With the announcement still incredibly fresh, Valve has yet to formally confirm the Steam Controller release date outside of an “early 2026” window. The one thing we do know is that it will ship alongside the Steam Machine as the OEM gamepad, and will be available to purchase separately for use on the Steam Frame and general gaming PCs as well.

The new Steam Controller combines the full gamepad experience with premium features like TMR sticks, motion controls, capacitive sensors, trackpads, and four programmable back buttons.

The gyro controls also offer a grip sensing feature, which turns on the gyro when you're holding the controller, and disables it when it's released. It also can be used to recenter the gyro. This might prove an important feature if you're barrelling towards the ground in a fighter jet in Battlefield 6 due to dropping your Controller.

Valve has announced three new Steam hardware products, which will all be shipping out in early 2026. Next year will see the launch of a new Steam Controller, a Steam Machine for PC gaming, and the Steam Frame VR headset, with specific launch timing and pricing to be shared after the first of the year.

The modern Xbox controller and Sony DualSense both conform to the same general shape that gently cups your palms and leads the thumbs right to the necessary joysticks and face buttons. A comfortable design has led to stagnation,

In a tweet, Nick Bizzozero, a modeler and animator working at Valve, voiced his full support for calling the newly revealed Steam Machine the "GabeCube," a portmanteau referencing Valve president Gabe Newell and the iconic boxed-shape Nintendo Game Cube.