You can pre-order the latest Steam controller now, but I’m not sure you should

Do you remember Valve’s original Steam Controller? It was, by a large margin, one of the strangest gamepads I’ve ever seen. It launched back in 2015 and looked completely different to any traditional controller from the big console makers like PlayStation and Xbox. It featured one thumbstick, a large circular D-pad, and some small face buttons. Instead of a second thumbstick on the right of the controller though, it sported a rather bizarre-looking trackpad that was later modified and used by the brand’s Steam Deck.

While this was an interesting concept on paper (even the best PC controllers struggle to keep up with the aim of a gaming mouse), it really didn’t take off. As the years went on, this strange pro-controller faded into obscurity. Smash cut to late 2024, and we have another Steam controller on the horizon, this time officially licensed and made by Hori. It arrives on December 16 and only costs $59.99 to pre-order at Amazon – not too expensive for a modern-day pro controller.

Even if this spiritual successor does sport two thumbsticks and is a little more conventional than Valve’s homecooked attempt, I’m still not sure what to make of the new Horipad. The standout feature has to be its capacitive thumbsticks, which could be huge for aiming in FPS games, as they have been for the Steam Deck. Still, I’m not exactly convinced by the rest of this controller’s potential. Besides some innovative Gryo aiming this just doesn’t look as good as other pro controllers I’ve tested that cost the same, or less money.

Some dedicated UI buttons for accessing Steam menus quickly are a nice addition if you have your best gaming PC hooked up to a TV and you want to play in big-picture mode. Similarly, an app that lets you customize deadzones and button assignments is nice, but it’s nothing new. GameSir’s G7 SE is even cheaper than this new Horipad, and it comes with the brand’s full suite of software features.

The Horipad weighs in remarkably light at only 185g. Some people prefer a lighter controller, and that’s a preference thing, but if you go this far under 200g, a controller can feel a bit too much like a toy to be anything worthy of a “premium” product. The Victrix Pro BFG for PS5 has a weight of 298g, and that’s probably as light as I’d want to go. In fact, that controller is probably my favorite at the moment and I’d still like it to be heavier – I just put up with it because of the excellent Esports performance it’s capable of. I certainly wouldn’t want anything almost 100g lighter that doesn’t even have any vibration motors to add some feel.

(Image credit: Hori)

Next, the wireless capabilities of this controller come exclusively from a Bluetooth connection, whether that’s on its own, or through the USB dongle you get in the box. I hear this makes it easier to use with a Steam Deck, and it’s certainly a nice secondary connection feature for controllers like the EasySMX X10, but relying completely on Bluetooth sounds alarm bells in my head. Excluding Sony’s best PS5 controller, the DualSense Edge, which use Bluetooth 5.1, pretty much every pro controller today uses a wireless connection (using a radio signal and USB dongle). Bluetooth isn’t used in today’s gaming headsets either – there can be issues with latency when playing games, and the connection just isn’t as reliable.

The Horipad doesn’t even give you any accessories for your money – in the box, you get your controller, the Bluetooth dongle, and a cable. There are no swappable thumbstick tops, or D-pad options, there aren’t weights you can add to the grips like the ones for the Nacon Revolution 5 Pro, and there isn’t even a nifty carry case. I don’t feel I’m asking for much here – even some of the best Nintendo Switch controllers give you some nice add-ons for your money these days.

(Image credit: Hori)

I suppose a saving grace is that as well as two back buttons, Hori has added two more macro buttons to the bottom of this controller’s mid-section. Except, hold on, the whole point of back buttons is that you can press them without taking your fingers off the thumbsticks. If you want to use those extra face buttons, you’re going to need to pull your thumbs down away from every other button and press some small buttons at an odd angle. For a bit more money, you could get the Turtle Beach Stealth Ultra which has four microswitch back buttons instead. Hell, you could even spend $129.99 and pre-order the brand’s new modular controller.

As you can probably tell, I’m not won over by Hori’s new Steam controller, at least on paper. Hopefully, I’ll get to try it out to give you my hands-on opinions, but if I were you, I’d opt for one of the best Xbox Series X controllers instead, since they integrate into Steam just fine for my liking.

Don’t forget there are black friday Xbox controller deals coming up, as well as Black Friday gaming PC deals, and black friday gaming chair deals.