Weeks after a shipment of Steam controllers came into the US, Valve has officially announced that the Steam controller will launch on May 4th at $99 USD and $149 CAD, according to Steam in a blog post.
Steam described its second-generation Steam controller, powered by Steam Input, designed to play all your Steam games on a variety of devices including PC, laptop, and especially Steam OS hardware like the Steam Deck plus through Steam Link for Windows, Mac, and Linux. Before the sharp price increases in computer components like RAM and storage over the many months, Valve’s plan was to release the Steam Controller, Steam Frame, and Steam Machine all at once but during these time the company understandably had to pivot to get the controller out first.
Getting into technical specifics, the Steam Controller uses next-generation magnetic thumb sticks with TMR technology that features an improved feel, responsiveness, long-term reliability, and supports capacitive touch for motion controls with a battery that allows you to play your games for 35+ hours. Additionally, Valve’s latest controller features trackpads, gyro, and grip sense/buttons that the company goes deep into explaining in the post’s Q&A section.
Out of the box, the Steam Controller also comes with a magnetic puck that latches onto the controller and automatically charges the device “with a super-satisfying click..” The Steam controller puck isn’t just a hassle-free charging hub but also acts as a wireless transmitter that provides a fast and stable connection to players using the controller on PC. The Steam Controller is currently listed on Steam but pre-orders aren’t available, and you’ll have to order when the device launches; hopefully, it won’t be as much of a wild west whn I pre-order my Steam Deck.
As for the Steam Frame and Steam Machine, Valve says they don’t have any updates to share right now, but says “we’re hard at work on it, and we hope to have news soon,” according to an interview with The Verge. All three of Valve’s recent hardware were revealed in an media-only event back in November.
