I still got this one in a drawer. I just wasnβt big on the primary touch pads with only one joystick.
this post was submitted on 06 Jun 2026
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Steam Hardware
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I loved mine but the 2026 steam controller is superior In every way.
Yeah I plan to get one at some point. So over messing with Xbox controller drivers and other BS on Linux.
Except it didn't look like an owl. Original Steam controller 1, new Steam controller 86.
What makes it better? I kinda ignored the new one because the old one was so below expectations
Not OP but a couple things:
- It's a full controller, no "only one joystick" like the 2015 model.
- The quality of the IO is great, like the TMR joysticks, good trackpads, gyro, and nice haptics.
- If a PC runs Steam, it supports all the controllers features (in Steam). This isn't always the case on DS5/xbox controllers.
- The "puck", despite looking insignificant, makes the experience much better. Unlike Xbox with AA batteries or DS5 with USB-C charging, and both of those with Bluetooth wireless connectivity (by default). The Steam Controller (2026) is fully "pick up and start playing".
Whether it's worth the price depends on what you value in a game controller, and how much. For me, the "extra" inputs (mainly back pedals, touchpads, gyro) and accurate sticks (TMR instead of potentiometers) are worth it.
- It's a full controller, no "only one joystick" like the 2015 model.
This is 16-bit controller slander.
N64, Dreamcast and Saturn be like π
Its more a regular controller plus extra vs the old one was a good but you had to tweek your brain to make it work as the touch pads were a replacement for normal controls. Where as the touch pads are there own thing. Being able to create popup menus that only show up on touch and the gyro being enabled and disabled by touching the thumbsticks is a game changer. Its everything you love about the steam deck without the neck pain of looking down at the screen.
The Deck gyro is activated by touching the thumbsticks, the Controller has sensors in the grips to activate the gyro.
You can reprogram gyro activation triggers too
The controller actually has both thumbsticks and grip capacitance sensing, you can set it to be whatever you prefer to activate gyro.
The rumble and haptics also feel a lot better too
The main things for me are the dedicated D-pad and dual thumbsticks. On the original, the left touchpad surface was just sort of textured to help it act as a D-pad. And the right touchpad is positioned in place of where you might want a right stick to be, and can be mapped to act as one in software. But in practice, there are some situations in which an actual D-pad or actual right stick are much better than faking it with touchpads. The new controller just has all the different input methods so that it should hypothetically work great in any game.
Oh my god, I just googled this. It looks like the price was decided by Lucille Bluth.
Hours much can our controller cost, Michael? $100?
Meanwhile, 8bitdo has amazing controllers for a quarter that price.
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I loved mine. I used it until it died. Took a bit to get used to it. But when it died on me it took even longer to get used to a regular controller again.
I bought it shortly after launch, excited for it. Then the amount of configuration to use it, suuuuucked. I've tried to love it. I get it out every couple years to try again, and remind myself again that it sucks.
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Still got mine! Once I adapted to touchpad buttons, I loved how it could be customized. Crazy cool controller.
I love mine. I need to pickup a 4th.
I ended up with 4 of these as well as Steam links from their clearance sale forever ago. Only 1 has a broken bumper button from overuse but they are all still fine otherwise. Canβt wait to get my controller 2 availability email.
Nice username btw.
Yeah, me too, now that I think about it.
I still have mine too, but I never played too much with it because I just can't do the 'play on the couch' thing or whatever. I was always a keyboard+mouse person. Playing on the steam deck does work for me somehow tho.
Makes sense. Iβm a console gamer for much the same reason: I first started playing when my Dad let me play on his A2600. Mustβve been around 7 years old or so.
That said, Iβve certainly played k&m for a few years when I played WoW. There was a bit of a difference for me when I had to reach farther for an Fn key or the like, so in that sense controllers just have a slight edge over k&m.
I also have a pair of underused Steam Controllers, and a Steam Link to go with them. Turns out I just don't care about gaming on my TV.
Yeah. Not sure what it is. It somehow feels more laggy, and for some games I struggle to read what's on the screen sometimes. Plus there's obviously other family members that want to use the TV most of the time. The steam deck really has been the only way I still do any gaming.
Found mine ages ago in a CEX in London. It was on display and cought my eye while walking past it.
I went in and asked the staff for the Steam controller and they had no idea what I was talking about. Had to go outside with them to show it. They didn't know they had it :D
I got one during the closeout, I think it was $15 with a copy of Hollow Knight. But once I got it I started figuring, if I spent the time to get used to it then when it someday broke I'd be SOL on a replacement. So I stuck it on a shelf where it sits to this day.
It's worth a lot more than $15 to other people, especially if it's an unused one.
Still use it with my physical steam link and my steam deck, mostly to setup game nights of jackbox.
I still have mine in the box. I dunno, it's just a collector's item to me now. Got it for $5 when they were pretty much giving them away.
I use a Gamesir instead.
Same, got it on the fire sale, tossed it in storage and then forgot about it after a few moves. Found it a bit ago looking for something else lmao
Still have mine, love the concave touchpads.
Congratulations. I've had mine since the launched. Love it. Find what works for you. But i always put the left trackpad as my joystick, and the joystick as a dpad
I wanted to buy one when it came out and only 1 store had it in my country and it was like 100 bucks, prohibitively expensive in Ecuador
No real idea if yours is "a beaut", you haven't shown the controller, only a marketing image of another controller of the same kind.
Ceci nβest pas une steam controller.
ThatsTheJoke.gif
Printed on a cardboard box
Iβd love to see what this feels like in the hands someday.
It feels really good to hold, but using it in games is weird unless the game has inputs suited for it.
I'm surprised Xbox never sued them for the button layout.
Not terrible to use the same letter but the colours being the same is pretty blatant copying.
Xbox does not have any unique rights to the ABXY button layout nor the green, red, blue, yellow of them, so anyone is free to do what they like with those buttons and Xbox has no right to sue them. This is unlike PlayStation, who have given themselves rights over the Cross, Circle, Square, Triangle buttons.
I don't know why, exactly. Nintendo used ABXY before Xbox did. My guess would be that Nintendo couldn't simply copyright letters, so Xbox was able to freely copy it.
Nintendo's buttons are arranged differently than Xbox. From left to right, top to bottom, Xbox goes XY AB, Nintendo goes YX BA.
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I drove to Italy to a gamestop to buy two and two links. My first and last time in a gamestop!
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