Valve Steam Controller Review (2026): Wait for the Steam Machine

In terms of input, it takes almost all the controls from the Steam Deck, shortened to the touchscreen, and placed in a design of 11 x 16 x 6 cm. Valve tries to have it both ways when it comes to familiar controls, using the Xbox’s ABXY face buttons and the PlayStation’s wide-screen aesthetic, including dual buttons and analog triggers. Players who are used to it will probably soon adapt to this hybrid strategy.

The Steam Controller goes beyond any of its cousins, however, with many features that Sony or Microsoft don’t have on their standard controllers. Quadrants of additional buttons are located under the handle, and physical sticks can be clicked, have capacitive touch sensors, and are built on tunnel magnetoresistance sensors (TMR), which provide greater accuracy and durability. Hall effect systems.

Photo: Matt Kamen

There’s also an accelerometer and a gyroscope for motion control, and advanced advanced engines for nuanced haptics – it can produce the same sounds that Nintendo Switch 2 Joy-Con 2s doshaking for such a large reason that the pad becomes an ersatz speaker, allowing for interesting Easter eggs if hidden. Wilhelm Shouting. Most impressive are the same trackpads from the Steam Deck on the bottom half of the controller, allowing for mouse-like controls.

Despite packing all this, it weighs only 292 grams. It doesn’t feel heavy, even after playing for a long time. However, I had to adjust my grip a bit to get a better grip on the palmrest, as more space is given over to the trackpads, which are where my thumbs want to be. The D-pad isn’t anything to write home about – it’s perfectly adequate, but it doesn’t have a nice edge and suffers from a glossy tip that hinders grip. Aside from the cheap D-pad, the Steam Controller’s features are unique.