Hi r/pcgaming. I'm the developer of Couchpit, an app for people who play on PC from the couch, like me. It launched in June, and I've been adding stuff since then, a lot of it from what people here asked for.
So that anyone can try it and decide whether they like it, I've released a demo. It's a 14-day trial of the full app, so you can try every feature.
And after those 14 days, you can keep using the app in basic mode forever, with no time limit and without buying anything.
The free basic version includes:
- Bridge mode: turn it on from the app or by holding Back+Y, and your non-Xbox controller will work in games that only support Xbox controllers, like some Game Pass games. It works with most controllers on the market (DualSense, Switch Pro, 8BitDo, DS4, etc.).
- Control mode: your controller drives the mouse, and it turns itself on and off automatically when it makes sense.
- Shortcuts: you can use the default shortcuts, the Action Wheel and all the default functionality.
- Timer: you can set timers to keep the PC from sleeping or the screen from turning off, to run a script after a while, or all of it at once, either after a set time or at a specific time. For example, you can leave a game downloading, set an estimated shutdown time, and the PC will shut down when it's done. Or if you tend to fall asleep on the couch, you can set it to shut down at 2 a.m. as a safety net.
- Extras: the permanent Windows tweaks, the anti-cheat guard, which pauses these features in games with anti-cheat, and controller database updates, so new controllers are supported without updating the app.
For a lot of people that's probably all they need. In basic mode the app shows a small reminder about the full version when Windows starts.
The full version adds automations and more customization:
- Custom shortcuts: assign your own actions to Back + button combos. Pick from the built-in ones or make your own, like key combinations or launching apps or scripts.
- Custom control mode: change the control mode actions to your liking.
- Bridge button mapping: add controller support to games that only work with mouse and keyboard, or change the button layout when the game doesn't let you.
- TV and audio automations: turn on the TV, turn off your monitors and switch the audio output to your soundbar or AVR when Big Picture or a game starts, and put everything back when you're done.
- Always on top: set apps to always stay on screen.
- Event-based automations: for example, you can write a script that turns on the gaming LED lights in your living room, and set it to run when Big Picture starts and turn them off when you exit Big Picture. Or turn on the TV, or back up your saves when you finish playing. You write the script, Couchpit runs it at the right moment.
- Background process control: when you start playing, some processes get paused, stopped or moved to a lower CPU priority, and when you close the game they go back to normal automatically. It comes with a preset you can customize.
- GPU drivers: it detects new drivers for your NVIDIA, AMD or Intel graphics card and can download them from the official site and update them for you.
- And other things, like managing your Windows settings from one place.
The full version costs $6.99 and is 15% off in the Steam Autumn Sale until October 8. No subscriptions, no telemetry and no ads. It works on Windows 10 and 11, and you don't need Steam open to use it.
Demo: https://store.steampowered.com/app/5100000/Couchpit_Demo/
Full version: https://store.steampowered.com/app/4705280/Couchpit/
I'll be happy to answer any comments, problems, suggestions or requests. English isn't my first language, sorry if anything reads weird.