The new Steam Controller is an impressive bit of equipment—and if you're itching to get your hands on one, there isn't too long left to wait. According to Valve, the dual-trackpad-equipped beastie will be available to stick in your cart on the Steam store from Monday, May 4.
Pricing varies by region, with the mega-pad coming in at $99 in the US, €99 in the EU, and £85 in the UK. Aussie buyers will pay AUD 149, whereas Polish Steam-enjoyers will pay PLN 419.
Valve says these pricing differences are down to distribution costs, import duties/tariffs, and marketing conditions, which is pretty much a summary of many of the challenges facing the entire tech industry right now.
Still, the price tag is slightly less than I was expecting, especially when you take into account the uniqueness of Valve's design. The Steam Controller is a sizable beast with two large, haptic-enabled trackpads and twin TMR sticks, alongside a more traditional array of face buttons and triggers.
There are also four sizeable buttons on the rear of the grips, which makes it a very customisable controller. There aren't many gaming devices that can truly mimic a mouse, and it's even got gyro controls to play with, too.
Our Jacob likes his review sample very much, calling it a "comfy pad for comfy gamers." It's not particularly quick for competitive gaming due to a standard 250 Hz polling rate, but if you're the sort of person who likes to recline on a couch or game in bed, it's pretty ace.
And with a 35-hour battery life, you shouldn't have to top it up too often with the included charging puck, either. The original Steam Controller was a bit of a disappointment, but this one's got a design that really works—and there's only a short while to go before you can grab one for yourself.
