Leaks level to Valve’s Steam Controller 2.0 with a $100 price ticket

The Steam Machine 2.0 set off a flurry of hypothesis on blurred strains between PC gaming and consoles. The Steam Body had me hoping Valve may save the struggling VR gaming area of interest. However each of these units depend on RAM and storage… which implies their very existences are form of up within the air proper now. However Valve’s new Steam Controller doesn’t have that drawback.

A collection of leaks certain appear to point that the Steam Controller 2.0 is being prepped for a full launch, presumably months earlier than the Steam Machine and Steam Body. And although it seems to be prefer it’ll be costly—$100, which is $30 greater than an Xbox controller proper now—it would nonetheless change into the de facto customary for PC gaming controllers.

However I’m getting forward of myself. First, the leaks. A YouTuber by accident set a video to stay for what seems to be like the ultimate, retail launch of the Steam Controller. The reviewer mentioned the system is “solely $25 greater than a PS5 controller.” Because the present model of the DualSense retails for $74.99, yeah, that $100 price ticket tracks.

If you happen to’re wincing, contemplate that all first-party controllers have gotten costlier in the previous couple of years, and the revived model of the Steam Controller options twin touchpads, gyroscopic sensors, TMR (much like Corridor impact) sticks, a devoted wi-fi “puck” that doubles as a magnetic charger, and 4 rear buttons. In functionality, it’s quite a bit nearer to the PS5 controller than the Xbox controller. With the high-speed USB adapter within the field and a second touchpad, the worth isn’t unreasonable, even when it’s greater than I hoped for.

Extra leaks. Within the newest model of SteamOS, the brand new Steam Controller will get specific help, indicating Valve is prepping it for sport time. (I cannot ask you to pardon the pun. It’s Monday morning and my espresso hasn’t kicked in but. We’re gonna sit right here and look that pun proper within the face.) We’ve additionally seen Steam Controller delivery manifests for the US, so it seems to be just like the {hardware} is nearly able to roll out in a minimum of one territory.

Whereas I’m usually reticent to report information based mostly on information alone, the rapid-fire nature of these things approaching over the past month makes me fairly assured that we’ll see the second-gen Steam Controller touchdown inside the subsequent few weeks.

Must you get one? That query actually does want to attend for full critiques. However even with that prime price ticket, I’m fairly excited. If the Steam Controller was only a retread of the unique, fairly flawed design however with a second thumbstick and full D-pad, it could nonetheless be attention-grabbing. However it is a new system that’s integrating the trendiest controller tech from the final 10 years, with all of the software program tips Valve has realized within the interim, particularly for making mouse-and-keyboard video games work with a controller kind issue.

This can be a huge deal for those who’re enjoying PC video games on a sofa, both with a docked Steam Deck (or different handheld) or with a full PC plugged into it, a la Valve’s promo pictures for the Steam Machine. That was, certainly, all the time the plan for the Steam Controller. However after years of labor on the Steam Deck and SteamOS, to not point out certifying tons of of video games, Valve is aware of what it’s doing. Even that leaked evaluate signifies that it nonetheless can’t beat a mouse and keyboard for full aggressive titles like Counter-Strike or League of Legends, however it’s greater than sufficient for those who simply wish to play a standard PC sport whereas holding a giant hunk of plastic.

Must you get one for those who play PC video games at a desk in a chair? I doubt will probably be needed. Regardless of newer and arguably higher controllers hitting the market, my Xbox Elite controller hasn’t been shaken from its perch. However for almost anybody else, particularly if you’d like a controller that may deal with a number of units, it is going to most likely be actually interesting. Valve has an opportunity to make a brand new controller customary for PC gaming, in the identical method it’s carried out for software program distribution and PC handhelds. I’ll have an interest to see if it sticks the touchdown.