Valve has proven one thing with its Steam Deck: players are willing to give a product a second chance as long as it’s in the right direction. SteamOS, which was laughed at at the time for being too advanced, has now become a popular solution in the handheld market; Steam Hardware, which was not very successful at the time, has now become a pioneer that many people are looking back on. Now, Valve seems ready to take the next step.
The latest news points out that the new generation of Steam Controller is suspected to be exposed due to the early release of a review video. The video not only shows a large number of features, but also mentions that the price will be $100. As soon as the news came out, players were not surprised at first, but frowned at first.
Because $100 means that this product is no longer an accessory, but positioned as high-end hardware.
What leaked out this time is not like fake news, but more like someone swiping to make it public
According to foreign media, the YouTube channel Techy Talk briefly posted a new Steam Controller review video, with the title directly reading Valve’s new product actual test. The content of the video is quite complete, from appearance, operation to function display, unlike fake revelations that are temporarily edited. The most important thing is that the film mentions that the price is $100.
In addition, there have been rumors in the market recently that Valve is preparing to announce new hardware. Therefore, many players believe that this is more like the leakage of promotional materials in advance, rather than a simple online fantasy article.
Valve has always been low-key, but low-key doesn’t mean it doesn’t do anything. Many times, it just waits until the product is almost finished before suddenly throwing it out.
Steam Controller lost the market, but not the concept
When many people think of Steam Controller now, they only remember that it was not a success back then. But if you look at it over time, it is actually just born too early.
The biggest feature of the first-generation Steam Controller was the large touchpad design. The purpose was very clear: to allow players to play PC games that were originally operated by mouse and keyboard while sitting on the sofa. For genres like strategy, simulation, construction, and management, which used to be difficult to handle by hand, Steam Controller provides another answer.
The market wasn’t ready back then, and players weren’t used to this way of operating, so it didn’t become mainstream. But now that Steam Deck is successful, the entire market’s acceptance of trackpads, living room PCs, and SteamOS has been completely different.
Some products don’t fail, they just come too early.
Rumored specs are strong enough, but $100 will put people off
According to leaked information, the new version of Steam Controller is expected to be equipped with dual touchpads, back buttons, TMR joysticks, and a back touch sensing area. These configurations may be just add-ons for ordinary players, but for advanced PC players, they represent more input freedom and customization space.
Paired with the Steam Input system, Valve’s advantage has never been the hardware itself, but its software integration capabilities. In theory, a handle can provide far more flexibility than traditional controllers.
The problem is, once the price hits $100, the market standards are different.
This is equivalent to approximately NT$3,200, HK$780, and MYR 470. This range is no longer “just buy a deputy controller”, but close to the consumer level of high-end controllers. Players will naturally start to ask: Is it really worth the price?
Valve is not competing with DualSense, it is making another product
Many people will compare the new Steam Controller to the DualSense, Xbox controller, or Switch 2 Pro Controller, but this comparison is only half correct.
Because what Valve wants to do is never standard home phone controllers. What it wants is that you can still operate comfortably when playing “Civilization VII” (Civilization VII), “Total War” (Total War), emulators, MMOs, and various PC games with complex keystrokes on the sofa.
For such needs, traditional console handles cannot completely replace them. Therefore, if Steam Controller succeeds, it will not eat the console controller market, but the blank market that PC players have been compromising for many years.