Summary
STALKER 2: Heart of Chornobylwill receive controller stick deadzone settings, GSC Game World has confirmed. The absence of this feature in the day-one version ofSTALKER 2has hindered some players from fully enjoying the immersive sim with a controller.
Stick drift, a phenomenon when a gamepad’s analog stick sends a signal to move even when the player isn’t touching it, isamong modern gaming’s biggest annoyances. One of the most common ways the industry has been dealing with this issue involves granular deadzone settings, which let users set the stick radius within which all input is ignored. However, such solutions are typically not system-wide and depend on developers to implement them on a per-game basis.
Shortly afterSTALKER 2was releasedon November 20, some controller users were left unpleasantly surprised by the fact that the immersive sim not only didn’t have any deadzone settings, but also featured no default deadzone offset—something that modern games often do. These omissions made it difficult for some fans to enjoySTALKER 2, especially since the absence of a default deadzone offset caused problems even for players whose gamepads exhibit minimal stick drift. GSC Game World confirmed it’s working on remedying the situation in a November 21 message posted on the officialSTALKER 2Discord server. A company official laterreiteratedthis information on Reddit.
There’s Currently No Time Frame for STALKER 2’s Controller Deadzone Settings
The Ukrainian developer has yet to commit to a specific time frame for this feature. Controller deadzone settings will presumably be added to both the PC andXbox versions ofSTALKER 2. In the meantime, console owners who have access to some PC peripherals should bear in mind that the game can be played on both the Xbox Series X and Series S with a mouse and keyboard.
The absence of a default stick deadzone offset and related settings isn’t the only issue that some fans have identified with the game’s controls. PC players have also criticized the waySTALKER 2handles quick access consumable slots, which are restricted to just two keys that can both be pressed and held in order to use up to four different items. According to their grievances, enforcing this controller-inspired system on mouse and keyboard users is unnecessary, especially when the F1–F4 function keys could easily serve the same purpose, like they did in the first threeSTALKERgames.
Technical issues aside,STALKER 2had a promising launch, peaking at over 110,000 concurrent players on Steam alone within hours of going live. Since it was a mid-week release, the immersive sim is likely to further improve on its concurrent player record over the weekend of November 23.
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl
WHERE TO PLAY
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl is a sequel to the award-winning game franchise developed by GSC Game World. Experience one-of-a-kind gameplay, featuring the elements of a first-person shooter, immersive sim, and horror. The Chornobyl Exclusion Zone is a unique, dangerous and ever-changing environment. It promises a lot — the artifacts of unbelievable value can be yours if you dare to claim them. The price you may pay, on the other hand, is no less than your own life. One of the biggest open-worlds to date, filled with radiation, mutants and anomalies, is yours to explore. All the choices across the way not only define your own epic story, but influence the future itself. Be mindful about what you see, do and plan, as you will have to find your way through the Zone or be forever lost to it.
