Valve’s New Steam Controller, Coming May 4, Could Be My Favorite Controller, Period

Guess what? A valve Steam Frame and Steam Machine they still aren’t here, and no price is known for them either. But another piece of Steam hardware is coming soon. The new Steam controller is coming on May 4 for $99, and I’ve been living with one at home for a few weeks now. I bet it will make your Steam game a lot better. Especially if you plan to connect your Steam Deck to a TV.

In fact, that’s exactly how I’ve been using the Steam Controller up until now. The Steam Deck OLED is connected to the Steam Dock, which is connected to my living room TV, and I’m sitting on my couch playing my games like I do on the Nintendo Switch. And I love it.

You can pair other controllers to Steam Decks, or your PC, or anywhere else that runs Steam games. But I still like what the Steam Controller delivers for its price, and I just love the way it feels and performs so far. Granted, I’m testing it with the Steam Deck beta software in pre-release mode, but still, I have no complaints.

Watch this: Valve’s Steam Controller Gets Major Design Changes

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The Steam Controller is a simple proposition: It’s basically a repurposed version of the Steam Deck controllers in the form of a wireless controller.

That means two analog sticks and a crosspad and button and analog trigger layout like on most other controllers, but there are also two dynamic touchpads on the bottom part of the controller. On the back are two sets of capacitive touch-enabled paddle buttons. And the controller also has gyro controls if you want them, which tilt to aim and pinpoint the games it supports.

I played with the Steam Controller last year at Valve’s headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, and shared his feelings at the time. I think I like it even more at home. It’s not an amazing device, but it’s comfortable and reliable. And I recommend that even if I don’t use those trackpads often, they don’t interfere with the comfort control of anything else I do.

I think it feels even better than the Steam Deck controls. The vibration haptics are amazing, ranging from firm to surprisingly subtle (the visible click of the trackpad is a haptic, too). The controller feels compact but not too heavy, a little heavier than an Xbox controller, but something I find I like to hold.

Wireless puck brilliance

I like the controller’s solution for dedicated wireless fidelity: A small puck included in the box attaches to a USB-C-to-A cable that connects to the Steam Dock. This puck doubles as a wireless charger for the controller, snapping into the back and out easily.

The puck has its own dedicated wireless channel. You can also pair over Bluetooth, but I found the puck’s response time to be very fast. Playing Sektori, an intense indie shooter that I’m completely addicted to right now, the Steam Controller felt like holding a Steam Deck right in my hands when connected to the TV.

Four controllers can be connected to one puck at the same time, although each controller comes with a puck in the box. A nice touch, though, is to keep clutter to a minimum for multiplayer couch games.

Is it worth it? Yes

If I wanted to extend my Steam Deck to the TV, the Steam Controller would be an important part of the picture. For some Steam players, I think it’s worth it (but I haven’t tested it for wider PC games). I like the idea of ​​it, and to me, it gives the Steam Deck a real living room feel, where it felt awkward before. That said, I’m still not crazy about the $79 separately sold Steam Dock you’ll need to make this TV setup work, but you can buy other, cheaper port extenders that do the trick, too.

Now, where are Steam Frame and Steam Machine, Valve’s promised VR headset and TV-shaped gaming systems expected this year? According to Valve’s software/UI designer Lawrence Yang and electrical engineer Jeff Mucha, who I spoke with last week, both are targeted to arrive this year. Yang agreed the RAMpocalypse as a big part of why the hardware is delayed, and no price has been set yet. That’s why Valve decided to just release the controller first, without those new devices.

And that makes a lot of sense. The Steam Controller will be the cheapest part of Valve’s new hardware lineup, and it already makes the Steam Deck (or other SteamOS-ready PC handhelds or PCs) feel like a mini Steam Machine, too. Alas, Steam Deck currently sold at Valvewhich hopefully will change soon. I already feel like the Controller breathes more life into my home Steam Deck use, and now I’m clearing more space on the dresser next to it Switch 2. If only the Switch 2 Pro controller was this good.