The Steam Controller is a reprieve for PC gamers—and a warning flare

I didn’t pay much attention to the revamped Steam Controller after it was announced last November. But maybe I should have.

I was hoping it would be an alternative to my Azeron Cyborg controller, which I love but refuse to travel with. (Replacing broken parts or an entirely broken controller would be extremely expensive with US tariffs still in effect.) At half the price of the Azeron and built to withstand more abuse, the Steam Controller seemed perfect for throwing in my luggage with a gaming laptop.

But with the delay of the Steam Machine and Valve’s generally calm stance about its line of Steam gear, the controller has fallen to the back of my mind. I didn’t think much about it. I went on vacation.

And then the launch date and the actual launch kicked in while my connectivity was limited. (RIP.)

My colleague Mike Crider can rest assured that I will not buy one from a scalper. But now I’m starting to wonder: what’s next?

I’m not too worried about getting my hands on a Steam controller. It will happen at some point. If it’s months away, I can stand the wait. But I wonder if availability will be difficult for more and more products like this – new, relatively affordable and previously easy to get.

The Full Nerd team ended up tackling this topic in our group chat, with Adam, Brad, Mike, and Will thinking about what PC enthusiasts can still put attention and money into. For example, monitors were on the list. And to prove this point, every time Mike or Brad mentions a new OLED panel deal, I feel my will dissolve a little more. (This morning, Mike spotted an LG ultrawide OLED, and I was repeatedly reminded that my current ultrawide is already awesome.)

Matthew Smith / Foundry

But monitors aren’t something people buy often. I bought my ultrawide during the pandemic, and even at four years old, it feels fresh and new. Most other people think this way too. I don’t anticipate having to struggle to find a replacement in five to six years, when I would more seriously consider a replacement. (And no, universe, I’m not asking for an apocalyptic event in technology to test this belief.)

Meanwhile, the Steam controller feels like both a reprieve and a warning. Something fresh and bright for enthusiasts, that’s for sure. But also a possible harbinger of a future where people rush to order quickly, lest they have to wait months for the next batch to appear.

I don’t like this vision of what could happen. I also don’t like the idea of ​​having to aggressively monitor every scrap of news or information about upcoming products that interest me, for fear of missing the narrow window of availability.

That said, maybe the Steam Controller is simply a reminder that I could just relax. Like I did on my vacation.

In this episode of The Full Nerd

In this episode of The Full Nerd, Adam Patrick Murray, Mike Crider, and Will Smith discuss testing Microsoft’s Auto SR on Xbox Ally X, Xbox Mode on Windows 11 PCs, and the launch of the Steam Controller. Will mysteriously disappears during the conversation with Steam Controller, making me wonder what secrets he’s hiding.

(I can’t be the only one thinking about this.)

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This week’s surprising nerd news

My newsfeeds had a few surprises when I returned – mostly oddities, like a standalone TrackPoint device, but also a terrifying reminder that the amoeba has survived more than 400 million years for a reason.

(Whether this makes them metallic, I can’t say. I’m too busy thinking about all the times I’ve rinsed my wounds with tap water.)

Ploopy

• “An uninspiring TrackPoint mouse”: harsh words, but that’s probably the most favorable description my colleague Mark Hachman has given the Ploopy Bean. (The others, I dare not mention them here.)

• I could have used this: Given how many times I got blank stares while trying to say “Habla inglés?” »… Google Translate’s pronunciation help could have helped me survive better in Spain. (Social shame is a powerful motivator, one that outweighs my distrust of AI-based tools.)

• Not cool, Chrome: Google’s popular browser has downloaded a 4GB AI model, to enable on-device processing. The problem ? No one knew about it until That Privacy Guy’s Alexander Hanff made it public.

• No thanks: Reddit blocked Ars Technica’s deputy editor from using its mobile website. I side with the commenters: I refuse to use the app, so limiting my use to a desktop computer is a favor to me and my free time…not a punishment.

• RIP, Jeeves: Another pillar of the early Internet is officially dead. I’ve always been an Alta Vista girl myself, but I still bowed my head in respect when I heard the news.

Adam Patrick Murray / Foundry

• Still cooking: my colleague Mike tried out Microsoft’s answer to DLSS on an Asus ROG Xbox Ally X. His opinion? Not ready for prime time yet.

• This would end badly: Turtle Beach’s $160 touchscreen mouse wouldn’t work to my advantage. Plus, I’ve already antagonized my teammates by making accidental stupid plays, all without spending a dime.

• Always fun: Promo video or not, this human-sized PC is an entertaining concept. Mainly because I don’t need to be near temperatures approaching 38 degrees Celsius.

• No, no, no: humanity’s most fundamental technology is fire. Apply it regularly to water, especially if you use tap water to rinse your nose. (Why? Just two words for you: “Single Cell Terror.”) Boiled water for victory.

• Survivor: Who would have thought that Windows’ Win32 API would continue to make its way for three decades? Not Microsoft, it seems.

Last week I got closer to converting kilos to pounds in my head. At least I know what 8 pounds feels like now. (I carried that many Haribo candies on my back while traveling through Europe.) Honestly, I’m not mad at the idea of ​​losing 9 pounds as unintentional exercise.

See you next week!

Alaina

This bulletin is dedicated to the memory of Gordon Mah Ungfounder and host of The Full Nerd, and Hardware Editor at PCWorld.