So the new Steam Controller is released. I kind of fancy one. I love my Steam Deck, so a controller with similar abilities, which I can use with the 'Deck or with my Windows PC (and perhaps my future Steam Machine?), is a bit of a no-brainer.
Buying one is going just as well as you'd imagine. Added to the basket at the moment of release. Here I am, over 40 minutes later, playing the worst clicker game going...
Just... one... more... click...
After dropping one in my basket at 18:00 (UTC+01:00) yesterday, it took around 70 minutes of trying and trying and trying to get to a point where I could pay.
It paid off.
Now I just need to wait however long it takes for it to turn up.
When I first dropped the controller in my basket it was showing that shipping would be within 3 to 5 working days; by the time I managed to pay it was saying 6 to 10 working days.
Which is fine, it's not like I need this right now. My plan is to use it with my Steam Deck in console mode, plugged into the TV; eventually though I hope I'll be using it with a Steam Machine.
So, yeah, I can wait a couple of weeks.
After a day of no movement, I wake up to see this:
One step closer to getting my hands on it!
I'm oddly kind of invested in getting my hands on this. A regret I have is that I never bought one of the originals. Back in the day I did buy (and still own) a Steam Link and it served me well for a while, 4 homes ago. The 1st gen controller would have been ideal with that but somehow I just never got round to grabbing one.
And, sure, while I have Xbox and Sony controllers kicking around (I especially like my Death Stranding 2 DualSense controller), there's something very appealing about a controller that feels the way the Steam Deck does; I find it a really pleasant gaming experience in the hand.
So, this time, I'm not missing out.
My primary intended use at the moment is to pair it with my Steam Deck and use it as my "Steam Console", plugged into the TV while I game from the sofa. Eventually I hope to be pairing it with a Steam Machine, of course.
Meanwhile, since moving last year, I've not set up my Windows gaming machine yet. It's a bit bulky to have in the current living room setup, but not impossible to set up in the office. Perhaps... perhaps I should actually dig out the Steam Link again and set it up with that!
Well, that was pretty quick. This morning it was in the packaged state and, checking just now:
When I've bought hardware from Valve before, I'm pretty sure it's taken around 3 days to get here, coming from the Netherlands. I can see this is shipping from there too, so I'm going to guess about the same amount of time.
So, some time early next week at the latest, perhaps?
Not that I'm avidly tracking it because I'm envious of all the pictures I'm seeing on Reddit, but...
One step closer to getting my hands on my Steam Controller!
Looks like my Steam Controller is close! Very close!
Good job I updated the OS on the Steam Deck yesterday. It's almost like I anticipated this.
It has arrived!
I feel that Valve have upped their presentation game a little. Even the box feels quality; I don't remember my Steam Deck turning up in such a nice box.
I might give it a go tonight. I probably should. On the other hand there's some coding I want to mess with so I have competing desires!
The plan, at the moment, given my Windows gaming PC is still kind of packed up after moving late last year, is to pair this up with either the Deck, or perhaps even my MacBook (it's got Steam on it now too) and try out a couple of games and see how it feels.
Well, this week didn't quite go according to plan, so I didn't get to test out the Steam Controller straight after it arrived. This afternoon, after messing about with code and agents for a few hours, I decided it was high time I stopped doing coding things (and to some extent day-job learning things) and instead did gaming things.
I dragged the Steam Deck and its dock into the living room, hooked everything up, and had a few hours of running and shooting and stuff. Before I could get started I had to plug the "puck" into the Deck with the supplied cable, and let it update. I then had to unplug the puck and plug in the controller to do the same. Finally I had to plug the puck back in (I hadn't quite realised, but it's the wireless connector for the controller) and I was good to go.
I messed around with a few things, including Brotato, DooM II, Cyberpunk 2077 and a lot of Suit For Hire. All felt good. All worked well. For some reason, this more than ever, makes me look forward to the Steam Machine.
I have a funny feeling I'll be joining the reservation queue when I get the chance.
As for the controller itself: it's a controller. It feels good in the hand. It feels comfortable. All the buttons feel in the right place. As someone who's used a Deck for a while it feels like having all the benefits of the Deck without having to hold the Deck itself. If you are already partly in the Valve hardware ecosystem it makes perfect sense as a thing to own.
Yes, I did try dropping it (carefully). No, I didn't manage to make it scream.