Physical Layout

Generally speaking, there’s not a major change from conventional controller layouts in the Steam Controller. On the front we’ve got a joystick, ABXY buttons, a start/select or forward/back pair of buttons bordering the Steam button, and a pair of touch pads (one intended as a replacement for the right joystick and the other for the D-pad).

The joystick is pretty standard fare, though it seems to have slightly less range of motion than a DualShock4. The shape is predominantly convex; the textured ring around the outside feels less pronounced than it may appear in the picture. The buttons remind me of Microsoft controllers, though the overall size of them are a bit smaller (which has been a major complaint of some; as a 3DS XL owner, it doesn’t bother me as they’re larger than what Nintendo gives me to work with).

Both touchpads are very responsive, in my opinion. The left pad has a subtle D-pad-style groove while the right pad is smooth. Many have cited complaints about the lack of a ridge or bump on the right pad to orient their finger, and while I don’t find myself having any issues with it, the complaint is justified (and such additions were included in previous iterations of the device; I don’t know why they didn’t add something to it, even if it was a small divot similar in depth to the grooves on the left pad). Each pad also has the ability to be pressed or clicked, allowing for right-stick clicking if it’s being used as a joystick or the physical feeling of pressing the D-pad buttons.

The rear of the controller sports a pair of paddle buttons on the grips, and from this picture you can also see the triggers and shoulder buttons. Lightly squeezing the paddle activates the mechanical button with a faint click. I’ve read of people having issues where they grip the controller too tight during gameplay and accidentally activate a paddle button or press it while resting the controller against their leg. I’ve also bumped them once or twice while resting it or setting it down on my leg, but I’ve not personally had any errant presses due to gripping the controller too tight (maybe that’s just something I don’t do?). The slider at the bottom releases the back plate (the shoulder paddles are part of it) to gain access to the battery compartment.

The rear plate pops free once the sliding lock is released as it’s under subtle spring tension from beneath the mechanism. This also prevents it from wiggling about when connected (which is important, seeing as it contains the grip paddle buttons). On either side, in the grip, is where the AA batteries go.

Having a battery in each grip makes for a very balanced feel. When the batteries snap into place, an arm pivots out of the controller housing from the trigger area to lock it in place. Pressing the arm back into the trigger housing pops the battery back out. With a pair of AA’s installed, the weight of the controller is very close to the DualShock 4.

From the top, it’s clear to see that some respect for ergonomics was shown. The Steam Controller is curved with well-defined grips. The USB port (used for wired play without batteries and firmware updates; I do not know if it will charge rechargeable batteries if they’re being used in the device) sits in the center, well away from the hands. The shoulder buttons are significantly larger than the triggers and protrude further out by a few millimeters. In terms of functionality, the triggers feel very similar to the DualShock4, but with a much shorter draw and a perceivable actuation at the bottom. This button allows for dual-stage trigger controls where the pulling of the trigger performs one action and finishing the button activation performs another. I’ll go into one of the ways I’m utilizing this later on in the review. The shoulder buttons are mechanical with almost no travel distance; a click is audible when they’re pressed.

Despite looking a bit odd, the angle of the large shoulder buttons and triggers are actually quite comfortable as they fall well inline with the angle of the fingers while playing. The spacing feels similar, to me, to the DualShock4 in terms of using only a single finger for both the shoulder button and trigger, but a bit closer when using my preferred two-finger stance.

Pictured around the Steam Controller (turnwise, from middle-left) are a DualSock4, DualSock3, Mattel Electronics Football 2 (for @shane’s reference), Nintendo 3DS XL, and a banana (for scale). The actual size of the controller seems to be a very opinionated subject. As someone with very large hands (I have an octave-and-a-fifth reach) I wish it were a tad larger, but that’s about how I feel holding any controller other than the OG XBox controller.

Overall, I’m happy with the physical layout. Yes, the right touch pad could benefit from a marking of some sort to help orient the thumb and I’ve experienced the occasional errant paddle-press when picking up or setting down the controller, but all told I have no significant complaints. I’ve found all the controls easy to use, though the paddles are not well-suited for prolonged press-and-hold usage; when using it as my push-to-talk for Mumble, I found that after an hour or so of gameplay my hand would become uncomfortable. That said, I have been accused of talking a lot and the hand in questions has some nerve damage, so there may have been other factors at play that won’t affect everyone’s experience.