I bought Valve's new Steam Controller with my own money for a solid week of PC gaming — and you only need to know about one genuine downside

I'd challenge you to find a PC gamer who doesn't know Valve and its contributions to the hobby, and I'm confident you'd struggle. While it has made the most significant splash on the software side with Steam, it has dabbled in hardware with the high successes of the Steam Deck and the subterranean missteps of its first Steam Controller.

Now, it's trying again, and gamers are lining up in droves for a chance to buy Valve's revised Steam Controller in 2026. That includes me, because I knew I was going to spend my own cash on this new attempt, based solely on its early images and descriptions. So, is it good, bad, or somewhere in between? Here's what I think of mine after a week's worth of gameplay.

Why you should trust me

Why you should trust me

Ben Wilson

I've been a PC gamer for most of my life, but couch gaming is irresistible. The Xbox consoles dominated that aspect for the longest time, but Valve could draw me, and my love for the desktop, back to its side.

How much does the Steam Controller cost?

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Valve's Steam Controller launched at $99 via Steam, and, so far, remains the same price. In the United Kingdom, that amounts to £85, including sales tax. At launch, the controller was available on a first-come, first-served basis until it sold out. Now, in May 2026, you'll need a Steam account to place a reservation before you have a chance to buy one.

Delivery times vary by region and the time of the order. I placed my Steam Controller order in the UK on May 4, when it became available, and it arrived from its European shipping source in the Netherlands after 6 working days. Valve's initial delivery estimate was 3–5 working days, increasing to 6–10 a few hours after its release.

Is the Steam Controller any good?

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My initial hands-on impressions of the Steam Controller were good, as it sits comfortably in my hands with a familiar weight of 0.64 lbs (292 g). I usually play with Microsoft's official Xbox controllers that were bundled with my Series X|S consoles, each weighing 0.63 lbs (287 g) with AA batteries or 0.52 lbs (240 g) without them if I'm using a permanently connected USB-C cable.

Despite the placement of the prominent touchpads, my palms don't accidentally graze them when I use the analog sticks or face buttons. It's admittedly something I was concerned about when I first saw this design in the Steam Controller's official reveal, so it's a relief to discover there's no issue for me here.

Otherwise, my middle and ring fingers naturally rest on the rear buttons, which feel better in this bended circular form than the rectangular equivalents on Valve's still-excellent Steam Deck handheld. The Steam Controller's d-pad is less "clicky" than that of an Xbox Series X|S controller, but there's still a firm response in its more muted pushes.

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The Steam Controller's face buttons all feel about the same as the Xbox controller that I'm used to, but they have a quieter response. That's a recurring theme throughout the unit, and only the rear buttons produce a distinct sound when used. Both shoulder bumpers offer slightly weaker resistance than on the Xbox side, but they're quiet and responsive enough.

It's a similar story with the triggers, which feel slightly shallower and less resistant than my Xbox controller, but not to the point where they seem lackluster or detrimental to gameplay. Even the analog sticks follow this pattern, pushed around with marginally less resistance but offset with smoother movement, no doubt helped by the drift-proof TMR technology underneath.

Matte plastic coats the Steam Controller with a consistent pattern, which feels familiar (again) to the Xbox joypad's front side. However, Microsoft arguably takes the lead with the rougher finish on the rear of its modern first-party controller. It's only my pinky fingers that rest against these bare sections, but it's a noticeable difference.

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The standout feature for the Steam Controller is the "puck", which serves dual responsibilities as a wireless receiver and charging station for the joypad. It's detachable from the 5 ft (1.5 m) USB-C cable that Valve includes in the box, meaning I could leave it attached to my PC and have it act as a wired controller if I wanted to (but I never do).

Updating the firmware via the Steam desktop app for both parts of the controller is as straightforward as it gets, and the Steam button itself takes me into "Big Picture Mode" from there. If you've ever used SteamOS before, whether on a Steam Deck or an alternative like Lenovo's Legion Go S, this mode will be instantly familiar and won't require a learning curve.

Games launched from Steam generally activate the app's overlay, accessible again with the Steam button. From here, I can tweak the controller's button bindings, download community-made layouts, or adjust the sensitivity of functions like the built-in gyro for motion-controlled aiming. The trackpads also respond to touch with haptic feedback, and I find myself using them quite often.

Does the Steam Controller have any issues?

The majority of the Steam Controller's genuine downsides are found in the software experience, rather than its hardware. Screw holes on the rear side are quite prevalent, and while they aren't usually visible, my middle fingers regularly brush against a pair mounted on its grips. I wouldn't describe it as uncomfortable, but it's a perceptible difference from my Xbox controller.

For software, this controller relies heavily on the Steam app and Valve's "Steam Input" feature within, which handles button mapping for each of my games. If I stick to launching modern titles from my Steam library, the experience is practically perfect. However, games that rely on older graphics APIs can cause issues with the Steam overlay, leading to controller detection issues.

Using the Steam Controller with non-Steam games is possible, as my experiment with importing Dying Light from the Epic Games Store proves. Unfortunately, it's far from a straightforward process, and the necessary tinkering with launch options and launcher manipulation will likely turn off some PC gamers who want a more "console-like" experience with this joypad.

The obnoxious elephant in the room is that titles from the Xbox app will not work with the Steam Controller on Windows without third-party software. There's some nuance to the issue, and progression in the SDL library hints at future improvements. For now, though, entries like Forza Horizon 6 from PC Game Pass are not compatible.

Should you buy the Steam Controller?

You should buy this if ...

✅ You play most of your games on Steam

✅ You're willing to tinker with button layouts

You should not buy this if ...

❌ You want to play Game Pass titles on Xbox PC

For each accusation I've seen about Valve creating a "walled garden" in the PC gaming community with the Steam Controller, there are counterpoints to most of them. It's a feature-rich joypad that justifies its price point, with the charging puck being both a genuine convenience and a unique quirk. The only complaint I can't refute is the lack of compatibility with the Xbox PC app and UWP apps provided by Game Pass.

SDL library support is helping, and the emulators I've used recently are working perfectly with this controller. Whether that triggers a change from Valve to fully support its new joypad on Windows without requiring the Steam desktop app is up for debate, but I'd argue that the Steam Deck's evolution suggests it could happen. If you're lucky enough to see one in stock, it's worth buying.