Steam Controllers and Alternatives: What's Worth Buying in 2026

Valve's original Steam Controller is dead but the alternatives have caught up. Five real options for PC gaming controllers, ranked honestly.

The Steam Controller (2015-2019) was a fascinating, flawed experiment that's now discontinued. Valve never resurrected it. But the market has evolved — there are now better controllers for PC gaming than the Steam Controller ever was, plus the Steam Deck handheld which uses similar input concepts.

The five worth considering

1. Xbox Series Controller. $60. The most-supported controller on PC. Bluetooth works flawlessly with Steam. No customization at this level. Default pick for most people.

2. PlayStation DualSense. $70. Excellent build, haptic feedback that's actually meaningful in supported games. Bluetooth on PC is hit-or-miss; wired is reliable.

3. 8BitDo Pro 2. $50. Best customization on PC. App-based remapping, multiple profiles. Build quality is good, not premium. Best value pick.

4. Steam Deck (handheld). $400+. Not a controller per se, but the input philosophy matches what made the Steam Controller interesting. Trackpads + sticks + gyro. For PC gaming on the go, no real competitors.

5. Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma. $150. Premium feel, extra mappable buttons. Worth it for competitive players; overkill for casual use.

What the original Steam Controller did well

Trackpads instead of right thumbstick. For mouse-driven games (strategy, FPS), this was a real innovation. The DualSense touchpad and Steam Deck trackpads inherited the concept.

Per-game customization built into Steam. This is still excellent for any modern controller paired with Steam.

What it did poorly

The build felt cheap. The dual trackpads were a steep learning curve. The community-shared configurations were uneven in quality.

The infrastructure

A mechanical keyboard for the games where keyboard-and-mouse beats controllers. noise cancelling headphones for gaming sessions. A standing desk if you sit and play for hours — the back will thank you. A Stanley tumbler nearby (the gaming chair generation has rediscovered hydration).

What I'd skip

Off-brand "pro" controllers under $30. Almost all use unreliable wireless, drift sticks fast, and have warranty issues.

Mobile-phone controllers (Backbone, etc.) for PC use. Designed for phones; awkward as PC peripherals.

The honest answer

For 90% of PC gamers, the Xbox Series Controller at $60 is the right buy. For customization fans, the 8BitDo Pro 2 at $50. The Steam Controller's heir isn't really a controller — it's the Steam Deck. If portable PC gaming matters, the Deck is the spiritual successor.