Why the Steam Controller is (and isn’t) a big deal

TechCloseTechPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All TechGamingCloseGamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All GamingPC GamingClosePC GamingPosts from this topic will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All PC GamingWhy the Steam Controller is (and isn’t) a big dealThe official Steam Machine gamepad is here, and it works great on PC and Deck. But where do you sit on its $99 price?The official Steam Machine gamepad is here, and it works great on PC and Deck. But where do you sit on its $99 price?by Cameron FaulknerCloseCameron FaulknerEditor, CommercePosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Cameron FaulknerApr 27, 2026, 5:00 PM UTCLinkShareGiftIt’s not reductive to call it a Steam Deck without the screen. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergePart OfSteam Machines have returned: all the news about Valve’s new hardware universesee all updates Cameron FaulknerCloseCameron FaulknerPosts from this author will be added to your daily email digest and your homepage feed.FollowFollowSee All by Cameron Faulkner is an editor covering deals and gaming hardware. He joined in 2018, and after a two-year stint at Polygon, he rejoined The Verge in May 2025.Most PC gamers already have a controller they love using with Steam — a Sony DualSense, a 8BitDo Ultimate, a Nintendo Switch Pro, or something else. Part of that love comes from Steam treating them like “native” controllers. They can do the things that made the first Steam Controller worth buying. Namely, they offer a level of customizable control never before seen on PC and that you still can’t get on a console.With Steam Input, any of those controllers can have multiple control schemes for different game scenarios (flight, on-foot, in menus), and you swap between them with a button press. You can also create onscreen menus that bloom when you press a button or touch a trackpad, revealing an array of custom commands — weapons, spells, consumables, you name it.That’s why the idea of a new physical Steam Controller doesn’t hit the same way it used to. But Valve nevertheless improved upon its misunderstood predecessor with a 2026 model that has features you can’t find anywhere else. Basically, it crams the Steam Deck’s huge suite of inputs into a single gamepad, including those twin touchpads. It’s a Steam Deck without a screen, plus a little bit more.PreviousNext1/5In Bluetooth mode connected to the Deck, you still have access to all of the Steam Controller’s unique inputs. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeI appreciate the small hardware refinements over the Steam Deck. For instance, the new Steam Controller has drift-resistant TMR joysticks that shouldn’t degrade over time — something Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo have yet to offer. I find it has better ergonomics than the Deck, four rear buttons that are easier to press, and unique touch-sensitive sensors embedded in the sticks and grips that can be mapped to any input. It is ridiculously customizable, and it’ll be user-repairable, too, with replacement parts eventually hitting iFixit’s shop.RelatedThe new Steam Controller is almost my dream gamepadSome people won’t need any more convincing than that to buy one when orders open May 4th for $99. Even those who don’t often customize controls may…

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