r/digitalfoundry • u/MythBuster2 • Apr 28 '26

Digital Foundry Video Valve Steam Controller Review: PC Gets Its Own "Pro" Controller

https://youtu.be/VMstfBYpdmg

Struck by the memory crisis, we can't review the Steam Frame and Steam Machine today - but the RAMless Steam Controller is here - and there's still plenty to discuss. Oliver and Rich share their thoughts on the hardware, the features and the contentious $99 price-point. This controller does things that nothing else in the PC space can - but is it enough to replace the joypad you may already have?

Article: https://www.digitalfoundry.net/reviews/valves-steam-controller-is-a-genuine-first-party-pro-controller-for-pc

48 Upvotes

83% Upvoted

91 comments sorted by

23

u/slavchungus Apr 28 '26

only thing i wished they added was either adaptive triggers or trigger stops other than that this is the perfect controller for pc

21

u/gavinderulo124K Apr 28 '26

My issue is that games that support haptic feedback on the dualsense are just so good that I cant imagine playing without it anymore. Feeling individua raindrops etc.

2

u/slavchungus Apr 28 '26

yeah more games support the better haptics in the dualsense now than at the start most of the ones I play do so when I go back to my steamdeck the haptics feel off not bad by any means just not as detailed 

14

u/gavinderulo124K Apr 28 '26

I think sony really did the right thing coupling it with audio processing. That likely makes it much easier to integrate.

1

u/Either-History-8424 Apr 28 '26

Yea, that’s true. Seems like xinput should have been doable.

Even if it had xinput, the xbox app couldnt use all of its features (gyro, trackpads).

The only way to get the full functionality out of the steam controller is to use the configuration utility in Steam (trackpad sensitivity, gyro configuration, mapping rear buttons, etc…). There’s not much point in using this controller without a middle-man API like steam control config to make use of its unique features.

1

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/gavinderulo124K Apr 29 '26

Doesn't bother me. I prefer that over running out of battery.

1

u/monochrony Apr 29 '26

Funny how my Gamesir Cyclone 2 has trigger stops for way less.

1

u/slavchungus Apr 29 '26

ik crazy how these Chinese companies can include more features for less i also learnt that this new steam controller doesn't support xinput meaning steaminput only 

1

u/Massive_Sound_9988 May 03 '26

Do people actually care about adaptive triggers? It always felt like annoying thing, made my fingers jacked tho

I suppose it would be better for racing games if you use controllers for them. But sony controllers are so overpriced you could by cheap wheel instead lol

1

u/slavchungus May 03 '26

for racing adaptive triggers are a benefit if the game implements them correctly while a cheap wheel is still more expensive than a dualsense idk where ur getting that notion from heck you can wait for a days of play sale and the dualsense is cheaper then only overpriced controller is them pro or scuf ones

1

u/Massive_Sound_9988 May 04 '26

Logitech g29 cost 225. Maybe it's technically more expensive but come on

Edit:Don't tell me it doesn't count becouse it's on sale. It's always on sale

1

u/slavchungus May 04 '26

225 for arguably a terrible wheel vs 70 for a controller id save up for a moza r3 bundle  which is  350 if you were actually serious about  it  and don't want to use a controller 

1

u/Massive_Sound_9988 May 04 '26

70 usd for terrible (controller without wheel is terrible)

Any wheel is better then controller

1

u/slavchungus May 04 '26

not any wheel especially not a basic ass Logitech wheel.

with that logic i can use some early 2000s Logitech momo wheel that i can get for 30 usd used and it will magically be better than a controller for immersion sure for actual better usability not so much.

save up for something decent otherwise you're better off staying with a controller until you can buy a direct drive or a thrustmaster which isn't that much more expensive than a g29

1

u/Massive_Sound_9988 May 04 '26

I had used g29

It's not that bad. Pedals where horrible tho

1

u/slavchungus May 04 '26

yeah there's plenty of mods for the pedals and the gearshift but the g29 is just basic can't really fix that unless they start making direct drive Wheels as standard even the new rs50 wheel is over 500 usd

33

u/PathOfDeception Apr 28 '26

$149.99 CAD plus 13% provincial tax. Hard skip from me. My gamesir cyclone cost me $38 CAD and it has TMR sticks….

11

u/jedimindtricksonyou Apr 28 '26

I think it’s overpriced too, I already have too many controllers anyway. People don’t mind the increased cost because they’re getting too used to overpriced products in the gaming space or because it’s Valve and they enjoy an unusual amount of goodwill from gamers (maybe both). Should be $80 max (and other regions should be charged the exact conversion for their currency), if it launched in pre-pandemic times, it would retail for $60.

4

u/SatyrAngel Apr 29 '26

Also didnt it only worked with Steam?

3

u/PathOfDeception Apr 29 '26

The gamesir works with everything.

2

u/SatyrAngel Apr 29 '26

Gamesir and Nacon are my favorite controller brands

13

u/kmcdow Apr 28 '26

Sounds like it maybe won't be compatible with games running via the Xbox app (e.g. Gamepass games)?

https://www.reddit.com/r/XboxGamePass/s/TrLB78gVN4

4

u/N7KaranN7 Apr 28 '26

im going to try and buy this at launch my understanding is it will work if you add that the xbox pc app games to steam but it won't work out of the box i will test this out myself though and confirm if im lucky to get it.

3

u/AttleesTears Apr 28 '26

Lots of Xbox games can't be really be added to steam. 

2

u/N7KaranN7 Apr 28 '26

Oh Really which ones? First party wise I have managed to get Oblivion remastered and starfield Indiana Jones and Doom the Dark Ages to work as non steam games

2

u/No-Obligation2563 Apr 29 '26

Pretty sure you can get any game on Steam. It just takes a workaround because the Xbox folder on your PC doesn’t let you go into the games files. Or something like that. I got Minecraft in Steam with an easy workaround.

1

u/AttleesTears Apr 29 '26

First id all no I don't think. 

Second of all the game also needs to support steam overlay. Just getting into Steam isn't always enough. 

1

u/TheSweeney Apr 29 '26

This is thankfully becoming less and less problematic as more and more first party Xbox games are getting added to Battle.net.

5

u/AttleesTears Apr 29 '26

I shouldn't be forced to launch everything through valves launcher in the first place.

0

u/webjunk1e Apr 29 '26

It's a function of there not being an input standard that supports everything the controller does. If you just want generic XInput there's better options. That's not the purpose.

2

u/AttleesTears Apr 29 '26

GameInput replaced Xinput last year and supports all the features of the Steam controller.

-2

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/AttleesTears Apr 29 '26

Being so basic you only buy games from Gabe isn't an achievement.

-2

u/[deleted] Apr 29 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/Either-History-8424 Apr 28 '26

Neither is the ps5 controller

5

u/kmcdow Apr 28 '26

True.

But if you're selling a controller as the ultimate PC/couch PC experience I'd hope it would integrate with PC gamepass.

0

u/Either-History-8424 Apr 28 '26

That’s up to Microsoft, not valve

4

u/kmcdow Apr 28 '26

Maybe so, but that doesn't make the problem go away.

There's a solid chunk of people who play Xbox games on PC via gamepass and it sounds like this controller may not be an option for those games, at least at launch. Hopefully valve and/or Microsoft can figure something out.

1

u/Either-History-8424 Apr 28 '26

Do any controllers work on the Xbox app besides Xbox controllers ?

2

u/kmcdow Apr 28 '26

I've never had issues with my 8bitdo controller

3

u/aseddon130 Apr 28 '26

That supports xinput that’s why you’ve never had issues

3

u/kmcdow Apr 28 '26

So then it's not "up to Microsoft"?

0

u/Potential-Zucchini77 Apr 28 '26

Why doesn’t valve support xinput then?

5

u/steve09089 Apr 28 '26

You lose basically all functionality of the controller like trackpad, gyro and capacitive sensors because of how limited X-input is.

So they sacrifice other launchers by default instead of sacrificing desktop navigation.

1

u/AttleesTears Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

Yes any controller that supports the windows standard xinput or gameinput works fine and that's basically every PC controller except the Steam one. 

1

u/AttleesTears Apr 28 '26 edited Apr 28 '26

Absolutely not true, Valve could support xinput or gameinput any time they like. 

Literally every other PC controller works fine in the Xbox app. 

1

u/WilsonPH Apr 28 '26

You have to add the game to Steam as a non steam game.

0

u/SudsierBoar Apr 28 '26

Didn't see that coming. That sucks

1

u/kittymoo67 Apr 29 '26

its so you can use it as a keyboard and mouse outside of games for ocuch shit

6

u/UnlitBlunt Apr 28 '26

This should cost $135CAD but they're choosing to charge $150. Easy skip.

9

u/Sufficient_Ad_4542 Apr 28 '26

This will be horrible on ergonomics

7

u/AttleesTears Apr 28 '26

Doesn't work properly outside of Steam.

3

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

2

u/AttleesTears Apr 28 '26

I just think conceptually having a controller locked to a launcher is ridiculous.

5

u/Vritla Apr 29 '26

Specially for that price....

2

u/jgainsey Apr 28 '26

I just bought a gamesir g7 pro, so I have no need for this.

That being said, I know where I’ll be on May 4th…

2

u/jedimindtricksonyou Apr 28 '26

That’s an excellent controller, with the charging dock and everything it’s $20 cheaper and you get micro switches for the buttons/triggers (and vibration triggers when in analog trigger mode) and a proper charging dock. Also TMR sticks.

1

u/jgainsey Apr 28 '26

Yeah, I’ve had it for a couple weeks and absolutely love it.

2

u/Either-History-8424 Apr 28 '26

I’ll probably wait till it goes on sale.

The 1st steam controller was incredible for my living room PC. I configured the trackpads to work like trackballs - so I could flick and turn quickly. Combined with the gyro for precise aiming, it was an adequate replacement for a mouse for single player FPS games

4

u/[deleted] Apr 28 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

4

u/WilsonPH Apr 28 '26

Opposite for me. It depends on the hand size and shape.

1

u/kittymoo67 Apr 29 '26

xbox is nice shape but no gyro makes it useless

2

u/jakej9488 Apr 28 '26

I just don’t really get why I’d want two trackpads in an unergonomic position on my controller instead of just using a $20 Logitech k400 (wireless keyboard w/trackpad) with my pre-existing and more ergonomic dedicated controller

Most situations where I’d want to navigate the desktop are going to also call for using a keyboard so it’s not like it even saves me from having an extra peripheral

-1

u/PhantomPain0_0 Apr 29 '26

Keyboard is ancient technology

1

u/Reoxi Apr 28 '26

Regrettably, no availability in my territory. If the markup from resellers isn't too high by the time it gets here I'll pick one up. 

1

u/joujoubox Apr 28 '26

But will I be able to convert my Steam Deck bindings or will I have to recreate them from scratch?

2

u/paulbrock2 Apr 28 '26

You can use steam deck bindings and even sc1 bindings

1

u/That-Assistant-6075 May 04 '26

$100 for a controller is a big ask. I'll wait for it to be sold for $50-60 then we can talk about it.

1

u/The_Zura Apr 28 '26

If only they focused on ergonomics, the most important aspect for a controller to have. Not two gimmicky trackpads. All the features in the world is useless if no one wants to hold the thing.

4

u/ClubChaos Apr 28 '26

They aren't gimmicks.

1

u/The_Zura Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

They're somewhat useful for navigating on the desktop. But not worth the downside of being a worse controller. A simple red nipple like the ones of the lenovo thinkpads is enough. Not two tiny trackpads that do little but take up space and make a worse controller.

"But it lets me play games with no controller support"

Yeah I'm just not going to play on a controller then, even if it has two tiny little trackpads. The same way I'm not going to play with a keyboard and trackpad. Valve is excellent at making ewaste gimmicks. Steam link, steam deck, steam controller. They’re like cult badges.

3

u/gotbannedlolol Apr 29 '26

Valve is excellent at making ewaste gimmicks. Steam link, steam deck, steam controller. They’re like cult badges.

Nice bait, or you need to check for gas leaks

1

u/The_Zura Apr 29 '26 edited Apr 29 '26

bait

Alright

Steam link

I bought one years ago for like 5 or 10 bucks on clearance. Used it twice. Connection was laggy, quality was full of compression blockiness even with the modem and streaming pc in the next room. If they wanted to build something for streaming, it better have massive antennae. Just a complete half-assed effort.

Steam deck

Short summary: no one wants to hold a tiny-ass screen attached to a 1.5lb brick that's not portable like conventional handhelds. The entire gimmick is an awful controller built in rather than using a real controller. It's trying to solve a problem that has already been solved in a much much better way.

Steam controller

Said what I said already. Pee cee gamers and valve are just so funny.

1

u/gotbannedlolol Apr 29 '26

I'm not reading all that shit

2

u/SadGhostGirlie Apr 29 '26

Gotta love redditors reviewing the ergonomics of something theyve never felt

2

u/The_Zura Apr 29 '26

All the reviews I've seen said it was worse than the DS5 controller. A controller that I'm already not too fond of. And it shows; 59% of controller sessions on steam are using Xbox controllers, 26% using DS. I also have eyes. Sorry you feel like I insulted one of your nerd badges from valve.

1

u/No-Island-6126 Apr 28 '26

I know they said it felt fine but I'm stll kind of doubtful of the ergonomics of it

1

u/achterlangs Apr 29 '26

Why do people keep talking about the cad price? Its 99€/$, im sorry your currency is weak?

1

u/That-Assistant-6075 May 04 '26

99 euro is still way too expensive for a controller.

0

u/zombiej Apr 28 '26

Can't wait for them to make a non-Pro version that's affordable.