A reviewer accidentally leaked the Steam Controller’s price, and folks aren’t happy

After I broached the idea of the Steam Controller's imminent launch ahead of the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, a reviewer accidentally leaked the device's price today, confirming that Valve's new controller is almost around the corner.

Breaching the embargo seemingly by accident, reviewer Techy Talk published his impressions of the Steam Controller. It appears the review was supposed to come out within the next few days or weeks, and it was quickly taken down. However, it gave us a lot of good insight into Valve's foremost device, which is now almost certainly going to be released separately from the Steam Machine and the Steam Frame because, as I wrote yesterday, it's not impacted by the AI-induced RAM crisis.

The one thing about the Steam Controller that everyone's been rather angry about is the device's supposed price of $100. For a regular controller that is rather pricy and about $25 more than a default PS5 DualSense. "I was expecting $80 max, but $100 for a controller is way too much," one Reddit user said in a thread focused on the device, while another criticized the hundred-buck controller's lack of an audio jack. "Far too expensive," yet another user said.

The general consensus surrounding this new price reveal is overtly negative, as many users are claiming it should have been listed at more competitive prices, with suggested ranges between $60 and $80. I for one am entirely understanding of Valve's decision to put it this high. After all, the controller is really overengineered and comes with loads of features (even if it does lack an audio jack), has two trackpads, and is built to seamlessly embed itself within the Steam ecosystem that Valve's trying to create.

It's not your usual controller by any means, and as such, shouldn't be expected to either compete with casual options like Xbox's controllers or the DualSense lineup, not to mention that both of these mentioned series of controllers have "elite" or "pro" versions that cost over $200.

Third-party solutions with additional features can be found for around $70 to $80, so there are reasons to compare them with Valve's option. Either way, I think this is a rather fair price, and certainly less than what I had expected. So long as the device has a sturdy, long-lasting build and a capable battery, I'm more than willing to spend the extra dime on it.

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