I’ve converted friends and family to the gospel of gyro controls, and I would like to bring the good word to anyone who will listen. Honestly, gyro aiming makes gaming so fun for me. It is silly to think an input method can have such a drastic impact on gameplay, but for me, it personally does. I keep seeing posts about people thinking gyro is wonky, and they can’t get into it. So that’s why I decided to type this up and make it as foolproof as possible.

Like anything new, there is a learning curve. If you’re not willing to play with a different control scheme for at least 3-4 hours, you’ll never be able to determine if it’s better or not. I remember very clearly in the N64 days learning how to strafe in GoldenEye with the silly C buttons. I also remember first learning how to play with two analog sticks on a PlayStation controller. I think people forget that there was an initial learning curve with all 3D navigation. It’s a skill for your brain to process moving with one input, looking with another, and performing actions with several other inputs all at the same time. So, expect a small acclimation period to retrain your brain before you decide it’s not worth your time.

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Four primary barriers often hinder the adoption of gyro controls:

1. Tracking a moving target
2. Moving while tracking a moving target
3. Close range tracking vs. far range tracking
4. Input methods and settings

While not all barriers will be addressed in this guide, it’s essential to acknowledge them. Typically, individuals attempting gyro aiming confront all four challenges simultaneously, leading to frustration and a return to their previous settings. Instead, this guide will present a beginner method and some intermediate recommendations for users to explore.

Beginner Method Enable ADS Gyro Controls:

• Launch Game:
  • Power on your Steam Deck and start the desired game.
• Access Steam Overlay:
  • Press the Steam button during gameplay.
• Navigate to Controller Settings:
  • Use the analog stick or D-pad to access Controller Settings.
• Enable Gyro Behavior:
  • Scroll to “Gyro Behavior” and enable it.
  • For multi-input supported games, choose “Mouse” or “Gyro to Mouse.”
  • For games without multi-input support, select “Joystick” or “Gyro to Joystick Camera.”
• Access Gyro Settings:
  • Navigate to the gear icon beside “Gyro Behavior.”
• Configure Gyro Enable Button:
  • Under Gyro settings, choose the button (e.g., left trigger) corresponding to aiming down sights (ADS).

ADS Method and Its Effectiveness: Most games are designed to significantly reduce your walking/strafing speed while aiming down sights (ADS). The benefits of ADS usually include a tighter spread, increased accuracy, and enhanced aim assist in various ways. This method mirrors how Breath of the Wild introduces gyro mechanics and how Astro’s Playroom incorporates them. The reason for its beginner-friendly nature is that nearly all your attention is focused on tracking a moving target. Moving your controller is essentially the only input method required, aside from pulling the left trigger to ADS and the right trigger to fire.

There are a couple of noteworthy aspects about this method and why it works. You are only training your brain in one new skill or input method: target tracking. While you can use your left stick, it tends to be slow. In scenarios where you’re moving rapidly with your left stick input while tracking a moving target, you might find yourself out-strafed beyond your comfortable gyro turning radius (of your wrists). With this method, that scenario rarely occurs.

Avoid Using Your SteamDeck as a Controller: I strongly advise against attempting to learn gyro controls with a SteamDeck as your controller. Dealing with a wiggling screen while trying to acquire a new skill adds an unnecessary layer of difficulty. If you enjoy gyros, you can implement this approach later on, but it’s not recommended for starting. Instead, opt for a gyro-enabled controller and find a stable surface to rest your forearms and elbows, such as an office chair or pillows.

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Settings and Tricks:

Gyro Enable Button: If you want to transition from the ADS method to using a controller, you’ll need a button to toggle gyros on and off. When using the SteamDeck, you can utilize the Right Stick or Right Pad Touch. Conceptually, consider the gyro input as a physical mouse. Just as you pick up a physical mouse and move it back to the center when reaching the end of your range of motion or mouse pad, the toggle button or touch option allows you to pick up your “mouse” and center it.

When to Use Mouse Gyro Behavior and When to Choose Joystick: The short answer is that gyro as a mouse is usually preferable. However, in some games where using a mouse and gamepad simultaneously is restricted, gyro as a joystick becomes a secondary choice. The long answer involves understanding that mouse speed can be independently emulated from your stick or trackpad speed. In contrast, gyro as a joystick is directly tied to your in-game camera joystick look sensitivity. Typically, you want a high look sensitivity with your stick so that you can quickly position the target on screen. Once the target is on screen, the gyro should handle the rest of the aiming. Fine-tune gyro and stick speeds independently for optimal results. If gyro as a joystick is the only option, increase the in-game sensitivity and adjust the gyro sensitivity through the Steam Overlay.

Joystick emulation can sometimes be a better option even if mouse emulation is available. Some games remove aim assist when using gyro to mouse emulation options. In games with a lot of close-quarters encounters, aim assist can be superior to mouse and keyboard or mouse emulation. If you’ve played Halo games or Apex, you know that aim assist is highly beneficial when you’re up close and personal, trying to track targets.

**Exciting New Beta Gyro Behavior Methods - Gyro to Joystick Camera & Gyro to Mouse:**These methods come with numerous tweaks, making them my preferred options. The most significant option change, in my opinion, is Gyro Precision Speed. This option establishes a threshold where any physical gyro movement speeds below a certain level result in decreased movement speed in-game. This provides you with three different movement speeds: the first with your stick or trackpad (usually the highest for quick turns), the second with regular movement speed with gyro, and the third with small or subtle movement speeds with gyro being the slowest, offering precision aiming.**Gyro Speed Deadzone options:**If you keep having accidental inputs from the gyro or jitters on the screen from shaking hands adjust this setting. This isn’t meant to be a complete guide on all the different settings and methods/styles of gyro aiming. It’s simply a starter guide for anyone who’s struggled with it and doesn’t understand why. I figure if people enjoy the ADS beginner method enough they can star playing with some of the more advanced settings.

Edit: fixed formatting and stuff.

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