Valve is mostly known for running the Steam storefront, but they've had other ventures too, with games like the Half Life and Left 4 Dead series, or forays into hardware like the original Steam Controller, the old Linux-based Steam Machines, and most prominently, the Steam Deck (side note, if you have or are thinking of getting a Steam Deck, and you want some ideas for games to bring along with you, we've got you covered!)
That controller was an interesting device, trading the directional pad and one of the joysticks for a pair of trackpads that could be configured in a bunch of different ways using Steam Input. The Steam Deck also had a pair of trackpads that could be configured similarly without replacing anything you'd see on a standard one, and after getting a Deck I'd hoped they might try making a new version of the controller using its layout. That finally happened in the new generation of Steam Controllers that just landed, and I'd like to tell you what I think of it.
Holding the Controller
I'll start by talking about the weight and shape of the Steam Controller. It was a lot lighter than I expected, weighing in at 252g/10oz. It's about the same weight as the Switch Pro Controller I was using before getting it, and a bit lighter than the PS5's Dualsense controller. The grips are very comfortable to hold and the buttons are positioned in a way that it never feels uncomfortable whether my thumbs are resting on the joysticks, trackpads, or buttons/d-pad. I'm someone whose hands get tired very easily in long gaming sessions, to the point that I don't game at all unless I can use a comfortable controller, so I'm really happy with how good it feels to hold this one.
Layout and Haptics
This controller's layout is very clearly meant to be similar to the Steam Deck. It has twin joysticks, twin trackpads, four face buttons (plus Start, Select, Steam, and Menu buttons), a directional pad, two shoulder buttons, two shoulder triggers, four back buttons, and gyroscopic aiming. Something it has that the Steam Deck does not is capacitive sensors in the grip. Everything is arranged well, despite having a lot more than most controllers, nothing has to be unusually small or out of the way in order to fit.
The grip sensors, or GripSense as Valve calls it, are primarily intended to be used to trigger gyro aiming, but they can be mapped to whatever you'd like. Personally I don't think I'll being using the GripSense much, since I hold my pad in a way that would make them far too easy to press accidentally, but an extra input option that doesn't get in the way is more than welcome The trackpads have a lot of configuration options I will get to in a bit, but what I do want to mention about them is the haptics. They provide a good amount of haptic feedback that makes clear your input is being received, both when moving your finger along them, or clicking down on them. They also require less actuation force than those on the Deck, but still enough that I have yet to click them accidentally.
Configuration
This section won't be entirely exclusive to the controller, but I would be remiss if I didn't take a moment to talk about the sheer quantity of powerful options that Steam Input allows for. Just about every aspect of a controller can be configured, and a different configuration can be used for every game. You can switch which button is which, you adjust deadzone shape and size, sensitivity scaling, and direction for the joysticks, gyro, and trackpads, you can add layered setups where certain actions might cause an input to do something it doesn't normally do (which I've used to add Toggle sprinting to games that don't already have it), and much more. And the inputs don't have to correspond to normal gamepad inputs either; they can be set to keyboard keys, emulate a mouse and its buttons (including the extra buttons that a higher-end gaming mouse may have), perform system actions like taking screenshots or bringing up the overlay, and more.
And these settings aren't limited to the games on Steam. If you add a non-steam game to Steam, it'll get its own controller layout that you can take advantage of to use your Steam Controller, or any controller, work with whatever games you have. Between this and the sheer amount of options available, you could arguably make almost any game playable on a controller! I myself have used it to play some games without official controller support with my new Steam Controller, including using the trackpads as mice in some point-and-click games, though they can also be set up as a joystick, as a d-pad, or you can even set up a custom radial menu or hotbar that uses the trackpads! You can even share community layouts that other Steam users can download to use themselves. Whether you want to use your controller with something that doesn't want to use it, or you have a unique idea of how a control scheme should be setup that works for you but no one else has implemented, the Steam Input settings have you covered, and the Steam Controller is definitely designed with it in mind.
Other Features
I do have a couple other things I'd like to mention, particularly regarding the connection options the Steam Controller has. It can charge and use a wired connection via USB-C, and use a wireless connection via Bluetooth, just as you would expect most modern controllers to be able to do. What really sets it apart is a little device that Valve calls the Steam Controller Puck. The puck connects to your PC, Steam Deck Dock, or Steam Machine via USB-C. It acts as a low-latency wireless receiver for the controller. Each puck can be paired with four different Steam Controllers, and each Controller can be paired to two different pucks (if it's paired to a Bluetooth device, this pairing is separate from the puck pairing, so it technically pairs to up to three devices), and through a button combination can switch between the two it's paired to, or standard Bluetooth mode, giving you a quick and easy way to switch between connected devices.
On top of that, the puck is magnetic and can attach to the back of the controller, charging it without you needing to plug a cable directly into the controller itself. It may not be the most revolutionary thing in the world, basically just being a combination of a USB receiver and a wireless charger, but I prefer those receivers due to their potential for lower latency than standard Bluetooth (and I have definitely noticed how low the latency is compared to pads I've connected via Bluetooth), and it's nice to have that also serve as the charger so that I don't need to take up another port when charging my pad.
Conclusion
I haven't had this super long yet, but it has quickly become my absolute favorite controller. I genuinely don't think I've ever like the overall feel of a controller as much as I do this one. If you have a controller you're happy with already, by all means stick with it. But if you're in the market for a new one, I implore you to at least consider the new Steam Controller. It is in my opinion one of the best gamepads ever made.
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