More from Steam Machines have returned: all the news about Valve’s new hardware universe
6
Verge Score
$1,049 buys PS5 performance in a couch-friendly desktop.
Three months after Valve’s doozy of an update arrived in preview — the first with support for the Steam Machine and a whole lot more — it’s getting a full stable release. Here’s the changelog. But when will the Steam Machine arrive? Valve’s had quite a few shipments now...
Don’t want to spread any FUD, since it sounds like there’s more than meets the eye, but there’s been one report of the Controller’s exposed charging pins latching onto a magnetic watch strap (while that watch was also charging) in a potentially dangerous way. We’ve asked Valve. Let us know if you see something similar!
So says Valve designer Lawrence Yang in an interview with NerdNest. After the Steam Controller quickly sold out, Valve introduced a reservation system so people wait for their turn to buy. The launches of the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, whenever they happen, could be even more competitive — maybe a reservation system would ease a little bit of the chaos.
Back in 2015, somebody wrote a program to make the original Steam Controller “sing” Doom’s theme song and other music. Catch up to 2026, and people are already making music with the new Steam Controller. Here’s “Still Alive” from Portal, and I love this rendition of the Super Mario Bros. 2 theme.
With the files, people can more easily make accessories for the hardware. “Feel free to use these to make your own Puck holders, Controller sweaters, or whatever else you want to create!” Valve says on the GitLab page with the files.
Can’t wait to see what folks come up with. (And if you’re doing something cool, let me know!)
According to Valve:
Steam Controller ran out faster than we anticipated, and we hate that not everyone who wanted one was able to get it. We’re working on getting more in stock and will have an update on expected timeline soon.
The Controller went on sale on Monday, but before long, it was going in and out of stock. For the moment, it seems like it’s totally sold out.
We’ve asked Valve if it can share more details about the overall stock situation — as I write this, Valve’s website says the controller is out of stock.
In an interview in April, Valve’s Pierre-Loup Griffais told The Verge that, “We have significant quantity built up and production capacity,” but noted that “Whether what we consider ‘significant’ lines up with the world at large and how many people might want this controller, I guess we’ll find out. But, we think we’re ready.”
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
Valve’s $99 Steam Controller is up for purchase exclusively at Steam. We’ve spent a bunch of time with it recently, so check out our review if you’re still on the fence. Also, read our deep dive on how the new model compares to competitors, and catch up on the replies to the AMA we held last week for Verge subscribers.
If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.
Even though Valve says the Steam Controller is built for “anything running Steam,” out of curiosity, I paired my Steam Controller review unit to my iPhone 16 Pro this afternoon. Most native iOS games I tried didn’t recognize the controller. When they did, there were problems, like not being able to move my Fortnite character at all.
I’ve pinged Valve and Apple to see if this situation might change. As expected, the controller worked with games streamed over the Steam Link app, though!
Update: Noted that the controller is designed for devices running Steam.
It’s part of a big update Valve released for Steam. The update also includes gamepad improvements like a “low battery level toast” and a battery indicator in the header while you’re using wireless controllers. The Steam Deck got a big update with many of these improvements, too.
[Steam News]
If you have any burning questions about Valve’s new gamepad after reading our reviews, Cameron Faulkner and I will be responding in the comments of this article starting at 3PM ET.
We reviewed Valve’s new Steam Controller, ask us anything
There’s still no word on when it will be out, though. And with Valve still working on getting the Steam Controller out the door next week and shipping the Steam Frame and Steam Machine sometime this year, we could be waiting a while for a Steam Deck 2.
Every controller should have this, right? With most pads, you’d be lucky to even vibrate them at a distance — but TIL that official Nintendo Switch 2 pads do this too.
