I didn’t know exactly where to put this because the Wolverine-app isn’t exactly Synapse, but it’s something of a Synapse-derivative, so I’ll just put it here.
So I’ve been using the Wolverine TE since 2020 and it’s kept working for me for probably hundreds of hours. It’s a solid device. - However, from the start I was conflicted about it having its own app that you need to download/install from the Microsoft/Windows Store for some reason. But I accept it because it’s just the way it is and I’ve never seen Razer bother to change much when it comes to stuff like this, so I didn’t bother to make any noise about it either.
At the start of this year, however, I moved to a Linux-distribution, and now it’s a problem, and one of the very few at that. - While I was lucky that for the Tartarus-keypad I use there’s alternative software that works… not the same, but well enough to be able to use it, and also “lucky” that at least the Wolverine stores and uses the last-used profile, there’s no alternative software for it and thus no way to re-program this device that I own just because I’m on a different OS.
Because to do that, you need to use Windows 10, the Microsoft Store, as well as log in with a Microsoft-account. So those are three hurdles to overcome just to be able to program a piece of hardware. - And even if I set up another computer for it, or tried to do it in something like a virtual box (if that even allows for logging into Microsoft), it would still be a major hassle just for that.
I know, “Linux is niche”, even though it’s increasingly less so. But I wouldn’t be using it as a fairly average computer-user if it wasn’t viable. - Razer markets itself as being all about “the ultimate for gamers”, but then it locks certain things to Windows or Xbox. I know that the Wolverine is basically an Xbox-controller and that the app is part of the Xbox-ecosystem. But why only support it under Windows? Just because Xbox belongs to Microsoft?
I think it would do Razer (and its paying customers) good to be more open and support as many platforms as possible. - Just take a look at 8BitDo for example. Sure, even their programming-software doesn’t have Linux-support yet (while it does have support for macOS, actually), but they do make sure that their hardware works on Linux by default (and I’m quite sure the Wolverine only functions on Linux because of Steam). And if a 10 year old company that’s not that huge can do it, then why can’t a massive 25 year old company like Razer do it?
The best case would be for this software (both the Wolverine-app and Synapse, if not combined) to be more open and create support for as many platforms as possible, which would increase the market and good will, as well as make Linux-distros even more viable. - Unless there is some kind of contract with Microsoft, I don’t understand what is keeping Razer from better support but just not wanting to invest.
It wouldn’t be as much of a problem for the controllers if it didn’t have the extra buttons, because those can only be remapped through official software, and they’re not seen as individual inputs by other software like what’s in Steam. And even if they were, Steam’s controller-options, while vast, doesn’t even have all the same functions. - Considering this is about a gamepad and the ability to change the functions of its buttons, it’s completely asinine.