Steampad (The Ultimate Gaming Controller)

🎮 SteamPad

I made this mod for my kids. I'm not a developer — I'm an Architect — but I wanted them to be able to play Minecraft Java comfortably with a controller, and take advantage of the huge amount of mods we already had set up. It got a bit out of hand, and from where I stand, it turned out amazing. It's not perfect, but I think it can be useful to more than a few people, so I want to share it.

🕹️ Built for playing together

You can freely choose which controller to use, and it's specifically designed for when you have more than one Minecraft instance running at once (like when several people are playing on the same PC): controllers never fight each other. You can set a default controller for each instance, and the mod will always give that instance priority when that specific controller connects.

🖥️ Splitscreen

When you're running two or more instances at once, this feature arranges the windows in several ways so they fit the screen better and sharing one machine feels more comfortable. You can turn it on from Global Settings.

🎥 Third-Person Camera

Inspired by Leawind/Third-Person, I built quite a bit on top of it:

Better mounting — a raft, a horse, or a mount from some other mod — the camera automatically switches from first to third person so you can actually see what you're riding. Adjustable in Global Settings.
Driving in third person actually feels good now — it used to be awkward, and I put specific work into making it enjoyable.
When you aim with a bow, the camera pulls in over the shoulder, like in a shooter, for better precision.
There's a ton of configurable options in Global Settings to tune it to your taste.

🎯 Aim Assist

This is one of my favorites. When you aim with a bow or crossbow, you feel that same aim assist you already know from other shooter-style games — the strength is adjustable, and it's implemented across every projectile weapon.

🔍 BetterZoom-style Zoom

Zoom marker/beacon.
Cinematic bars (adjustable under Controller Settings → Advanced).
You can zoom in or out while it's active, using whatever buttons you set up.
And plenty more — I invite you to explore the Controller Settings → Advanced section.

🎮 Hybrid Input System

I started this mod wanting to give full support to Steam Input, and honestly that turned out to be the most complicated part. If the mod gets enough community support, I'll pick that integration back up so it can feel 100% native on SteamOS.

In the meantime, you've got SDL3/GLFW as a solid foundation:

Chords (two-button combos) so you can map other mods' actions without running out of buttons.
Tap-and-hold system — many buttons can carry more than one action, depending on whether you tap or hold them.
And overall, a modern controller architecture built so playing feels natural and comfortable.

🎡 Radial Menu

This isn't just a hotbar radial — it's a menu built to open other mods' menus, trigger their actions, and even fire off quick chat commands. How many times have you wanted to /tp to a friend and doing it with a controller was a headache? With this radial, you can set up any kind of command you want.

Up to 6 wheels with 12 slots each.
Multiple visual styles (skins).
Switch between wheels with RB and LB.
I invite you to build it your own way — everyone plays differently.

(I also drew inspiration from velolib/radial for this system — credit to that project for the original idea.)

🧭 Item Radial

RB and LB normally just cycle through your hotbar. I figured we could do a lot more with those two buttons, so I built this alternative way to play (configurable in settings):

LB opens a wheel of categories: focus on, say, "blocks," and everything block-related in your inventory pops open for you to pick quickly, no need to open your inventory. Same goes for food, weapons, and so on.
RB opens the normal in-game hotbar.

💃 Emote System

I built in an emote system that other players running SteamPad can see in real time. It's compatible with Emotecraft's emotes, so on top of the 12 that come bundled in, you get access to a huge library the community has already made.

📳 Haptic Feedback — unlike anything else out there

I spent a huge amount of time on this one. You'll feel the vibration when you fight, when you break a block, when you mine, when there's a boss nearby... Near a Nether portal, or near a boss, the vibration builds the closer you get — same goes for weapons. The system is big enough that I'd rather you discover it yourself — even when you're drowning, you start feeling those heartbeat-like pulses warning you you're about to die.

There's a lot of love in this mod, and a lot of technical stuff I learned along the way that would take forever to explain here. Better to discover it by playing — that's why I think this is the best controller mod out there right now.

Right now my free time is limited because of work. If I see the mod gets community support, I'll make the effort to keep improving it and take everyone's feedback into account.

I'm already working on bringing SteamPad to NeoForge, and over time adding support for more Minecraft versions. No promises on timing — like I mentioned above, my free time is limited — but that's the road ahead.