Should you buy the Steam Controller this deals season?

The Steam Controller is one of the coolest bits of gaming hardware I've tested this year, and it's made a real name for itself. With the Holiday season coming up, that means it's nearly deals o'clock, and people who have been waiting for discounts on the games and accessories that have launched throughout the year will be able to benefit. The Steam Controller isn't one of the most expensive PC controllers out there, but it's hardly the cheapest either, so is it one you should think about this Black Friday?

To be completely honest, Valve has had a difficult enough year with its hardware stock, pricing, and even a few data leaks for good measure, so I'd be very, very surprised if the Steam Controller saw a discount this Black Friday. On the other hand, plenty of other gamepads for Xbox, PS5, PC, and Switch 2 will almost certainly get the deal treatment over the next few weeks. With that in mind, if it's good value and lower prices you're holding out for, maybe the Steam Controller isn't for you.

The TLDR here is that, as someone who has tested the Steam Controller as well as countless other gamepads, the Steam Controller is an amazing accessory to have if you play games on a PC away from a desk. Since it's essentially a mouse and keyboard you can hold in your hand, it acts as a remote control for couch setups and for any game that doesn't have controller support on PC.

If you're doing those things, the Valve's gamepad should be on your shortlist just for the ease of using your PC for gaming like a console and not a desktop computer. But if you're looking for a pro-level gamepad for a specific genre or you want the last word in comfort and features, there are other options to shop for that will get you better deals this Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

You should buy the Steam Controller if:

You play on PC, away from a desk:

If you're building a couch setup, or you have a mini PC to play less technically demanding games away from a desk, the Steam Controller is going to be an absolute godsend for navigating your PC. Having to get up off the couch to grab a mouse or keyboard defeats the entire point of a comfy couch PC setup, so why wouldn't you go for the Steam Controller in this instance?

The right trackpad of the Steam Controller works like one would on a laptop. Trace your finger around it, and the cursor will move with it. The left trackpad can scroll up and down a page, the right trigger clicks on something, and handy shortcuts can bring up a keyboard or other functions you want to use.

All the while, it doubles as a pretty capable controller. There are TMR thumbsticks, four back buttons, and great haptic feedback at work. For users like this, Valve's gamepad is going to kill two or three birds with one stone by cutting the number of peripherals you need down to one.

It's honestly the best way to navigate a PC from the couch, so I recommend it strongly to these people.

You want to play games designed for a mouse and keyboard, but with a controller:

If you're a fan of city builders, Planet Coaster, Planet Zoo, or an RTS game that isn't designed with controllers in mind on PC, the Steam Controller is what you need. This thing is excellent for using the Steam Input system to naturally map control schemes from mouse and keyboard to a gamepad when the developers of that game haven't catered to one.

This can also help with certain older games too - I was playing Assassin's Creed 2 before writing this, and its lack of controller support on Steam meant it was particularly tricky to get working. The Steam Controller managed it though, and that was thanks to awesome control schemes made by the wider Steam community that you can download and install in a heartbeat.

Shop around for a different controller if:

You want to specialise in a certain genre:

If you're shopping for a new gamepad because you want great features and comfort that lend a peripheral to one specific type of game or a competitive title, I wouldn't really opt for the Steam Controller.

For starters, its polling rate leaves a lot to be desired against other modern gamepads like the GameSir G7 Pro 8K, the GameSir Tarantula 8K, or even officially licensed wireless controllers for Xbox like the Nacon Revolution X Unlimited that have a 1,000Hz polling rate. Compared to that, the Steam Controller's 250Hz makes it feel pretty sluggish if you're looking for absolutely no latency or the last word in responsiveness.

You like clicky buttons:

A big must-have for a lot of gamers when it comes to pro controllers today is microswitch buttons. Personally, I can take or leave them, but for a lot of folks, traditional membrane buttons just don't cut it and don't offer the same sort of snappy feel.

Maybe the most responsive alternatives with super clicky face buttons are the Razer Wolverine V3 Pro and the Asus ROG Raikiri II, so take a gander at those if this sort of thing matters to you. Personally, the best buttons I've ever come across that blend comfort with responsive clickiness is the Nacon RXU.

You don't like the faff of setting up controller profiles for the games you play:

I have to admit, one of the factors about the Steam Controller that fatigues me when using it full-time is that you have to create back button assignments for each new game you play. There's no onboard memory that saves profiles for all games, it's a case of selecting a new profile for every game you play, and assigning buttons you want.

It's a total pain, and something that gets tiresome quickly, especially if you're like me and you end up using the same back button assignments in 90% of the games you play. The good news is that pretty much all of the pro controllers on the shelves today have some sort of profile system whereby you can create a few that stick to the button mappings you want regardless of the game you're playing. Take a look at the window below to see some I'd recommend.

The Steam Controller isn't the only one with TMR sticks. Check out the best TMR controllers out there, the best PS5 controllers, and the best Switch 2 controllers.