddit clip, requires the use of a dongle to work, which came packaged with the original accessory. However, once set up the tablet worked similarly to any Wacom tablet, allowing users to draw and navigate games in the absence of a trackpad.
THQWhat makes the PS3 version stand out is its on-board D-pad and PlayStation branded buttons. As explained by DootTheScoot in the Reddit post comments, these controller buttons work on the Steam Deck, which could make it an ideal controller for playing older PlayStation games through EmuDeck.
As of writing, the uDraw Game Tablet for PS3 is still available from second-hand sites, and even brand-new from third-party sellers on Amazon for $39.