The $99 Steam Controller Seems Expensive, But It's Really Not

When I archetypal heard that the Steam Controller was $99, I instantly recoiled. For what is ostensibly a halfway controller, it'd beryllium a large terms hike supra its chap $75 PS5's DualSense 5 oregon $70 Xbox Series X controller. But the much I beryllium down and deliberation astir each the tech that Valve managed to shove into this thing, the much it seems similar a beauteous decent deal.

That mostly comes down to wherever it's competing. The satellite of PC controllers is afloat of ultra-premium "pro" controllers, that battalion successful immoderate of the aforesaid features arsenic the Steam Controller but astatine a overmuch higher price. I mean, conscionable look astatine the Asus ROG Raikiri II: It has the aforesaid TMR sticks, but with added RGB lighting, and it costs astir twice arsenic much arsenic Valve's controller.

But wherever Valve's controller lacks fancy rainbow lighting, it has the aforesaid haptic trackpads arsenic the Steam Deck. These are divisive, of course, and they marque the controller rather a spot larger than it would beryllium otherwise, but they're genuinely utile for anyone playing PC games that don't usually play bully with a accepted controller.

Really, that's what besides sets the Steam Controller isolated from immoderate of the much affordable controllers with TMR sticks. Something similar the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 oregon the GameSir G7 Pro besides person the aforesaid benignant of joysticks that'll astir apt past you for years, but they're overmuch cheaper, coming successful astatine $69 and $79, respectively. But, again, those controllers don't person Valve's fancy small touchpads.

I'm not saying that the Steam Controller is the champion woody retired determination for a controller – acold from it. But for each the features, Valve astir apt could person got distant with charging rather a spot more. And I conscionable anticipation the institution carries that doctrine guardant for the Steam Machine.

Maybe The Steam Machine Won't Be Super Expensive

Assuming the Steam Machine comes retired immoderate clip successful the forseeable future, I don't deliberation there's immoderate escaping a higher terms tag than we initially hoped. All the mode backmost successful November, I was guessing that Valve's console-esque mini gaming PC would outgo at least $800, and the concern has lone got much costly implicit the past six months oregon so.

But still, erstwhile I talked to Valve past year, it insisted that the Steam Machine would beryllium priced competitively with likewise specced gaming PCs. It's hard to instrumentality that astatine look worth successful a satellite wherever RAM costs person gone done the roof, but the Steam Controller coming successful astatine specified an affordable terms is simply a bully sign.

Assuming that Valve went into the Steam Controller pricing with the aforesaid doctrine of matching comparable products, it truly does look similar it succeeded. Sure, determination are cheaper controllers retired determination with some of the features, but the Steam Controller holds its ain against gamepads that outgo upwards of $150. In our interrogation with Valve, Steve Cardinali told america that the terms was kept down done "discipline astir what we see and don't include." That definite explains the deficiency of garish RGB lighting, but it besides sounds precise akin to what Valve was telling maine backmost successful November astir keeping the Steam Machine terms down.

There's inactive a pit successful my tummy wherever I fearfulness that the Steam Machine is going to outgo thing ridiculous similar $1,500. And, well, I conjecture that's inactive possible. But if the Steam Controller is immoderate indication, possibly Valve volition find a mode to compression it successful nether $1,200. That's astir apt inactive going to beryllium excessively precocious for a batch of people, but conscionable similar this controller, it could beryllium a lot much expensive.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor astatine IGN and the PC components queen. You tin travel her @Jackiecobra