Valve's new Steam Controller launches May 4 at $99, and it will be a zoo without pre-orders

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The updated Steam Controller from Valve costs $99 and will be released on Monday, May 4, the company announced today. This Monday is looking to be a busy one, as pre-orders have not opened and Valve says the controller won't be available for purchase at all until launch day.

The updated Steam Controller product page confirms the $99 price point. It's a clean $99.00, for the record, not $99.99. Valve seems eager to avoid the dreaded third digit in $100. PC Gamer reports that the price converts to €99 for the EU, £85 for the UK, and $149 in Australian and Canadian dollars.

In a blog post, the Steam hardware team advises you save this product page "for when purchasing opens," which will seemingly be May 4. With no pre-orders, getting a hold of a Steam Controller come launch day is likely to be a Steam-crashing zoo. At least Valve is seemingly sitting on a big stockpile.

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Valve highlights the Steam Controller's features across a few breakdowns. Here are the key points:

• Magnetic thumbsticks resistant to drift
• 4x haptic motors for rumble feedback
• 8.29Wh battery promising "35+ hours of gameplay on a single charge"
• Steam Controller Puck provides "plug-and-play low-latency wireless connection & easy magnetic charging"
• Two "highly precise and customizable" trackpads for mouse controls
• Grip Sense "that uses capacitive touch sensors to sense if you're holding the handles" and which can also be used "like any other button." Valve says "we love using it to pull up menus, weapon wheels, and even pause the game when you put the controller down."
• Four grip buttons which can be custom mapped. Valve says, "They are most especially useful when mapped to ABXY: you never have to move your thumb off the right stick or trackpad, allowing you to maintain precision at all times."

The Steam Machine, meanwhile, is nowhere to be seen. Production issues and pricing uncertainty surround Valve's not-console, with the company even jokingly pleading for "a line on a bunch of RAM" in today's fraught market. At least we've got the controller?

The Steam Controller may yet join our best PC controller for gaming list.

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Austin WoodSenior writer

Austin has been a game journalist for 12 years, having freelanced for the likes of PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while finishing his journalism degree. He's been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They've yet to realize his position is a cover for his career-spanning Destiny column, and he's kept the ruse going with a lot of news and the occasional feature, all while playing as many roguelikes as possible.

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