Classic construction sim Factorio now has controller support
Good news for Steam Deck players
Automated construction sim Factorio now has controller support. Originally added to the experimental branch with update 1.1.87, it's now available on the main stable release. Among other benefits, it means the all-consuming management game should now work better on Steam Deck.
You can change the current input method in-game by going to Settings > Controls, according to the patch notes. You can also turn on "contextual hotkey hints", which adds icons to the interface to indicate what controller buttons perform certain actions.
Factorio is currently rated as "playable" by Valve's Steam Deck compatibility testing, with one of the flagged issues being that "some functionality is not accessible when using the default controller configuration, requiring use of the touchscreen ro virtual keyboard." That should no longer be the case now that there's official controller support.
Controllers such as the Xbox pad are also often better for accessibility than keyboard and mouse.
The update also fixes dozens of bugs, adds some new scripting and modding functionality, and makes a few quality-of-life tweaks.
While Factorio continues to receive occasional updates, its developers have otherwise spent the past two years working on an unannounced expansion. The base game remains one of the best management games on PC.