Valve's Steam Controller Is Back. Worth the $100?
The Steam Controller is back. Over a decade after the original dropped in 2015, Valve is shipping a new one on May 4 for $100. I put it through a bunch of games and here's what actually matters.
What You're Getting
If you used the 2015 Steam Controller, forget that thing. This is different. Valve took the Steam Deck's controls and put them in a standalone controller. Analog sticks, face buttons, triggers, bumpers. Nearly identical to the Deck. If you've held a Steam Deck, you've basically already held this.
The interesting part is the four hidden back buttons in the grips. Four. They're not shouting "pro controller" at you from the outside, but they're there. Remapping those to whatever you need changes how a lot of games feel.
The Charging Setup
USB-C at the top. Fine. What's actually clever is the charging puck. Magnetic connection, built to prevent overcharging, and the puck isn't hardwired to its cable. That last bit sounds minor until you've trashed a cable at the connection point and had to replace the whole dock. Good call from Valve.
Compatibility Is PC Only. Not Kind Of. Actually PC Only.
This is the thing to understand before you buy. The Steam Controller works on PC. Bluetooth mode, Steam installed, you're done. It handles non-Steam games too as long as you run them through Steam.
Plug it into a PS5 and you can navigate the main menu. That's it. Xbox and Switch support doesn't exist. Valve built this for their ecosystem and they're not hiding it.
Console-first player who wants one controller for everything? Not this. PC and Steam is your whole setup? Different conversation.
The Steam Machine Bundle
Valve is including the Steam Controller with the Steam Machine. So if you're getting a Steam Machine anyway, you're already getting one. The $100 standalone buy is for people who want it as a PC peripheral without that hardware.
Games I Tested It With
Grand Theft Auto V, Fallout 76, Portal 2, Borderlands 4, Vampire Crawlers, Windrose, Jurassic World Evolution 3, Civilization, Two-Point Museum. Decent spread. The Steam Deck DNA shows across all of them. If you're comfortable with how Deck controls feel, this is immediately familiar. No adjustment period.
The Short Version
$100 is fair. You get Steam Deck controls in a standalone form, four back buttons, and a charging puck that's actually well thought out. The PC/Steam lock-in is real but Valve isn't pretending it's something else.
If PC gaming is your world and you're already in the Steam ecosystem, this is a solid peripheral. If you need something that crosses platforms, look elsewhere. Valve made something specific and made it well. Whether it fits depends entirely on your setup.
Source: Kotaku