Valve Steam Controller: What reviewers are saying, how to get your hands on one

Attention PC gamers: The controller of your dreams might be here soon.

Valve's new Steam Controller is set to launch imminently, and early reviews are out now to give us an idea of what to expect. This is a fully customizable gamepad that's meant to work with every (or at least almost every) game in your Steam library. It was initially revealed alongside the upcoming Steam Machine and VR headset Valve is producing, but the controller is coming first because, well, it hasn't fallen victim to the global memory shortage like the console and VR headset have.

With all of that being said, here is how to get your hands on a Steam Controller, as well as what some critics are saying about it.

How to get a Steam Controller

The process of getting a Steam Controller seems relatively straightforward, though I can't personally guarantee success when the time comes.

Orders open on May 4 at 1 p.m. ET, when they will be available for purchase through the official Valve Steam Controller store page. Will there be enough stock for everyone to get one? Given that this isn't subject to the RAM shortage, there may very well be.

Steam Controller review roundup

As for what critics are saying about it, pretty much every major outlet's review is much more positive than negative. That's especially in comparison to the original 2015 Steam Controller, which had two mouse-replicating touchpads in place of analog sticks. It was...divisive, to say the least.

The new Steam controller has two regular analog sticks, a normal array of face and shoulder buttons, some optional back buttons for good measure, and two trackpads like the Steam Deck for any mouse inputs you might need to do.

Our friend Will Greenwald at PCMag says he hated the original Steam Controller, but adores the way the new one feels in his hands.

"The new Steam Controller is much more solid, comparable with an Xbox gamepad in heft and grip curve. It’s still mostly plain, matte black plastic, but textured to be more secure and less slippery than its half-glossy predecessor," Greenwald wrote. "The touchpads have a smooth, satiny finish that's so much nicer under the thumb, the triggers have smooth tension that doesn't feel remotely spongy, and the permanently attached rear buttons are nice and clicky. It feels better to hold in all regards."

While the Steam Controller is mostly just a game controller with some additional inputs, it does have a unique charging puck that snaps onto the bottom of the controller. You can plug a USB cable into the puck and connect it to your PC, allowing for easy charging while you play. Jessica Conditt of Engadget had high praise for this little addition, but also noted that other forms of connectivity work just fine, too.

"The puck snaps onto the belly of the controller for charging, and when you hover the gamepad’s connection point over it, it jumps up and latches on like a cute little sucker fish. I don’t know if this behavior is an intentional selling point, but it certainly is for me," Conditt wrote. "The Steam Controller also connects to devices via Bluetooth or with a cable, and in all configurations it’s performed without issue for me."

On top of that, everyone agreed that battery life isn't an issue here. Valve promises more than 30 hours of battery life on a single charge, and with the charging puck, you never have to stop playing for a power up.

Generally speaking, critics agree that playing games with the Steam Controller is a quality experience, though it's worth noting that not everyone loved that aspect of the device in all contexts. Multiple reviews noted that the controller is only compatible with Steam games, so if you want to play Xbox Game Pass games with it, you're out of luck. Beyond that, some critics, like IGN's Bo Moore, noted that playing conventionally mouse-controlled games with the touchpads is not a great experience.

"For the sake of testing, I tried playing Crusader Kings 3 and Against the Storm with the Steam Controller, neither of which have built-in controller support," Moore wrote. "In both cases, the games were playable, but it’s not a very efficient or enjoyable experience, and I gave up in frustration after a few minutes, even when employing one of the community profiles already built for the Steam Deck."

Even with those particular limitations, it sounds like the Steam Controller is kind of a dream gamepad for anyone with a massive Steam library and a desire to play games from their couch every now and then.