A leaked review of the upcoming Steam Controller surfaced online over the weekend, and it's sending shockwaves across the gaming hardware market. Not only does it point to a launch and review embargo for Valve's new hardware coming soon, but it's also giving us a potential hint at details like pricing. Valve's yet to formally announce the cost of its best PC controller contender, but the leaked review explicitly said it'll set you back $99.
The leak arrives a week after a SteamDB page surfaced pointing toward an unboxing video being released soon, and two weeks after a public shipment manifest suggested stock is already being sent to various markets. Valve is yet to comment or confirm any of these things, but the leaked review from TechyTalk (which has since been taken down) is yet another hint that a launch date could be approaching.
Before I give you my breakdown of the Steam Controller's supposed price, let me just say that of the three most recent news stories about the imminent gamepad, this is the one I'd trust the least. It's easy (far too easy) to fake a video these days, and there are too many questions in my mind about the leaked review to really give it too much credence as something to trust.
That said, a price of $99 for the upcoming Steam Controller is proving divisive, and as someone who's been reviewing the latest controllers for over three years now, I can see why. It depends entirely on who you ask.
$99 in the controller world is more than PlayStation charges for its standard PS5 controller, the DualSense. It's more than Xbox charges for its stock wireless controller, and sure enough, the same is true of the official Switch 2 controller. Then again, these are all fairly "basic" controllers, and Valve's offers a lot more in the way of features and design points. For example, the Steam Controller sports four back buttons and TMR thumbsticks. If you look at the officially licensed PS5 and Xbox controllers with those perks, you'll actually need to pay closer to double the $99 price tag we're talking about.
The majority of officially licensed Xbox and PS5 controllers to launch in the last year have all cost $200, offering at least Hall sensor thumbstick tech, a charging stand, wireless play, a carrying case, swappable parts, and four to six extra mappable buttons.
Compared to other PC controllers from smaller brands in the space, $99 is a bit more expensive than some might be used to. The 8BitDo Ultimate 2, the Manba One, the GameSir G7 Pro, and the PowerA OPS V3 Pro are all examples of feature-rich controllers that you can get for under $100. Then again, none of these have the novel highlight of the Steam Controller: its trackpads.
In all honesty, I think a price of $99 for the upcoming Steam Controller would be a pretty reasonable midway point for it in the current market. Don't get me wrong, I always want hardware to be as affordable as possible but, realistically, for what you get from Valve's gamepad, this price would be pretty reasonable.
Yes, from a quick comparison to the official PS5 and Xbox controllers, it might seem pricey, but keep in mind that this is offering two more back buttons than the pro-level DualSense Edge ($200), and a more modern (albeit less customizable) design than the aging Elite Series 2, which costs ~$150 most of the time in 2026.
No matter what end of the pricing argument you sit on at the moment, I'd take things with a pinch of salt until we get official word from Valve. I'd also recommend you hold onto your gamer rage until we hear the prices for the Steam Frame and Steam Machine, since those will almost certainly cause a lot more outrage than a $99 gamepad.
Getting into sim racing? Check out the best PC racing wheels, the best Xbox steering wheels, and the best PS5 steering wheels.
