Skip to main content
Join The Community
- Join our community
11
Premium Benefits
24/7
Access Available
21K+
Active Members
Commenting
Join the discussion
Exclusive Articles Coming Soon
Member-only articles
Weekly Newsletters
Weekly gaming & entertainment news
Member Badges
Earn badges as you go
Exclusive Competitions
Members-only prize draws
Curated Deals Coming Soon
Tech and gaming deals worth grabbing
GET COMMUNITY ACCESS QUICK
For the quickest way to join, simply enter your email below and get access. We will send a confirmation and sign you up to our newsletter to keep you updated on all your gaming news.
By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
FIND OUT ABOUT OUR MAGAZINE
Want to subscribe to the magazine? Click the button below to find out more information.
Find out more
GET Community ACCESS QUICK

Join the GamesRadar community for quick access. Enter your email below and we'll send confirmation, and sign you up to our newsletter.

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

Background
Welcome to GamesRADAR+ Community !
Hi ,

Your membership journey starts here.

Keep exploring and earning more as a member.

MY ACCOUNT

Badge picture
Earn your first badge
Read 1 article to unlock your first badge.
Keep earning badges
Explore ways to get more involved as a member.
Latest Games News

Latest Games News

Breaking gaming news and updates

Read Now
Latest Games Reviews

Latest Games Reviews

Expert verdicts on the newest releases

Read Now

See what you’ve unlocked.

Explore your membership benefits.

Explore
Member Exclusives

Stay Ahead with GamesRadar+

Get the biggest gaming news, reviews, and releases straight to your inbox.

Explore

Sign Out
GamesRadar+ GamesRadar+
US EditionUS CA EditionCanada UK EditionUK AU EditionAustralia
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Games
    • Game Insights
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
    • Genres
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
    • Franchises
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • Insights
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
    • Computing
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
    • Accessories & Tech
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
  • home
  • Games
    • View Games
      • Games News
      • Games Features
      • Games Reviews
      • Games Guides
      • Big in 2026
      • The Big Preview
      • On The Radar
      • Indie Spotlight
      • Future Games Show
      • Golden Joystick Awards
      • Action Games
      • RPGs
      • Action RPGs
      • Adventure Games
      • Third Person Shooters
      • FPS Games
    • Platforms
      • View Platforms
      • PS5
      • Xbox Series X
      • PC
      • Nintendo Switch
      • Nintendo Switch 2
      • Tabletop Gaming
      • Grand Theft Auto
      • Pokemon
      • Assassin's Creed
      • Monster Hunter
      • Fortnite
      • Cyberpunk
      • Red Dead
      • The Elder Scrolls
      • The Sims
  • Entertainment
    • View Entertainment
    • TV Shows
      • View TV Shows
      • TV News
      • TV Reviews
      • Anime Shows
      • Sci-Fi Shows
      • Superhero Shows
      • Animated Shows
      • Marvel TV Shows
      • Star Wars TV Shows
      • DC TV Shows
    • Movies
      • View Movies
      • Movie News
      • Movie Reviews
      • Big Screen Spotlight
      • Superhero Movies
      • Action Movies
      • Anime Movies
      • Sci-Fi Movies
      • Horror Movies
      • Marvel Movies
      • DC Movies
    • Streaming
      • View Streaming
      • Apple TV Plus
      • Disney Plus
      • Netflix
      • HBO
      • Amazon Prime Video
      • Hulu
    • Comics
      • View Comics
      • Marvel Comics
      • DC Comics
    • Toys & Collectibles
    • Lego
    • Dungeons and Dragons
    • Merch
  • Hardware
    • View Hardware
      • Hardware News
      • Hardware Reviews
      • Hardware Features
      • Desktop PCs
      • Laptops
      • Handhelds
    • Peripherals
      • View Peripherals
      • Headsets & Headphones
      • TVs & Monitors
      • Gaming Mice
      • Gaming Keyboards
      • Gaming Chairs
      • Speakers & Audio
      • Gaming Controllers
      • Tech
      • SSDs & Hard Drives
      • VR
      • Accessories
      • Retro
  • Deals
    • View Deals
    • Game Deals
    • Tech Deals
    • TV Deals
    • Buying Guides
  • Video
  • Newsletters
    • Quizzes
    • About Us
    • How to pitch to us
    • How we score
    • Newsarama
    • Retro Gamer
    • Total Film
Trending
  • Pokemon Winds and Waves
  • New Games for 2026
  • Submit your game clips
  • GDC
Don't miss these
Hands holding new Steam Controller in front of woodgrain surface with chess board in backdrop.
Desktop PCs Steam Machine delays are getting me down, but Valve could be extremely cool and release its controller right now
Close up of Steam Machine with Jsaux blue Nordic inspired sticker on face plate.
Desktop PCs Jsaux reveals Nordic-inspired Steam Machine stickers at CES
Steam Machine with green Verified tick logo on front.
Desktop PCs Valve says Steam Machine verified requirements aren't as judgey, but I reckon console players will need tough love
Evercade Wireless Controller with black backdrop and retro rainbow lines.
Retro The Evercade is finally getting a wireless dual analogue stick controller, and I'm hoping it means more PS1 ports are coming
Close up of Steam Machine front with blue LED light strip.
Desktop PCs Valve keeps doubling down on a Steam Machine 2026 release date, and I honestly respect that
Black Xbox 360 controller leaning against ROG Xbox Ally X on Baseus Steam Deck dock.
Handhelds Sorry Microsoft, but I've shoved your handheld onto a Steam Deck dock and started playing 2000s games using an Xbox 360 controller
GameMT Pocket Super Knob handheld at an angle with orange backdrop.
Handhelds The Pocket Super Knob sounds dirty, but I promise it's a new gaming handheld
Angled view of Steam Machine with glowing edges and Steam game artwork panels in backdrop.
Desktop PCs The Steam Machine is on the way, so here's everything I need you to know before Valve's mini PC lands
An older bearded man in a cap stood in front of computer equipment in Half-Life Alyx
PC Gaming What to expect from Valve in 2026: the return of the Steam Machine, a new VR headset, and more Half-Life 3 rumors
Hand holding Asus ROG Phone 8 with Gamesir Pocket Taco attached and Zelda Oracle of Ages cutscene on screen.
Retro My new favorite retro controller for Game Boy games launches today, but Amazon might show you Mexican taco kits
Steam Machine with beige backdrop and sad face on front made from closed bracket and colon.
Games "I could see $1,000": Steam Machine is "a PC with console benefits," analyst says, "next Xbox" will be "just like it"
The GameSir/HyperKin X5 Alteron and some of its swappable modules
Gaming Controllers GameSir and Hyperkin's modular mobile controller could take over the market
Lenovo Legion Go Fold concept handheld with red water backdrop and glowing outline.
Handhelds Lenovo just teased a big silly folding handheld concept, and its far from the Steam Deck rival I keep begging for
Retro Fighters GameCube Battle Dock with hands lowering Switch 2 onto docking station.
Retro This Switch 2 dock will soon make my evil plan to turn everyone's handheld into a GameCube a reality
Steam Deck with mascot face on screen surrounded by Asus ROG controller, Jsaux Power Bank, Baseus docking station, and charger on wood desk
Handhelds The best Steam Deck accessories 2026: the add-ons I'd buy for Valve's handheld day one
  1. Platforms
  2. PC Gaming

The new Steam Controller "puck" adapter was internally called "the chongle," says Valve employee: "I'm leaking that information come get me"

News
By Jordan Gerblick published 13 November 2025

I want to start a petition to change it back

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Someone using the Steam controller to play Hollow Knight
(Image credit: Valve)
  • Facebook
  • X
  • Pinterest
  • Flipboard
  • Email
Share this article
1
Join the conversation
Follow us
Add us as a preferred source on Google
Get the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more


By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.

You are now subscribed

Your newsletter sign-up was successful


Want to add more newsletters?

GamesRadar+

Every Friday

GamesRadar+

Your weekly update on everything you could ever want to know about the games you already love, games we know you're going to love in the near future, and tales from the communities that surround them.

GTA 6 O'clock

Every Thursday

GTA 6 O'clock

Our special GTA 6 newsletter, with breaking news, insider info, and rumor analysis from the award-winning GTA 6 O'clock experts.

Knowledge

Every Friday

Knowledge

From the creators of Edge: A weekly videogame industry newsletter with analysis from expert writers, guidance from professionals, and insight into what's on the horizon.

The Setup

Every Thursday

The Setup

Hardware nerds unite, sign up to our free tech newsletter for a weekly digest of the hottest new tech, the latest gadgets on the test bench, and much more.

Switch 2 Spotlight

Every Wednesday

Switch 2 Spotlight

Sign up to our new Switch 2 newsletter, where we bring you the latest talking points on Nintendo's new console each week, bring you up to date on the news, and recommend what games to play.

The Watchlist

Every Saturday

The Watchlist

Subscribe for a weekly digest of the movie and TV news that matters, direct to your inbox. From first-look trailers, interviews, reviews and explainers, we've got you covered.

SFX

Once a month

SFX

Get sneak previews, exclusive competitions and details of special events each month!


Join the club

Get full access to premium articles, exclusive features and a growing list of member rewards.


An account already exists for this email address, please log in.
Subscribe to our newsletter

A Valve employee has revealed the wonderful internal name for the new Steam Controller's puck-style adapter. Are you ready for this? You're not ready for this. Dear readers, it was called... "the chongle." I know. I know. I can't contain myself.

Presumably because it looks like a chonky, dongle-type thing, the chongle is an objectively more powerful name than... Puck, which seems to be its official name. The chongle, which I'm choosing to continue calling it in defiance of official Valve lingo, is "a wireless transmitter that provides a fast, stable connection for your Steam Controller" that doubles as a charger you can use while you play. The puck can also connect up to four Steam Controllers at once.

In a tweet, Nick Bizzozero, a modeler and animator working at Valve, voiced his full support for calling the newly revealed Steam Machine the "GabeCube," a portmanteau referencing Valve president Gabe Newell and the iconic boxed-shape Nintendo Game Cube.

You may like
  • Hands holding new Steam Controller in front of woodgrain surface with chess board in backdrop. Steam Machine delays are getting me down, but Valve could be extremely cool and release its controller right now
  • Close up of Steam Machine with Jsaux blue Nordic inspired sticker on face plate. Jsaux reveals Nordic-inspired Steam Machine stickers at CES
  • Steam Machine with green Verified tick logo on front. Valve says Steam Machine verified requirements aren't as judgey, but I reckon console players will need tough love

More importantly, Bizzozero gifted this insight to the world: "Also internally the puck was called the chongle and I'm leaking that information come get me."

Listen don't tell him I said this, but I support calling it the "Gabecube".Also internally the puck was called the chongle and I'm leaking that information come get me.November 13, 2025

In general, Valve seems to be going with a very straightforward, matter of fact, comparatively boring approach to naming its new hardware. Steam Machine. Steam Controller. Puck. I just wonder, have they considered these respective alternatives: Lean Mean Steam Machine? GabeBird? Indeed, The Chongle? This is harder than I thought.

I'm not being funny, but you'll have a Steam Machine at home if you grab this docking station for Valve's handheld

Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter

Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more

By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over.
TOPICS
Valve
Jordan Gerblick
Jordan Gerblick
Social Links Navigation
Staff Writer

After earning an English degree from ASU, I worked as a corporate copy editor while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG on the side. I got my big break here in 2019 with a freelance news gig, and I was hired on as GamesRadar's west coast Staff Writer in 2021. That means I'm responsible for managing the site's western regional executive branch, AKA my home office, and writing about whatever horror game I'm too afraid to finish.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.

Read more
Hands holding new Steam Controller in front of woodgrain surface with chess board in backdrop.
Desktop PCs Steam Machine delays are getting me down, but Valve could be extremely cool and release its controller right now
 
 
Close up of Steam Machine with Jsaux blue Nordic inspired sticker on face plate.
Desktop PCs Jsaux reveals Nordic-inspired Steam Machine stickers at CES
 
 
Steam Machine with green Verified tick logo on front.
Desktop PCs Valve says Steam Machine verified requirements aren't as judgey, but I reckon console players will need tough love
 
 
Evercade Wireless Controller with black backdrop and retro rainbow lines.
Retro The Evercade is finally getting a wireless dual analogue stick controller, and I'm hoping it means more PS1 ports are coming
 
 
Close up of Steam Machine front with blue LED light strip.
Desktop PCs Valve keeps doubling down on a Steam Machine 2026 release date, and I honestly respect that
 
 
Black Xbox 360 controller leaning against ROG Xbox Ally X on Baseus Steam Deck dock.
Handhelds Sorry Microsoft, but I've shoved your handheld onto a Steam Deck dock and started playing 2000s games using an Xbox 360 controller
 
 
Latest in PC Gaming
The Future of Starfield
RPGs Bethesda's Tim Lamb on the biggest changes coming to Starfield, the PS5 release, and why all those load screens are necessary
 
 
Shadow of the Road screenshot showing a humanoid bird-like figure hovering over a molten battlefield with wings outstretched
RPGs A "small team with a lot of big ideas" is making a Final Fantasy Tactics-inspired RPG set in steampunk Japan
 
 
A screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, showing a man named Verso covered in dirt and blood, looking into the camera.
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Ben Starr worries the video game industry will learn the wrong lessons from its success
 
 
Mortal Kombat 1 Baraka
Games Mortal Kombat, Hogwarts Legacy, and more could get the chop in $6 billion cuts following Paramount merger
 
 
Macduff running from a monster during the upcoming PS5 game, Crimson Desert.
RPGs Crimson Desert fans worry for the RPG's console editions after review no-show joins disappointing 30fps PS5 showcase
 
 
The Elder Scrolls 6
The Elder Scrolls No rush on The Elder Scrolls 6, Todd Howard says - Bethesda has "so many millions of people playing our other games"
 
 
Latest in News
Close up of a Tangela cart as part of the Pokemon TCG Ascended Heroes set.
Tabletop Gaming Ascended Heroes doesn't revolutionize Pokemon cards, but it's still an essential purchase
 
 
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda Breath of the Wild star didn't know what game she was trying for, nor that it was the title role
 
 
SpyraGo lying on a wooden surface
Toys & Collectibles If you buy one water gun for the sunny weather, I beg you to try this
 
 
Rumi, Mira, and Zoey in KPop Demon Hunters
Animated Movies KPop Demon Hunters may be coming to a city near you as Netflix is reportedly planning a Huntrix stage show world tour
 
 
A hand holding a spray of Altered: Trial by Frost cards
Tabletop Gaming Altered TCG shuts down due to missing the €2 million needed "to guarantee the future of the game"
 
 
A screenshot from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, showing a man named Verso covered in dirt and blood, looking into the camera.
RPGs Clair Obscur: Expedition 33's Ben Starr worries the video game industry will learn the wrong lessons from its success
 
 
LATEST ARTICLES
  1. The Future of Starfield
    1
    Bethesda's Tim Lamb on the biggest changes coming to Starfield, the PS5 release, and why all those load screens are necessary
  2. 2
    Breath of the Wild star didn't know what game she was trying for, nor that it was the title role
  3. 3
    Best Helldivers 2 pistols and melee weapons to use against the Terminids, Automatons, and Illuminate
  4. 4
    This $27.99 Switch 2 headset already costs less than my lunch, but it somehow just got even cheaper
  5. 5
    If you buy one water gun for the sunny weather, I beg you to try this

GamesRadar+ is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

Add as a preferred source on Google Add as a preferred source on Google
  • Terms and conditions
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Accessibility statement
  • Careers
  • About us
  • Advertise with us
  • Review guidelines
  • Write for us
  • Accessibility Statement

© Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...