The touchpads can even be set up to control the mouse on the Windows desktop, using one touchpad to move the pointer, the other for a scroll-wheel effect, and the shoulder buttons to click. It’s not the ideal Windows experience, but it can be handy for switching quickly to non-gaming apps without needing to take your hand off the controller.
The touchpads seem to take up a lot of space but are easy to ignore if you’re not actively using them.
The touchpads seem to take up a lot of space but are easy to ignore if you’re not actively using them.
Kyle Orland
The touchpad on the Steam Controller is a little angled compared to the similar one on the Steam Deck.
Kyle Orland
The touchpads seem to take up a lot of space but are easy to ignore if you’re not actively using them.
The touchpad on the Steam Controller is a little angled compared to the similar one on the Steam Deck.
Kyle Orland
I even found myself playing around with the touchpads in games with thumbstick control options available. In first-person shooters, for instance, the touchpad can approach (but not quite match) the speed and precision of mouse-based aim, with momentum-based flicks for quick turning and more fine-grained thumb twiddling for small adjustments. While mastering this kind of aim takes some practice, it’s a revelation once you’ve got it down.
The Steam Controller also supports tilt controls with an internal gyroscope. These can be set to activate when your thumbs are detected on the stick or when your palms are sensed on the grips, limiting accidental tilting and freeing up the buttons you’d usually use to activate this mode.
Skate to the Puck
The Steam Deck’s other major point of differentiation with many other controllers out there is what Valve is calling the Puck. This tiny oval connects to a PC or gaming handheld via USB-C cable and serves as a dedicated wireless receiver for the controller on its own wireless frequency.
Kyle Orland
This tiny little puck helps provide a rock-solid wireless connection from long range.
Kyle Orland
Next to the controller for scale.
Next to the controller for scale.
This tiny little puck helps provide a rock-solid wireless connection from long range.
Kyle Orland
Next to the controller for scale.
Kyle Orland
Close up on the magnetic connection that makes for easy charging with the Puck
Kyle Orland
Kyle Orland
Plugged in via the Puck, you can charge the Steam Controller without playing around with wires.
Kyle Orland
Close up on the magnetic connection that makes for easy charging with the Puck
Kyle Orland
Plugged in via the Puck, you can charge the Steam Controller without playing around with wires.
Kyle Orland
While you can switch the Steam Controller to Bluetooth mode (for connecting to a console, say), using the Puck means avoiding all the fiddly pairing and slow-to-connect annoyances inherent to Bluetooth controllers. As soon as you plug in the associated Puck, the Steam Controller is instantly detected and ready to use.
Using the Puck also gives the Steam Controller an extremely strong wireless range that isn’t subject to interference from other Bluetooth traffic. In stress testing, I was able to get my PC to register Steam Controller inputs through two entire floors of physical obstructions at a distance of roughly 50 feet. That’s a huge upgrade from the Bluetooth mode on my PS5 controller, which struggles with a stable connection to my docked living room Steam Deck from just 15 feet away.