Most of the hype surrounding the announcement of Valve's recent trio of new hardware was focused on its Steam Machine mini gaming PC, as folks hoped and assumed it would be as aggressively priced as the original Steam Deck, making for a console-like PC for the living room. However, for existing PC and Steam Deck owners, the new Steam Controller is arguably the far more significant launch. If you're looking for a single device to effortlessly control your living room HTPC or docked Steam Deck, or you just want a gamepad that can also offer mouse-like control for reclined gaming at your desk, it's a must-buy. Valve told us that more and more PC gamers are using gamepads instead of keyboard and mouse inputs, but most of the best PC controllers are hamstrung by only being useful for certain games, and only once the game is launched. With Valve's new Steam Controller, you can navigate your desktop to launch a game without resorting to a keyboard and mouse, and play basically any game, even if it doesn't normally play well with a controller. Valve pioneered the concept with its original Steam Controller that launched almost exactly 10 years ago, but the second-gen Steam Controller is an improvement in every way.