The cat is out of the bag: The new Steam Controller will be available to purchase for $99/€99/£85/$149 AUD from next week, and our verdict on the new hardware is already in (spoilers, we like it). The May launch will only introduce one, all-over black colourway to go with all your other noir hardware. Thankfully, gaming accessory company Dbrand is set to offer a few more colourful options.
Dbrand have already unveiled 44 fresh skins to liven up your Steam Controller. "The original Steam Controller came out 11 years ago and was a bit of a cult classic," the company wrote as part of the announcement, "We've never met a cult we didn't want to be a part of, so we're getting in on the ground floor."
The new controller wraps definitely not all winners (the 'Real Black Leather' wrap seems a bit tacky in my humble opinion), but I like that each one includes a full coverage wrap alongside an 'accent' skin that only covers the lower portion of the controller. For instance, the Acid and Carnage skins look a bit hectic as all-over wraps, but work well as a contained pop of colour around the touch pads.
The more premium selection of leather wraps at the top end go for about $25, while the more straightforward, colour block designs like 'Kinda Purple' go for $12. Setting aside the fact that 'purple' is more blue than I'd personally like, I at least appreciate the option to personalise what would otherwise be yet another samey-looking gamepad. Each skin is scratch-proof, too, and meant to be easy enough to remove should you have second thoughts.
Better yet, a removed skin shouldn't leave your brand new Steam controller covered in sticky adhesive residue. That's great because, not only am I chronically indecisive, but I'll need something to tide me over until Dbrand's Companion Cube-style housing for the Steam Machine drops.
Valve itself has re-committed to a 2026 release window for the Steam Machine, which was revealed alongside the new Steam controller previously. Bearing the squeeze of the memory supply crisis in mind, I'll believe it when I see that teeny tiny gaming machine in PC Gamer towers with my own two eyes.
