We wrote, not too long ago about how quickly the Steam Controller sold-out. Not unexpected, but the pace of the sell-out was drastic.
Whilst we managed to get hold of one (it arrived yesterday!), we’re putting it through it’s paces and the official Dying Art Media review will take a few weeks. But, it’s been interesting to see the overall sentiment online.
As such, we’ve pulled-together the general vibe towards the Steam Controller to give you an idea of what the consensus is.
Our review will be ready when it’s ready, and we’ll keep it as independent as we can. The detail here isn’t fact or even our own opinion, just what the world seems to think, early-doors.
The “Puck” is the Unsung Hero
Almost every reviewer (from PC Gamer to Digital Foundry) has fallen in love with “The Puck.” This magnetic wireless dongle doubles as a charging dock. You can snap it onto the back of the controller to charge while playing, or leave it on your desk as a receiver.
The Vibe: It’s being called the most elegant charging solution in years, solving the “dead battery” anxiety that plagued previous wireless gamepads.
TMR Sticks: The End of Drift?
Valve opted for Tunnel Magnetoresistance (TMR) thumbsticks over standard Hall Effect sensors. Reviewers are noting that these sticks offer the same drift-resistance as Hall Effect but with significantly lower power consumption.
The Vibe: High praise for precision and longevity. Gamers Nexus confirmed the sticks perform on par with “Elite” tier controllers, making this a viable choice for competitive shooters—provided you can get used to the layout.
The Trackpad Renaissance
The dual trackpads are back, but they’ve moved. Instead of replacing the face buttons, they now sit below the thumbsticks (similar to the Steam Deck layout).
The Vibe: This is the controller’s superpower.
Sentiment on Reddit (r/SteamController) is buzzing, with users highlighting that it makes games that feel unplayable on the sofa, like RTS (Anno, Civilization) and CRPGs (Baldur’s Gate 3) feel native. The haptic feedback on the pads is reportedly a massive step up from the 2015 original.
Build Quality: Premium Features, “Cheaper” Feel
One of the few consistent gripes involves the shell. While the internals are high-end, some reviewers (LTT and Eurogamer) noted that the plastic feels a bit “hard and hollow” compared to the soft-touch finish of a PS5 DualSense.
The Vibe: It feels like a tool, not a luxury toy. It’s sturdy and highly repairable (kudos to the iFixit partnership), but it lacks the “premium” texture some expected for £85.
The “Steam-Only” Catch
The sentiment is overwhelmingly positive—if you stay within Steam**.** Using the controller on Windows for non-Steam games or on consoles is described as a frustrating experience. It relies heavily on Steam Input to work its magic.
The Vibe: It’s the ultimate accessory for the Steam Deck (when docked) and SteamOS users, but “Windows-only” gamers who use multiple launchers might find the setup tedious.
Hidden Easter Eggs
In a classic Valve move, reviewers discovered that the controller plays sounds through its haptics. Most notably, PCMag confirmed that if you drop the controller, it plays the iconic Wilhelm Scream.
This has been doing the rounds on Reddit, Tiktok, podcasts. Yet, until we try it ourselves, we still will not believe it’s true. It feels like a ruse to get folk to damage their Steam Controllers. Moreover, how the hell did someone work this out in the first place?
The Vibe: Pure Valve. It’s these small touches that have the community feeling like the company actually cares about the hardware.
The Verdict
The general consensus over the last 14 days is that the Steam Controller (2026) is a Niche King. It isn’t trying to replace your Xbox controller for Call of Duty.
Instead, it’s winning over the crowd that wants to play every PC game from their couch. If you value customization, repairability, and the ability to play mouse-driven games with a gamepad, the sentiment seems pretty clear: This is the best controller Valve has ever made.
Steam Controller
We’ve used ours for literally 40 minutes, so it’s hard to pass any real commentary. The Steam Controller certainly looks that part, and the plastic definitely feels a little less premium than expected.
Whilst the feel and weight aren’t quite where we expected them to be. It’s too early to have any strong feelings either way.
One legacys test we want to try is seeing if it’ll work well with the Steam Link. We’ve barely used it, and it feels like the perfect step to getting that couch-play PC experience. It’s going to be interesting at the very least, and, honestly, playing some games on the sofa like when we played console all the time. That sounds like a great idea after being sat at a desk all day.
