Steam Controller Review: Valve’s Updated Gamepad Is My Favorite

Benefits

• Excellent response time

• Comfortable layout

• Excellent haptics

• Controls correspond to Steam Deck options

• Included wireless transmitter doubles as a charging puck

Disadvantages

• Could be cheaper

• No headphone jack

• Does not work with Nintendo Switch, Xbox or PlayStation

Editor’s note: The Valve Steam Controller’s excellent feel and generous set of control options, along with its Steam-compatible layout mirroring the Steam Deck controller mappings, make it one of our favorite controller experiences in years. For this, he won the CNET Editors’ Choice award. Our full review is below.

Guess what? The valves Steam frame and steam engine are still not there, and their price is still not known either. But another piece of Steam hardware is there instead, and it’s even more convenient. The new $99 Steam Controller is available now and I’ve been living with one at home for a few weeks now. I bet this will make your Steam gaming a lot more enjoyable, 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 so far. I examined it using with a OLED Steam Bridge plugged into a Steam Dock, connected to my living room TV, with me sitting on my couch playing my games like I do on the Nintendo Switch. And I love it. But it’s also a general or custom Blueooth wireless controller that also works with other PCs, Macs, or even Linux computers.

You can pair other controllers with Steam Decks, your PC, or anywhere else running Steam games. But I still like what the Steam Controller brings for its price, and I love how it feels and performs so far. Granted, I’m testing it with the Steam Deck beta software in preview mode, but despite that, 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 the entire control layout of the Steam Deck transplanted into the form of a wireless controller.

That means two analog sticks and familiar crosspad, button, and analog trigger layouts like on most other controllers, but there are also two generous capacitive touchpads on the bottom half of the controller. On the back are two sets of clickable capacitive touch paddle buttons. And the controller also has gyroscopic controls if you want, tilting for aiming and pointing in games that support it.

I played with the Steam Controller last year at Valve headquarters in Bellevue, Washington, and I enjoyed the atmosphere there. I think I like it even more at home. It’s not a surprising device, but it is remarkably comfortable and reliable. And I admire that even though I don’t use these trackpads often, they don’t interfere with the comfort of the controller for everything I do.

I think it’s even better than the Steam Deck controls. The haptic vibrations are wonderful, ranging from strong to incredibly subtle (virtual trackpad clicks are also haptic). The controller feels dense but not too heavy, a bit heavier than an Xbox controller, but something I enjoy holding in my hands.

The shine of the cordless washer

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

The puck has its own dedicated wireless channel. You can also just pair via Bluetooth, but I found the puck’s response time to be noticeably faster. Playing Sectora notoriously intense indie shooter that I’m completely addicted to now, the Steam Controller felt as good as holding the Steam Deck directly in my hands when connected to a TV.

Four controllers can connect to a puck at the same time, although each controller also comes with a puck in the box. It’s a good idea to keep the clutter to a minimum for couch multiplayer gaming, though.

It’s worth it? Yeah

If I wanted to extend my Steam Deck to a TV, the Steam Controller would absolutely be an essential part of the picture. For other Steam gamers, I think it’s also worth it (but I haven’t tested it for broader PC games yet). I just appreciate the proposition, and for me it finally gives the Steam Deck a real living room-friendly console feel where it felt a little clunkier before. That said, I’m still not crazy about the separately sold $79 Steam Dock you’d need to run this TV setup, but you can buy other cheaper dock-style port extenders that also do the trick.

Now where are the Steam Frame and the Steam Machine, the VR headset promised by Valve and the TV console-shaped gaming systems expected this year? According to Valve’s software/UI designer Lawrence Yang and electrical engineer Jeff Mucha, who I spoke with during my review, they’re both on track to arrive this year. Yang recognizes the RAMpocalypse This is one of the main reasons why the hardware has been delayed, and no price has been set yet. That’s why Valve decided to release the controller first, apart from these 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 handhelds or PCs) feel more like mini Steam Machines. Alas, the Steam Deck is currently out of stock at Valvewhich will hopefully change soon. I already feel like the controller breathes more life into my home use of the Steam Deck, and now I’m freeing up more space for it on the mantle next to the Switch 2. If only the Switch 2 Pro controller was as good as this one.