There’s a new official Steam controller – but it’s not from Valve

The long wait is finally over as peripheral maker Hori has announced a new Steam controller in partnership with Valve.

The official Steam Controller was first launched in 2015, and subsequently discontinued five years ago. Many PC gaming fans have been interested in a new iteration of the controller, but nothing seemed to be on the horizon until a surprise announcement from Hori.

Hori is best known for its high-quality game controllers, such as the Hori Fighting Commander Octa which got a spot on our Best PS5 controllers list. The newly announced Hori wireless Steam controller is officially licensed by Valve, and the two companies collaborated to ensure all its features were fully Steam compatible.

The original Steam controller used touch-based trackpads instead of analog sticks, a decision that was not entirely popular among players. In addition, it used an unusual button layout, which led to confusion for those who were accustomed to traditional four-button layouts.

Hori

The new Hori Steam controller takes a more traditional approach, with asymmetrical analog sticks and a four-button layout that resembles an Xbox controller. However, the analog sticks do not come equipped with drift-proof Hall Effect sensors.

There are some extras too, such as a dedicated button for Steam Big Picture Mode and the Steam Quick Access overlay. Similar to many other premium controllers, it features four remappable buttons that can be assigned functions such as macros or combos.

Users of the Hori wireless Steam controller will be able to choose between Steam Input over Bluetooth or a wired USB connection. The controller works natively with Steam Deck and can function with non-Steam Windows games using Xinput mode.

The controller is set to launch on October 31, but so far, only a Japanese launch has been confirmed by Hori. Pre-orders are available from Hori’s official store, priced at 7,980 yen, or roughly $50.