LiveLM

It does work as a mouse by default. Valve calls it "Lizard Mode", and you use the touchpad to move the cursor and the triggers to click.
But yeah I do agree they should have made standard buttons and sticks act as XInput and the touchpad as the mouse by default.

~~that being said, I fucking hate microsoft for stifling controller innovation with their antiquated ass xinput so i when i see a controller not support it i have to force myself to not think "god bless"~~

Correct. On top of that, the 8BitDo acts as a bog standard Xinput device without the need for Steam, so if you're not a touchpad user there's really no reason to get the Steam Controller over the 8BitDo.

I still don't get the controversy.

Are you an avid Touchpad user on the Deck or on the OG Steam Controller? Buy this.
Do you just want a controller for your PC? Buy an Xbox, PS or Third party.

Absolutely this. I watch my coworkers allow AI to access their entire prod Supabase DB via MCP and I just... let them. Not my data anyway and they won't listen to me 🤷

Lmao they ruined YouTube search already. There's little left to worsen.

Glowieverse

It should also be noted that there are apps similar to Revanced and NewPipe on the iPhone.
They're not easy to install but they do exist, so you can't claim no developer is putting the effort to make it happen either

Look everybody, it's the Rabbit R1/Humane AI Pin in phone form!

It does, I use it exclusively with the 2.4g dongle on Linux.
You do unfortunately need the proprietary software for the initial firmware update (it works in a VM), but afterwards all you need is to ensure your distro has the proper Udev rules installed and to hold B when booting the controller.

Note that if you're only after Gyro and Back buttons, 8BitDo's Ultimate 2 Wireless also has these features, and they work fully with Steam after a firmware update.

If you're looking for dual touchpads then yeah, Valve tax.

The Ultimate 2 Gyro works on PC too, at least on the Wireless version.
Update the dongle and controller firmware via the 8BitDo App then hold the B button when turning on the controller. Steam can make use of the Gyro and extra buttons directly.

Funny enough, my shitbox HP Inkjet is actually faster to install on Linux and Gnome Scan is way better than any proprietary scanning software I've used