A New Official Steam Controller Is On The Way. Yes, For Real

Controller manufacturer Hori has announced a new Steam-focused wireless controller launching later this year. Hori’s wireless Steam controller is officially licensed by Valve, and both companies worked together to ensure the gamepad and all its features are fully compatible with Steam on desktop and Steam Deck.

Valve discontinued its own official Steam controller back in 2019, so this new collaboration with Hori is notable. As of now, it’s the only controller for Steam that’s in active production, which is pretty wild considering how massive Steam is.

Unlike the discontinued Steam controller, which used touch-based trackpads instead of thumbsticks and a unique button layout, Hori’s pad offers a more traditional design similar to most other wireless controllers. All the expected face buttons, shoulder triggers, and thumbsticks are present, but there are also a few bonus features, including four remappable buttons—two on the front and two paddles on the back. It also has dedicated buttons for the Steam Big Picture Mode overlay and Steam Quick Access Menu.

Hori’s Steam controller uses offset thumbstick placement like the standard Xbox or Nintendo Switch Pro controllers. Unfortunately, the thumbsticks do not use anti-drift Hall Effect sensors, but they do have touch-sensitive stick tops like the Steam Deck’s thumbsticks. It also lacks rumble support. However, there are plenty of other features, including turbo mode and gyro support.

As for connectivity, Hori’s wireless Steam controller supports Steam Input over Bluetooth or wired USB, so it should work natively with Steam and Steamdeck. There’s also an XInput mode so you can use the controller on Windows with non-Steam games, but that mode only works with wired connections and disables gyro controls. That said, Windows users can use Hori’s desktop app to adjust settings like stick sensitivity, button mapping, and more. The controller has an estimated 12-hour battery life in Bluetooth mode.

Hori’s wireless Steam controller launches on October 31. So far, it’s only been announced for Japan. There’s no word on if or when the controller will be available outside Japan, but for now, preorders are live at Hori’s online store for ¥7,980, or roughly $50 USD. It comes in white, black, neon yellow, and neon purple colors. We’ll be sure to update if the controller becomes available in North America. Interestingly, there is an an Xbox (wired) controller from Hori that has a very similar design.

In the meantime, if you’re looking for our recommendations for more gamepads that work with Steam, check out our list of the best controllers for PC.

Fighting game fans should also consider Hori’s newly announced Street Fighter controller. Releasing in August and available to preorder from Amazon now, the Hori Fighting Commander Octa is offered in two different Street Fighter themes: Cammy and Juri. Below, you can also check out some current deals on controllers that are compatible with Steam Deck, PC, and the console platform listed.