Attention PC gamers: The controller of your dreams may be here soon.
Valve’s new Steam Controller will be launching soon, and early updates are out to give us an idea of what to expect. This is a fully customizable gamepad that is meant to work all of them (or at least all games) in your Steam library. It was originally revealed alongside the upcoming Steam Machine and the VR headset Valve is producing, but the controller comes first because, it didn’t fall victim to the global memory shortage like the console and the VR headset.
With all that being said, here’s how to get your hands on a Steam Controller, and what other critics are saying about it.
How to find a Steam controller
Credit: Valve
The process of finding a Steam Controller seems straightforward, although I can’t guarantee success when the time comes.
Orders open on May 4 at 1 pm ET, when they will be available for purchase through the official Valve Steam Controller store page. Will there be enough stock for everyone to get? Given that this isn’t down to a lack of RAM, it might be.
Steam Controller Review
As for what the critics have to say, almost all reviews of the supermarket are more positive than negative. That’s especially compared to the original Steam controller of 2015, which had two touchpads that replicated mice instead of analog sticks. It was…divisive, to say the least.
The new Steam controller has two traditional analog sticks, plenty of standard face and shoulder buttons, some optional back buttons for good measure, and two Steam Deck-like trackpads for any mouse input you might need.
Mashable Light Speed
Our friend Will Greenwald at PCMag says he hated the original Steam controller, but loves the way the new one feels in his hands.
“The new Steam Controller is very sturdy, comparable to the Xbox gamepad in heft and grip curve. It’s still clear, black plastic, but it’s made to be more secure and less slippery than its shiny predecessor,” Greenwald wrote. “The touchpads are smooth, crisp and very pleasant under the thumb, the triggers have a smooth tension that doesn’t feel distant, and the permanently attached rear buttons are nice and clicky. It feels better to hold with everything.”
While the Steam Controller is usually a game controller with some extra input, it has a separate charging puck that hits the bottom of the controller. You can plug a USB cable into the puck and connect it to your PC, allowing for easy charging while you play. Jessica Conditt of Engadget has been highly praised for this little addition, but she also noted that other types of connections work well, too.
“The puck goes into the belly of the controller to charge, and when you move the gamepad’s connection point over it, it jumps and clings like a cute little suckling fish. I don’t know if this behavior is an intentional selling point, but it certainly is for me,” wrote Conditt. “The Steam Controller also connects to devices via Bluetooth or cable, and all the settings are done without a problem for me.”
Credit: Valve
On top of that, everyone agreed that battery life is not an issue here. Valve promises more than 30 hours of battery life on a single charge, and with the charging puck, you don’t have to stop playing to power up.
In general, critics agree that playing games with a Steam controller is a quality experience, although it is important to note that not everyone liked that feature of the device in all cases. Many reviews have noted that the controller is only compatible with Steam games, so if you want to play Xbox Game Pass games with it, you’re out of luck. Additionally, some critics, such as IGN’s Bo Moore, noted that playing traditional mouse-controlled games with touchpads is not a good idea.
“Because of the test, I tried to play Crusader Kings 3 again We are against the storm with the Steam controller, neither of them have built-in controller support,” Moore wrote. “In both cases, the games were playablebut it’s not the most efficient or fun experience, and I’ve gotten frustrated after a few minutes, even when using one of Steam Deck’s built-in community profiles.”
Even with those certain limitations, it feels like the Steam Controller is the kind of gamepad of dreams for anyone with a large Steam library and a desire to play games on their couch on a regular basis.