Valve on Steam Controller Pricing, the RAM Shortage, and the Latest on Steam Deck 2

Back successful November 2025, Valve revealed an full suite of caller gaming hardware, led by the Steam Machine. Initially, the Steam Machine, the Steam Frame and the Steam Controller were expected to motorboat simultaneously successful aboriginal 2026, but that didn't happen. Due successful ample portion to the ongoing RAM crisis, the Steam Machine and its accompanying controller and VR headset were delayed. However, Valve has yet announced that it's conscionable going to merchandise the Steam Controller connected May 4 for $99, truthful that it tin get into the hands of gamers.

While we person a reappraisal of the upcoming controller, we were besides capable to beryllium down with Valve Programmer Pierre-Loup Griffais and Engineer Steve Cardinali to sermon the controller and the determination to merchandise it connected its own. And it sounds similar you tin astatine slightest get a caput commencement connected the Steam Machine experience, adjacent if you person to usage a antithetic machine for a while.

IGN: I americium joined present with Pierre-Louis and Steve from Valve. Thank you guys for joining maine today. Could you spell up and present yourselves and archer america what you're moving on?

Pierre-Loup Griffais: Sure. Yeah. So I'm Pierre-Loup Griffais, and I enactment present connected the level broadside astatine Valve. So I've been moving connected processing SteamOS and our assorted hardware initiatives implicit the years.

Steve Cardinali: I'm Steve Cardinali. I'm a hardware engineer. I'm chiefly a mechanical engineer. I've been moving connected the Steam Controller, getting it from inception done wide production.

IGN: So to commencement off, we're evidently talking astir Steam Controller today. One of the things I privation to inquire astir is, there's a batch of antithetic factors that spell into what you see a pro controller, a precocious extremity controller. From y'all's perspective, what bash you see the indispensable features?

Cardinali: Yeah, I mean, for us, we privation to supply arsenic galore precocious inputs arsenic imaginable truthful radical tin conscionable play their games the mode they want. In particular, some gyro and trackpads are thing we find truly important for these precocious diagnostic controllers. They're a precocious accomplishment ceiling input that you tin usage to get truly precocious show successful competitory games, but besides erstwhile you're playing casual games similar platform builders, they conscionable springiness you different mode to play that's truly comfy.

IGN: A batch of comparable high-end PC controllers often outgo successful the vicinity of upwards of $150 oregon $200. So however were you capable to get the terms down to $99 contempt each of the fancy tech that's worked into the Steam Controller?

Cardinali: Yeah, a batch of it was subject astir what we see and don't include. We benignant of had 1 of these guiding principles that we wanted it to person input parity with the Steam Deck for the astir part. People are playing their Steam platform and past going successful with a controller, we privation it to consciousness truly familiar.

That helped america support things beauteous even-keel connected not throwing successful a full clump of things that would adhd costs. But connected apical of that, there's a batch of thoughtful engineering and plan that goes into it to marque definite that we're delivering the champion imaginable worth astatine the terms constituent we're delivering to springiness radical conscionable a batch of antithetic opportunities.

IGN: You mentioned the trackpads. Do you person immoderate information astir the usage of the way pads? I'm truly funny if radical are really utilizing them to play games a batch oregon is it mostly for desktop navigation oregon thing else?

Griffais: Yeah, we extremity up getting rather a spot of feedback, but it's much indirect. In general, we don't cod a batch of information connected what radical bash and don't bash connected Steam directly, but we effort and enactment tuned to each sorts of feedback. We've seen the way pads being utilized for a batch of gameplaying, camera controls for 3rd idiosyncratic and archetypal idiosyncratic games.

Also, assigning radial and virtual menus connected the near way pad for playing games that are designed for rodent and keyboard with a batch of blistery keys. That's a beauteous important usage lawsuit for them. Obviously, getting done launchers, controlling your desktop is beauteous important, but by and large, I deliberation radical are utilizing it successful game.

IGN: I conscionable ever wonderment if anybody's really trying to play thing similar Crusader Kings oregon an RTS oregon thing that truly needs rodent find rodent control.

Griffais: Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. People person been playing those kinds of games. Even earlier for the archetypal Steam controller, and past each the Steam input furniture with mean controllers, past Steam Deck and present the caller Steam Controller, you spot a batch of assemblage configurations from folks that person created their ain mode of playing those games.

But decidedly the controllers, similar the Deck controller and the caller Steam Controller, to person a way pad person been truly bully experiences, to beryllium capable to instrumentality those games that are designed for rodent keyboard and play them successful different rooms of the house. I deliberation we've seen bully occurrence from that.

IGN: So speaking of the different rooms, tin you guys springiness maine an update connected Steam Machine and Steam Frame? Is determination an updated timeline?

Griffais: Yeah, we don't person nonstop details astir the timeline to stock today. And we're hard astatine enactment connected trying to get them retired the door. I deliberation we are decidedly expecting to rotation retired immoderate quality soon astir that, but successful general, I deliberation things are going well.

The Steam Controller decidedly is simply a gathering artifact for thing similar the Steam Machine, the acquisition of the Steam Machine is going to, particularly for things similar Steam Machine verified and the out-of-box process decidedly is simply a much seamless acquisition with a Steam controller. But we decidedly expect that the controller is besides a merchandise that stands connected its own, that's going to person galore users that are conscionable mean PC desktop users wherever it'll beryllium a bully additive enactment for them.

IGN: So evidently Steam Controller is built for PC oregon machines moving Steam. Was determination ever a information for trying to get console enactment for, say, Xbox, PS5 oregon adjacent conscionable Switch, and getting those to work? I mean, a batch of those systems, they conscionable enactment Bluetooth. And truthful the Steam Controller has Bluetooth obviously, but I tried connecting it and it unsurprisingly did not work. So I'm funny if you've ever had that arsenic a information oregon if it's thing that you would see connected a V2.

Griffais: Yeah, that was not truly a extremity for us, due to the fact that those controllers, oregon astatine slightest those platforms, they person a beauteous fixed anticipation of what they see to beryllium a controller. If you're an Xbox oregon a PlayStation licensed controller, you person a precise circumstantial acceptable of controls and a precise circumstantial API that you're utilizing to pass with games.

And due to the fact that we person those other features, those APIs successful a consciousness don't truly fto you explicit the afloat imaginable of the Steam Controller. And truthful for us, yeah, it's precise overmuch intended to beryllium paired with Steam oregon different lawsuit applications that speech to Steam, similar distant play connected your mobile devices, oregon from a bladed client, astute TV, those kinds of things if you don't person a afloat PC moving Steam.

That being said, we person done a batch of enactment to marque definite that you tin adhd immoderate 3rd enactment app that you're utilizing extracurricular of Steam to Steam truthful that you tin payment from that full furniture of configuration. So that you tin conscionable adhd your games to Steam and inactive usage the controller to its afloat potential.

On platforms wherever Steam's not running, similar you mentioned immoderate consoles and different types of PCs and non-PC devices, we person a baseline level of functionality wherever the controller acts arsenic a benignant of a rodent and keyboard. So you tin usage that to get done your BIOS screens oregon get done immoderate you need, but astatine the extremity of the day, the halfway acquisition is intended for utilizing with Steam.

IGN: So archer maine what's happening with Steam Deck. I've noticed that it's been retired of banal for a bully bit. Can we expect that much banal connected Steam Deck is coming backmost and connected what clip frame?

Griffais: Yeah, we don't truly person immoderate circumstantial details to stock astir that, but it's thing we're moving hard on. And arsenic you are aware, there's a batch of considerations close present with respect to shipping being difficult, and besides representation shortages and each that. So we've been trying to enactment done that due to the fact that we are precise cognizant of the information that there's folks that privation to get Steam Deck and they're not presently capable to get it. It's disposable successful immoderate regions close now, but successful general, it's thing that we're moving precise hard on.

IGN: You mentioned the RAM shortage. What steps is Valve taking to mitigate costs arsenic we're dealing with this RAM shortage for some Steam Deck, forthcoming Steam Machine and different places wherever it affects your hardware?

Griffais: We're trying to marque definite to support options unfastened and to enactment with arsenic galore antithetic manufacturers arsenic we can. I deliberation successful general, that's thing that we're doing passim our hardware plan and accumulation signifier wherever we're ever cognizant of the information that having a azygous root for a fixed portion would enactment america downstream of imaginable shortages, and things similar that successful a mode that affects the continuity of the proviso and the terms for extremity users.

So from the get-go, we've been trying to marque definite that we person galore options there, and that's been proving truly utile successful this benignant of climate, due to the fact that we tin enactment with each the large players and immoderate of the smaller ones arsenic well. That being said, the conditions astir representation are beauteous planetary close now, truthful there's lone truthful overmuch that we tin do. But for example, determination was a akin information during the COVID times wherever there's a microcontroller shortage and radical couldn't truly physique thing that had tiny chips.

So each assemblage from automotive to user PCs was affected by that. And due to the fact that we had truthful galore antithetic options unfastened successful presumption of putting antithetic types of microcontrollers successful there, we were capable to navigate that and support immoderate proviso successful a clime wherever possibly immoderate different players were not capable to bash that. So we expect to beryllium navigating the representation happening the aforesaid way.

IGN: It sounded primitively similar the Steam Controller, Steam Machine and perchance adjacent Frame were each planned to motorboat astatine the aforesaid time, and present we person the controller coming retired earlier the others. Is the hold for the Steam Machine solely owed to the RAM shortage? And is it fundamentally conscionable a terms happening oregon is determination different factor? Is it conscionable not acceptable yet that is keeping it from hitting the market?

Griffais: In presumption of details astir what's going connected with Machine, that's not rather what we're trying to speech astir today. But successful general, I would accidental that there's not an arbitrary information astir tying merchandise launches unneurotic oregon thing similar that. For us, the controller is thing that stands retired connected its ain and we privation to marque definite that we tin get that to customers successful parallel to thing that mightiness beryllium happening with Steam Machine.

I deliberation doing it successful the different bid would've been harder. The Machine is harder to vessel retired without a controller, but the controller is decidedly thing that we deliberation is going to beryllium chiefly utilized by an assemblage connected mean desktop PC. And it's going to beryllium large for Steam Machine, Steam Deck and each these different things, but astatine the extremity of the day, I deliberation the folks that are going to conscionable beryllium getting it to usage connected their PC are going to beryllium the superior assemblage for it.

And truthful we privation to marque definite that we tin get it into their hands arsenic soon arsenic possible, arsenic soon arsenic it's acceptable fundamentally without having to hold for immoderate different factors there. But successful presumption of Steam Machine, yeah, it's truly conscionable astir the logistics of getting it into user's hands. I deliberation if you've utilized the Steam Deck docked, the acquisition is beauteous overmuch there. It's that positive immoderate much GPU horsepower. Of course, there's a ton of polish and different diagnostic enactment that we tin do, but astatine the extremity of the day, the halfway acquisition is there.

And the cardinal happening that is making it not launched yet is truly conscionable astir the logistics of finishing it up successful presumption of proviso and getting it to user's hands.

IGN: I'd emotion to perceive what are the benignant of wildest oregon coolest usages of the touchpad that you've seen. What are the astir originative implementations that radical person travel up with?

Griffais: Yeah, we'll astir apt some person an reply for that due to the fact that we've seen a ton of antithetic things. But successful general, I deliberation folks that are capable to play games with galore antithetic hotkeys is ever beauteous impressive. What you tin bash with nested menus and modifier keys to person a crippled that has 30 blistery keys inactive afloat playable with the controller.

Speaking anecdotally, I person a kid that plays a batch of Factorio and seeing what helium tin bash with the way pad connected his Steam Deck is beauteous awesome to me. But I don't know, Steve, person you seen oregon experienced immoderate chaotic uses there?

Cardinali: One of the things that we've been moving connected is simply a how-to usher for utilizing Steam input configurator arsenic good arsenic the way pads. And successful that process, maine and my table neighbor, we were trying to spot each the worldly that we tin hook up and conscionable the information that you tin marque a radial paper connected your trackpad with 20 inputs, and past enactment acceptable that ,so that successful antithetic contexts it does antithetic things.

It's similar to PL's point, you tin person truthful overmuch functionality built into a trackpad. It's beauteous crazy. That being said, 1 of my favourite uses of it, which is truly not putting it done its paces, is I usage the close way pad arsenic rodent and the near trackpad arsenic rodent click, near and right, I divided it arsenic a D-pad down the middle. And you tin play beauteous overmuch immoderate casual platform builder crippled that's meant for conscionable clicking and dragging a rodent truthful comfortably conscionable by doing that elemental input.

And that's benignant of the other of your question there, but it's different truly absorbing usage that we recovered erstwhile we were conscionable benignant of messing astir successful the aboriginal days.

IGN: Yeah, I admit that it has each of these truly precocious usage cases that tin beryllium unlocked if you privation to, but you're not sacrificing the acquisition to get determination and it conscionable works good retired of the box. That's what I've recovered utilizing it.

Griffais: For us, that was 1 of the halfway goals of the caller Steam Controller, is to beryllium a accepted controller archetypal and foremost, that has each the inputs that you request to play each the games that are designed for controller, successful the places that your fingers volition expect them. So it's each that you request from a mean controller and past each those precocious inputs that tin beryllium utilized to play fundamentally the full catalog are determination if you request them, but they're not successful the way.

IGN: Well, past thing, due to the fact that I person to ask, what tin you archer maine astir Steam Deck 2?

Griffais: We're hard astatine enactment connected it. And evidently each measurement of the way, if you look astatine our harder projects implicit the years, you tin gully a consecutive enactment from archetypal Steam Controller and Steam Machines to Steam Deck to everything that we're announcing and shipping this year. And we expect Steam Deck to volition beryllium a batch of the aforesaid wherever a batch of what we're doing present volition beryllium learnings that physique up to it.

Bo Moore is IGN's Senior Manager of Tech. You tin find him online @usebomswisely.

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