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Valve Steam Controller (2026) one-minute review
Valve’s back in the hardware game, but no, this is not the much-hoped-for Steam Deck 2, but instead a new version of the Steam Controller that’s been refreshed and refined for modern gamers.
That wasn’t the end of Valve’s hardware ambitions, however, and since then it’s had some big hits, including the Valve Index VR headset and the brilliant Steam Deck, which essentially kicked off a new category of devices: the handheld gaming PC.
So, when Valve announced a new and improved Steam Controller, alongside a revamped Steam Machine console-like device (the original was another worthy failure) and VR headset, my hype was high, as I hoped that Valve’s more recent hardware successes would positively influence the new Steam Controller. Now that the gamepad is in my hands, I’m pleased to say that’s exactly what’s happened.
The most noticeable difference between the Valve Steam Controller (2026) and its predecessor is that the design is more conventional, with it now coming with two analog thumbsticks, which are located below the face buttons. This makes it much easier to get to grips with if you’re used to other gamepads (especially the PlayStation 5’s DualSense, as, like the Valve Steam Controller (2026), the thumbsticks are horizontally aligned, unlike the Xbox controller.
Valve hasn’t completely dropped its innovative ambitions, however, with the Valve Steam Controller (2026) still coming with two touchpads, though smaller, square, and located beneath the thumbsticks. If you’ve used the Steam Deck, then the look and feel of these touchpads will seem familiar, though on the new Steam Controller, they are angled inwards slightly, which does make them more comfortable to use with your thumbs.
The Valve Steam Controller (2026) comes with four additional buttons on the back, and these can all be easily configured via the Steam software. Connecting the controller to a PC is easy, with the Steam Controller Puck – a plug-and-play dongle with a pre-paired low-latency connection.
Place the Valve Steam Controller (2026) on top of the Puck (which connects via magnets), and the Steam Controller will charge, as well as pair with the PC (and you can use more than one Steam Controller with the same Puck).
You can also unplug the Puck and use the cable to directly connect the Steam Controller to the PC via USB-C, and you can also use Bluetooth, though for anyone who has used Bluetooth on a Windows 11 PC to connect a controller, you’ll understand that that’s probably a method you’ll want to avoid at all costs.
Valve Steam Controller (2026) review: Price & release date
- How much is it? $99 / £85
- When is it out? Goes on sale May 4, 2026
The Valve Steam Controller (2026) goes on sale on May 4, 2026, for $99 / £85 (around AU$140), and you won’t be able to buy it from a bricks and mortar store – as with other Valve products, you’ll need to buy it through Steam, Valve’s online storefront. The good news is that if you’re a PC gamer, you’ll already likely have Steam installed for buying and playing games.
Despite this, the Valve Steam Controller (2026) can be used with games you’ve purchased outside of Steam, and while Valve recommends you add the non-Steam games to Steam for the best experience, I found it worked fine when playing games from the rival Epic Games Store without adding them to Steam first, though the Steam Controller acted more like a generic gamepad.
Price-wise, the Valve Steam Controller (2026) is one of the more expensive gamepads out there. It’s almost twice the price of the 8BitDo Ultimate 2, which is currently our top pick as the best PC controller, and the Sony DualSense Wireless Controller, which I currently use on my gaming PC, both of which cost around $60/£50.
However, it’s a fair bit cheaper than many other gamepads aimed at pro gamers, such as the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro, which sells for $199.99 / £199.99, and the Xbox Elite Wireless Controller Series 2, which costs $179.99 / £159.99.
So, this is a mid-range price for the Valve Steam Controller (2026), and while it is pricey, it does feel about right, as it offers more features than budget gamepads, but not the extreme customization that more expensive gamepads offer. One thing to note is that I didn’t have a chance to try the Valve Steam Controller (2026) with a console. Valve claims it’s not compatible, though you might be able to get basic functionality if you connect via Bluetooth. However, if you’re looking for a gamepad that you can use on both a PC and a console, then you’d be better off looking elsewhere.
Valve Steam Controller (2026) review: Specs
|
Compatibility |
PC, Mac, iOS / Android |
|
Connectivity |
Steam Controller Puck, USB, Bluetooth |
|
Battery life |
35+ hours |
|
Inputs |
TMR magnetic thumbsticks, grip sense, ABXY buttons, D-pad, L/R triggers, L/R bumpers, View button, Menu button, Steam button, QAM buttons, four remappable grip buttons, 2x haptic trackpads |
|
Haptics |
HD haptics |
|
Additional features |
Steam Controller Puck charging |
Valve Steam Controller (2026) review: Design and features
- Much more conventional design than original
- Two TMR thumbsticks
- Gyroscope and touchpads also included
Valve has overhauled the design of its new Steam Controller, and to be brutally honest, that’s a very good thing. While I admired Valve trying to do something different with the original Steam Controller, it wasn’t a design I was particularly keen on. It had two large trackpads where thumbsticks usually are placed, which were supposed to make playing games in genres such as RTS (Real Time Strategy), which work best with a mouse and keyboard, easier on a gamepad.
This desire to appeal to PC gamers at the expense of a more conventional console-like gamepad ended up pleasing practically no one, and the original Steam Controller was discontinued a few years later.
The Valve Steam Controller (2026), on the other hand, has a much more conventional design, and while it doesn’t feel like a bold reinvention of the gamepad, there are still some unique features and innovations to be found.
Unlike the original, the Valve Steam Controller (2026) features two thumbsticks, horizontally aligned and placed beneath the D-Pad and face buttons. The placement of these thumbsticks feels comfortable and natural, and anyone used to gamepads with aligned thumbsticks, such as the DualSense, should be able to get to grips with the Valve Steam Controller (2026) pretty easily.
The new thumbsticks are no slouches, either, thanks to tunnelling magneto-resistance (TMR) technology, which is the tech of choice for most premium gamepads. This uses small magnets to measure even the smallest of movements, which improves precision, and excels in genres such as shooters and racing games, where even the smallest of movements need to be accurately recorded and reflected in-game.
Because the TMR thumbsticks of the Valve Steam Controller (2026) don’t depend on physical contact within the gamepad, unlike traditional thumbsticks, there’s less risk of damage or performance degradation over time, and it should mean the Valve Steam Controller (2026) isn’t at risk of the dreaded stick drift issues that have plagued many a gamepad.
The inclusion of the D-Pad is also noteworthy. Despite being found on pretty much every gamepad ever made, the original Steam Controller did not include one (the idea was that the left-hand touchpad would work). This was another design decision that made the original model unpopular, so the return of a physical D-Pad is very welcome.
The Valve Steam Controller (2026) doesn’t completely ditch the innovations, however, as it still comes with two touch pads. This time, however, they are smaller and square, and placed at the bottom of the controller’s face. The touchpads are visually similar to the ones found on the Steam Deck, though they are angled to make using them with your thumbs more comfortable.
The touchpads offer haptic feedback, which makes using them feel responsive and natural, with subtle vibrations that let you know when they are touched.
The rest of the face of the Valve Steam Controller (2026) is home to four face buttons (in ABXY layout, which the original Steam Controller, Steam Deck, and Xbox controllers all use. There’s also a Steam Button in the middle, identifiable by the Steam logo. Pressing this turns the controller on, and pressing it again launches Steam in Big Picture Mode, which is a full-screen interface that makes finding and booting up games via a gamepad much easier (and looks good if you’ve got your PC hooked up to a TV, as I do).
On the left, there’s also a Back button, while on the left a Menu/Start button. Between the two touchpads is a Quick Settings button as well. You also get the regular bumpers and triggers on each side of the top of the Valve Steam Controller (2026), and on the back, there are four additional buttons (two on each of the grips) that can be assigned to in-game functions. The placement of these buttons makes it easy to reach them while holding the Valve Steam Controller (2026) – maybe a bit too easy, as I tapped them a few times by mistake while playing some games (especially during hectic moments).
The back is also home to a magnetic port that lets you quickly connect the Valve Steam Controller (2026) to the Puck, which connects to a PC and is used to both charge the controller and act as a low-latency wireless dongle. It’s small and unobtrusive, and it’s a nice way of incorporating charging and connecting the controller, and with the lengthy included USB cable, you can position it to ensure a reliable wireless connection.
The Valve Steam Controller (2026) also has gyroscopes, so physically moving the controller around can control the onscreen action. While it’s a bit of a niche feature, there are plenty of games, especially from Sony, which, like Valve, see the value in including gyroscopes in their game controllers. I’m currently playing through The Last of Us Part 2 on PC (taking my time as I am a massive wimp), and swapped out the DualSense for the Valve Steam Controller (2026), and was still able to use immersive gestures such as shaking the controller when my flashlight’s battery begins to die. On that note, the touchpads of the Valve Steam Controller (2026) are an excellent alternative to the DualSense’s touchpad, which means the Valve Steam Controller (2026) is an excellent controller for people, like me, who play a lot of PlayStation games on PC (which makes the rumors that Sony is cutting back on porting its games to PC particularly disappointing).
One thing that’s missing, however, is an audio jack on the controller. Rival controllers often include one, allowing you to plug wired headphones and hear game audio without having to trail a long cable to your PC or console. I, like many PC gamers, have a wireless headset for when I want to keep the noise down when gaming, so this isn’t a massive issue for me, but it might be disappointing for some, especially due to the price.
Overall, the design of the Valve Steam Controller (2026) is a big improvement over the original, with a more conventional feel that’s widely used for a reason: it’s comfortable. That doesn’t mean it’s completely without innovative flourishes, with the dual touch pads and additional buttons on the back. However, it does lack the customization of more expensive professional gamepads.
It feels light and comfortable to hold, and it seems Valve has taken a lot of what it learnt from the original controller, as well as the Steam Deck (which can feel big and bulky in-hand), and applied it to the Steam Controller (2026).
Valve Steam Controller (2026) review: Performance
As you’d expect from a product made by Valve, the Steam Controller (2026) works brilliantly when playing games on Steam. The company had clearly been prepping for the launch of the Valve Steam Controller (2026) for a while, as most major games I played already had controller profiles set up for it. This means that most games can be played with the Valve Steam Controller (2026) and make use of its additional features, such as the gyroscope, out of the box without needing to tweak any settings.
It also means that on-screen prompts will display the correct button – this is particularly important for QTE (Quick Time Events), where you need to hit the right button at the right time. When playing The Last Of Us Part 2, for example, the button prompts that were for my PlayStation controller were replaced with the corresponding buttons on the Valve Steam Controller (2026), such as replacing the triangle symbol with Y for interacting with objects.
These profiles are also highly customizable, so you can tweak the plentiful buttons, trackpads, and gyroscopic controls to your liking, and you can share these profiles with other users. For games that don’t have a Valve Steam Controller (2026) controller, I am sure that will soon change once it’s in more people’s hands, and many games have a Steam Deck profile, which maps very well onto the Valve Steam Controller (2026).
Playing Portal 2, which is a Valve game, has excellent integration with the new Steam Controller (2026); the controller felt fast and responsive. Turning on gyroscopic controls allowed me to control the camera by tilting the controller, and the default settings were very accurate, to the point where I needed to turn it down a notch, as it was picking up the slightest movement or tremor of my hands. This was easy to do thanks to Valve’s robust customization options for the Steam Controller. The haptic rumble within the controller lets you know when the gyroscope is being used, and you can toggle it on and off with a press of the touchpad or button, or holding down a button – all of which can be easily customized.
While I’m more interested in gyroscopic controls for immersive interactions (such as the aforementioned shaking the controller to fix a flickering flashlight in The Last of Us Part 2), it’s a great feature to have and works well. For people who mainly use a mouse and keyboard to control games, the Valve Steam Controller (2026) offers a way to play games on a gamepad with a level of precision that you often only get when using a mouse to control aiming.
The touchpads can also be used to mimic mouse/touchpad controls, and their placement on the Valve Steam Controller (2026) is easy and comfortable to use. I’d never play a first-person shooter (FPS) game using a keyboard and laptop touchpad, but the touchpads on the Valve Steam Controller (2026) are within easy reach of my thumbs, so I can choose to use either the thumbstick or touchpad, depending on the game. With the original Steam Controller, you didn’t have this choice.
The touchpads also feel responsive, and the haptic feedback on each pad gives you a clear idea of what you’re controlling and the actions you’re performing. One thing I like is that when either touchpad is not needed in a game, the touchpad locks in place, so you know it can’t be used (and also means if you brush or touch it while gaming, it won’t mess up your game).
The touchpads, as with the gyroscopic controls, are designed to allow you to play games in genres that don’t usually work well with gamepads, and while I would probably still use a mouse and keyboard for playing RTS (real-time strategy) games, I found the Valve Steam Controller (2026) and its touchpads worked well with management sims like Planet Coaster 2. The touchpads also work well when on the Windows 11 desktop, with the left-hand touchpad controlling scrolling up and down, while the right-hand touchpad moves the mouse cursor.
For anyone who has tried playing PC games on a non-traditional setup, such as from the couch and playing on a TV, you’ll know that even with console-like interfaces such as Steam Big Picture Mode, Windows 11 has an annoying habit of throwing up a dialogue box or menu that can’t be selected with a standard gamepad, meaning you have to switch to a mouse and keyboard, just to get rid of the pop-up. With the Valve Steam Controller (2026), you don’t need to do that.
The TMR thumbsticks feel great, and with the Puck keeping wireless latency down, the Valve Steam Controller (2026) offers a brilliant gaming experience that’s responsive and accurate, even if you’re using it as a generic gamepad without the additional features. For PC gamers looking to enjoy a more console-like experience, it’s a fantastic peripheral that bridges the gaps between keyboard and mouse and a gamepad. Using it for games like Crimson Desert worked brilliantly, with the touchpads giving me a mouse-like control when aiming, along with no perceptible lag when getting into frantic fights. While the rumble never blew me away as it does with compatible games and the DualSense (which needs to connect to a PC via a cable for the full experience), it still worked well and added another level of immersion.
Valve also promises a battery life of over 35 hours, and during my time playing with the Valve Steam Controller (2026) with a whole manner of games and using the gyroscopic controls, touchpads, and with rumble turned on, I didn’t experience the gamepad running out of battery. To be fair, the magnetic charging Puck is so convenient that I ended up placing the controller on it after most play sessions, which helped keep the battery topped up.
Should I buy Valve Steam Controller (2026)?
|
Attribute |
Notes |
Score |
|
Features |
This controller comes with loads of additional features that will especially appeal to PC gamers. |
4/5 |
|
Performance |
Solid and dependable, with minimal latency, long battery life and responsive and reliable TMR thumbsticks. |
4.5/5 |
|
Design |
A big improvement over the original, with the new touchpads placed in convenient locations, and plenty of additional buttons. You can’t swap out switches or thumbsticks like you can with some pro gamepads. |
4/5 |
|
Value |
At $99 / £85, this is a pricey controller, but the price feels justified thanks to the features it includes. |
3.5/5 |
Buy it if…
Don’t buy it if…
Also consider
|
Valve Steam Controller (2026) |
8BitDo Ultimate 2 |
GameSir Tarantula Pro |
|
|
Price |
$99 / £85 |
$59.99 / £49.99 |
$69.99 / £69.99 |
|
Compatibility |
PC, Mac, iOS / Android |
PC, Android |
PC, Nintendo Switch, Android, iOS |
|
Connectivity |
Steam Controller Puck, USB, Bluetooth |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C) |
Wireless (2.4GHz, Bluetooth), Wired (USB-C) |
|
Battery life |
35+ hours |
10-15 hours |
Around 12 hours |
How I tested the Valve Steam Controller (2026)
- Played several games over multiple gaming sessions
- Tested over the course of several days
- Games include The Last of Us 2, Crimson Desert, Planet Coaster 2
During my time testing the Valve Steam Controller (2026), I played numerous games from different genres to get an idea of how the gamepad performs, including games that I would usually only use a mouse and keyboard for.
While most of the games I tested were on Steam, I also tested out Hitman: World of Assassination on Epic Games Store to see how it would work with non-Steam games. I’ve been reviewing PC gaming peripherals for almost two decades, and have been an avid gamer for over 30 years on both consoles and PCs.
Read the full article here
