At this point, the controller is the most exciting thing for me.
Steam machine is cool, but with how good handheld PCs already are, I'd be ok spending a bit more and just using those instead and docking it for TV gaming.
Steam Controller was significantly better than Xbox controllers for some kinds of games, but it was much clunkier for others. Steam Deck's controller is an improvement over either of them, and this new Steam Controller appears to be pretty much Deck's controller without the Deck, with some tiny extras added.
The Steam Controller is amazing for first person games. I set the right pad to quick mouse movement with some inertia and the gyro to precise mouse movement, and it feels so natural and pleasant to use.
I have six of the previous generation controller and I love them, only minor annoyance is pairing them occasionally. I don't really use the haptics part all that much though
idk about that - integrated buttons, battery, screen, size constraints and the R&D work that goes into all of that is probably significant compared to 'box with hardware and usb ports' (oversimplifying to make a point here though - of course lots of design work went into this as well).
As someone who bought the original Steam Controller, I'm very excited it's finally getting a successor, especially since it supports Bluetooth. It is always annoying having to move my USB dongle between my desktop and my Steam Link whenever I want to change where I am playing from.
Nice to see a symmetric controller for PC. As someone whose hands are mirror opposites of each other (they put my second left hand on backwards) I really appreciate such controllers.
I have two left hands but the one on my right arm is backwards, making them mirror opposites of each other. Because of that I prefer symmetric controllers.
They have two normal hands which are (as all normal hands are) mirror opposites.
The point being that a symmetric controller design makes sense for people with symmetrical hands. (And that asymmetric controllers do not (which is correct))
lol, ok - so they're being cheeky and describing having two normal hands in a strange way to uh emphasize the symmetry? Confusing but kinda funny if that is indeed what was being expressed.
When I point my thumbs to the left the palm of my left left hand is facing up, but my right left hand is backward and when I point the thumb to the left the palm faces down. It's very inconvenient, really, not only do I have two left hands, one of them is backwards. It's a wonder I can even type.
Really? I'd assumed it was just a commercial failure because Valve tried to replace an analog stick with a trackpad that performs worse in almost every way.
Pretty much everyone I know bought one, tried it for a while, and determined that the trackpad simply did not work well enough. It's a really cool device and I've been trying for years to actually use it. It's great hardware, but the ergonomics and UX is really just not good.
I’m hoping the controller is popular as it will encourage pc indie developers to make console friendly user interfaces and make games work with the deck.
Excited for deck 2.0 in a few years too, maybe 2027/8.
I have the original Steam Controller. It's OK, and a nice alternative even for general usage to move the mouse cursor, etc.
I also have a GameSir Cyclone 2 controller. Works great for Steam, Epic/Heroic, and works well for Switch (though the button layout was "incorrect" but perhaps it can be changed)
Personally, I prefer the Cyclone/X-box style controllers better. Well, Xbox does not own that style but, in my opinion, they helped to perfect it.
(I guess it was Game Cube the started that style officially)
Never liked the Playstation controller where the analog sticks were at the bottom. However, this new Steam one might be OK as the sticks are higher up.
2. Headphone jack. When I'm trying to not wake the kids, this would be nice.
3. Dedicated Volume Buttons.
4. A quick way to make it act like a Roku Remote. This would prevent me from needing yet-another-controller.
5. A beep speaker just for "find my controllers". (Similarly, a dedicated "find my controllers" button on the Steam Machine.)
6. I hope the Indicator LED can turn different colors, to make it easier to figure out which controller matches which player...
7. I'd love an e-ink one-line display on it. By default, when it's not playing, have it show a string I set - "Property of VikingCoder" for instance. When it is ready to play, it could show "Controller 1". In some multi-player games, it could be a cool way to send secret messages to only one player.
8. A tiny front-facing camera for QR code / barcode scanning.
9. Maybe an NFC reader, or RFID reader.
10. The e-ink display could also help me choose which device I want it paired with. Steam Machine. Steam Frame. My phone. The Roku.
Sony dualshocks haptics are exposed as sound devices on linux. Soundwaves are vibrations after all, give enough precision to haptics and they can function as speakers.
I have to say, I am nearly as hyped about this controller as I am about the frame. I can hook up my gaming PC to my living room TV to play on the couch and a decent controller is all I was missing. I always thought a steamdeck just as a controller would be great, especially the touch pads. I hope the latency feels great over wireless, but I don't mind the USB-C connection if needed.
Valve really did great here with providing all three connection options (BT, dedicated wireless, USB-C).
Yepp, saw that number and I am very hopeful about it. But numbers are not everything and can be gamed (heh), the "feel" during gameplay is most important. I hope to try it out "early 2026" :).
I get very annoyed by the atrocious audio delay of Bluetooth, so I'll keep my long USB cable ready.
P.S. I am aware of USB also not being zero latency, but it is the lower bound, the dongle is USB as well.
Typical Bluetooth latency (in my experience as a HW dev) is 9.5ms. I'm pretty skeptical of 8ms for a proprietary protocol, but in an optimistic sense. I would be shocked if the latency is that high for a custom protocol.
Raw 802.11 with no IP stack can get below 5ms IIRC
The one thing I wish it has is 3.5mm audio jack. Both Xbox and SONY's dualsense controller have this. But SONY don't support audio via Bluetooth. The Xbox one need a USB adapter but its build is not as good as SONY's. SONY don't have a USB adapter. Given Steam controller is already using an USB puck, it should be able to support it.
Perhaps the most astonishing thing to me is seeing a company as big as Valve try making some hardware (steam machine, controllers, the weird steam box streaming thing), watch them fail spectacularly, and then listen to feedback while they bravely work on a new conception of the hardware.
Valve heard everyone hating on the og controller and seem to have fixed it. Same for the steam machine. I'm less certain about the headset, but if anyone has the hutzpah to make VR happen, my money is on Valve.
Valve added a second joystick to the controller. That's utter insanity in today's market. The expected play is to find a way to force consumers to buy the single stick, and a subscription, somehow. Or gaslight everyone into thinking single stick is somehow better, actually.
It's just crazy to me to see a big company acting with rationality, sense, and forethought
The OG Steam Controller didn't really fail though. Valve stopped production and sold the remaining stock because of a patent lawsuit over the rear paddles. With more time on market it probably would have grown and evolved.
I still have the og steam controller, three of them in fact. They still work but I lost the dongle and rely on Bluetooth. It was an experience.
Definitely won't consider buying a controller from them again. The Xbox controller is perfect. Simple and good enough to use.
Similar yet opposite experience here. I had 3 Steam controllers, 2 of them started having issues after a few months. However, I really enjoyed them for certain games, and even played through most of the Dark Souls franchise with them. Definitely excited for the next generation of them and personally will be preordering one as soon as I can.
It's a regression from the original in all the same ways that the Deck is, and it has less to offer over and above what conventional controllers like the DualSense do.
I'm willing to give it a try, but the smaller and less central trackpads compromise the only use cases that make it distinctive as a controller. (Same for the lack of dual-stage triggers.)
If I want to use analog sticks, I already have a ton of controllers with two analog sticks, some of which are generally excellent and have various advantages over the new Steam Controller.
There are some things that only a Steam Controller has ever made possible (e.g., dual trackpad movement), and others that only a Steam Controller has ever done as well (e.g., programmable dual-stage analog triggers, back paddles you can hit from basically anywhere). In the new design, each of them is either removed altogether or compromised and largely reduced to an ancillary role.
Agreed. What this rebirth really needed was magnetic swappable input modules. We have IPD adjustments in our headsets, why not fine tuned button positions. Or trackpads. Or trackballs, whatever folks wanna build. An input hacker paradise platform.
Or a system of rails like the Switch. Or even, tbh, just more than one controller design. An option that forgoes analog sticks altogether and is designed that way from the start could also place buttons differently, have a different grip design, etc., in ways that could be nice.
According to LTT the VR controllers have two stage triggers. Is the controller confirmed to not have them? Would be odd. PS5's triggers are the most advanced though, would be cool to have those. I'll reserve judgement on the new trackpad location until I try it. Though personally I was never a fan of the trackpads on the original or indeed any controller with trackpads.
The old one used Bluetooth if you upgraded it during the transition period or you have a Windows box.
I had to borrow a friend's computer to get mine to run in BT mode because I gave up using the Steam Link fairly early and didn't use the controller again until I bought a Deck, by which point the grace period where a system update fixed it had long since expired.
My usecase for the steam controler was limited (robots); I've always used the dongle, and never needed/desired to explore direct bluetooth as an alternative.
At this point, the controller is the most exciting thing for me.
Steam machine is cool, but with how good handheld PCs already are, I'd be ok spending a bit more and just using those instead and docking it for TV gaming.
Their previous generation controller wasn't great (I have one). I got it on sale and the haptive stuff didn't work to well IMO.
I have a 8bitdo controller and they are really good. They work perfectly with Debian 13 and probably pretty much every other distro.
https://www.8bitdo.com/ultimate-3-mode-controller-xbox/
Steam Controller was significantly better than Xbox controllers for some kinds of games, but it was much clunkier for others. Steam Deck's controller is an improvement over either of them, and this new Steam Controller appears to be pretty much Deck's controller without the Deck, with some tiny extras added.
The Steam Controller is amazing for first person games. I set the right pad to quick mouse movement with some inertia and the gyro to precise mouse movement, and it feels so natural and pleasant to use.
I didn't like it at all for FPS
I have six of the previous generation controller and I love them, only minor annoyance is pairing them occasionally. I don't really use the haptics part all that much though
The non-handheld will likely be pricier than the handheld, due to the beefier specs. You may as well just buy one now.
idk about that - integrated buttons, battery, screen, size constraints and the R&D work that goes into all of that is probably significant compared to 'box with hardware and usb ports' (oversimplifying to make a point here though - of course lots of design work went into this as well).
Oled screen in particular is literally same screen used in oled nintendo switch (1st gen). This is a good thing, better reuse, lowet costs.
They are not the same: the OLED Switch has a 1280x720 7" screen, the OLED Steam Deck's is 1280x800 7.4".
Doesn't the switch have a smaller screen than the deck?
As someone who bought the original Steam Controller, I'm very excited it's finally getting a successor, especially since it supports Bluetooth. It is always annoying having to move my USB dongle between my desktop and my Steam Link whenever I want to change where I am playing from.
Wait... didn't the original Steam Controller already feature Bluetooth?
You're right, it does. I completely forgot about that; the Bluetooth broke on mine years ago. (Sadly it's too late to edit my comment.)
To be fair, it didn't originally support it, a firmware update came out some time after release that enabled BTLE connection.
Nice to see a symmetric controller for PC. As someone whose hands are mirror opposites of each other (they put my second left hand on backwards) I really appreciate such controllers.
i feel deeply confused...
Xbox-type controllers have the left stick where the dpads are. PS-type controllers are symmetric.
I, too, agree that the symmetric layout is the correct one.
I have two left hands but the one on my right arm is backwards, making them mirror opposites of each other. Because of that I prefer symmetric controllers.
I think I understand - by backward do you mean the hand is flipped palm up? So the hand in your right arm is palm up and thumb on the left?
They have two normal hands which are (as all normal hands are) mirror opposites.
The point being that a symmetric controller design makes sense for people with symmetrical hands. (And that asymmetric controllers do not (which is correct))
lol, ok - so they're being cheeky and describing having two normal hands in a strange way to uh emphasize the symmetry? Confusing but kinda funny if that is indeed what was being expressed.
When I point my thumbs to the left the palm of my left left hand is facing up, but my right left hand is backward and when I point the thumb to the left the palm faces down. It's very inconvenient, really, not only do I have two left hands, one of them is backwards. It's a wonder I can even type.
It's a shame patent trolling killed the OG Steam Controller. But this one's got trackpads and seems like a decent substitute.
Indeed a massive shame. The case was ultimately thrown out but by then Valve had stopped production. I still boycott Corsair today over this.
When was it thrown out? It seems the ruling against Valve was upheld
https://www.gamesindustry.biz/court-upholds-jurys-decision-i...
I have the OG steam controller. I didn't realize it had turned into a collector's item.
Really? I'd assumed it was just a commercial failure because Valve tried to replace an analog stick with a trackpad that performs worse in almost every way.
Pretty much everyone I know bought one, tried it for a while, and determined that the trackpad simply did not work well enough. It's a really cool device and I've been trying for years to actually use it. It's great hardware, but the ergonomics and UX is really just not good.
Discussions:
Steam Frame https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45903325
Steam Machine https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45903404
I’m hoping the controller is popular as it will encourage pc indie developers to make console friendly user interfaces and make games work with the deck.
Excited for deck 2.0 in a few years too, maybe 2027/8.
I have the original Steam Controller. It's OK, and a nice alternative even for general usage to move the mouse cursor, etc.
I also have a GameSir Cyclone 2 controller. Works great for Steam, Epic/Heroic, and works well for Switch (though the button layout was "incorrect" but perhaps it can be changed)
Personally, I prefer the Cyclone/X-box style controllers better. Well, Xbox does not own that style but, in my opinion, they helped to perfect it.
(I guess it was Game Cube the started that style officially)
Never liked the Playstation controller where the analog sticks were at the bottom. However, this new Steam one might be OK as the sticks are higher up.
We shall see.
My wishlist for the next version:
1. Microphone.
2. Headphone jack. When I'm trying to not wake the kids, this would be nice.
3. Dedicated Volume Buttons.
4. A quick way to make it act like a Roku Remote. This would prevent me from needing yet-another-controller.
5. A beep speaker just for "find my controllers". (Similarly, a dedicated "find my controllers" button on the Steam Machine.)
6. I hope the Indicator LED can turn different colors, to make it easier to figure out which controller matches which player...
7. I'd love an e-ink one-line display on it. By default, when it's not playing, have it show a string I set - "Property of VikingCoder" for instance. When it is ready to play, it could show "Controller 1". In some multi-player games, it could be a cool way to send secret messages to only one player.
8. A tiny front-facing camera for QR code / barcode scanning.
9. Maybe an NFC reader, or RFID reader.
10. The e-ink display could also help me choose which device I want it paired with. Steam Machine. Steam Frame. My phone. The Roku.
> 5. A beep speaker just for "find my controllers".
In many circumstances, the haptics will probably be able to make enough noise for that.
The haptics in the old steam controller were loud enough to play music when it turn it on or off
Sony dualshocks haptics are exposed as sound devices on linux. Soundwaves are vibrations after all, give enough precision to haptics and they can function as speakers.
I have to say, I am nearly as hyped about this controller as I am about the frame. I can hook up my gaming PC to my living room TV to play on the couch and a decent controller is all I was missing. I always thought a steamdeck just as a controller would be great, especially the touch pads. I hope the latency feels great over wireless, but I don't mind the USB-C connection if needed.
Valve really did great here with providing all three connection options (BT, dedicated wireless, USB-C).
They're saying 8ms real-world latency on the proprietary 2.4GHz protocol with up to 4 devices per hub. Worse when using Bluetooth compatibility.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lbNI0rNJVt8&t=1m13s
Yepp, saw that number and I am very hopeful about it. But numbers are not everything and can be gamed (heh), the "feel" during gameplay is most important. I hope to try it out "early 2026" :).
I get very annoyed by the atrocious audio delay of Bluetooth, so I'll keep my long USB cable ready.
P.S. I am aware of USB also not being zero latency, but it is the lower bound, the dongle is USB as well.
Typical Bluetooth latency (in my experience as a HW dev) is 9.5ms. I'm pretty skeptical of 8ms for a proprietary protocol, but in an optimistic sense. I would be shocked if the latency is that high for a custom protocol.
Raw 802.11 with no IP stack can get below 5ms IIRC
The one thing I wish it has is 3.5mm audio jack. Both Xbox and SONY's dualsense controller have this. But SONY don't support audio via Bluetooth. The Xbox one need a USB adapter but its build is not as good as SONY's. SONY don't have a USB adapter. Given Steam controller is already using an USB puck, it should be able to support it.
Perhaps the most astonishing thing to me is seeing a company as big as Valve try making some hardware (steam machine, controllers, the weird steam box streaming thing), watch them fail spectacularly, and then listen to feedback while they bravely work on a new conception of the hardware.
Valve heard everyone hating on the og controller and seem to have fixed it. Same for the steam machine. I'm less certain about the headset, but if anyone has the hutzpah to make VR happen, my money is on Valve.
Valve added a second joystick to the controller. That's utter insanity in today's market. The expected play is to find a way to force consumers to buy the single stick, and a subscription, somehow. Or gaslight everyone into thinking single stick is somehow better, actually.
It's just crazy to me to see a big company acting with rationality, sense, and forethought
The OG Steam Controller didn't really fail though. Valve stopped production and sold the remaining stock because of a patent lawsuit over the rear paddles. With more time on market it probably would have grown and evolved.
I attribute this to the fact that they're privately held.
I still have the og steam controller, three of them in fact. They still work but I lost the dongle and rely on Bluetooth. It was an experience. Definitely won't consider buying a controller from them again. The Xbox controller is perfect. Simple and good enough to use.
Similar yet opposite experience here. I had 3 Steam controllers, 2 of them started having issues after a few months. However, I really enjoyed them for certain games, and even played through most of the Dark Souls franchise with them. Definitely excited for the next generation of them and personally will be preordering one as soon as I can.
Wrong layout. The Xbox layout is the only correct layout. I’ll die on this hill. :P
it has the same button layout as the Xbox, or what do you mean? which is wrong, btw, the only good layout is the OG Nintendo layout :)
Asymmetric joysticks
RIP Steam Controller. This headless Steam Deck is no substitute. The only halfway decent FPS controller has no substitute.
You're in luck! New one coming out.
https://store.steampowered.com/sale/steamcontroller
think that comment was saying that they don't like the new steam controller
Seems strictly better than the old one, what's not to like?
It's a regression from the original in all the same ways that the Deck is, and it has less to offer over and above what conventional controllers like the DualSense do.
I'm willing to give it a try, but the smaller and less central trackpads compromise the only use cases that make it distinctive as a controller. (Same for the lack of dual-stage triggers.)
If I want to use analog sticks, I already have a ton of controllers with two analog sticks, some of which are generally excellent and have various advantages over the new Steam Controller.
There are some things that only a Steam Controller has ever made possible (e.g., dual trackpad movement), and others that only a Steam Controller has ever done as well (e.g., programmable dual-stage analog triggers, back paddles you can hit from basically anywhere). In the new design, each of them is either removed altogether or compromised and largely reduced to an ancillary role.
Agreed. What this rebirth really needed was magnetic swappable input modules. We have IPD adjustments in our headsets, why not fine tuned button positions. Or trackpads. Or trackballs, whatever folks wanna build. An input hacker paradise platform.
Or a system of rails like the Switch. Or even, tbh, just more than one controller design. An option that forgoes analog sticks altogether and is designed that way from the start could also place buttons differently, have a different grip design, etc., in ways that could be nice.
Seems like that's already in the market with the Xbox Adaptive Controller
They mean on a handheld controller. The Astro C40 has something like this, for example.
I forgot about this system. Anyone mess around with it? Does it work on Linux?
With HID Remapper it should.
According to LTT the VR controllers have two stage triggers. Is the controller confirmed to not have them? Would be odd. PS5's triggers are the most advanced though, would be cool to have those. I'll reserve judgement on the new trackpad location until I try it. Though personally I was never a fan of the trackpads on the original or indeed any controller with trackpads.
A niche usecase: it switches to a bluetooth connection instead of a usb dongle.
It has a USB wireless dongle that doubles as a charging dock with magnets and pogo pins
Indeed it does, I now see. Interesting!
The old one also used Bluetooth.
The old one used Bluetooth if you upgraded it during the transition period or you have a Windows box.
I had to borrow a friend's computer to get mine to run in BT mode because I gave up using the Steam Link fairly early and didn't use the controller again until I bought a Deck, by which point the grace period where a system update fixed it had long since expired.
My usecase for the steam controler was limited (robots); I've always used the dongle, and never needed/desired to explore direct bluetooth as an alternative.