The $99 Steam Controller Seems Expensive, But It's Really Not

When I first heard that the Steam Controller was $99, I immediately recoiled. For what is ostensibly a core controller, it'd be a big price hike above its fellow $75 PS5's DualSense 5 or $70 Xbox Series X controller. But the more I sit down and think about all the tech that Valve managed to shove into this thing, the more it seems like a pretty decent deal. That mostly comes down to where it's competing. The world of PC controllers is full of ultra-premium "pro" controllers, that pack in some of the same features as the Steam Controller but at a much higher price. I mean, just look at the Asus ROG Raikiri II: It has the same TMR sticks, but with added RGB lighting, and it costs almost twice as much as Valve's controller. But where Valve's controller lacks fancy rainbow lighting, it has the same haptic trackpads as the Steam Deck. These are divisive, of course, and they make the controller quite a bit larger than it would be otherwise, but they're genuinely useful for anyone playing PC games that don't usually play nice with a traditional controller. Really, that's what also sets the Steam Controller apart from some of the more affordable controllers with TMR sticks. Something like the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 or the GameSir G7 Pro also have the same kind of joysticks that'll probably last you for years, but they're much cheaper, coming in at $69 and $79, respectively. But, again, those controllers don't have Valve's fancy little touchpads. I'm not saying that the Steam Controller is the best deal out there for a controller – far from it. But for all the features, Valve probably could have got away with charging quite a bit more. And I just hope the company carries that philosophy forward for the Steam Machine. Maybe The Steam Machine Won't Be Super Expensive Assuming the Steam Machine comes out any time in the forseeable future, I don't think there's any escaping a higher price tag than we initially hoped. All the way back in November, I was guessing that Valve's console-esque mini gaming PC would cost at least $800, and the situation has only got more expensive over the last six months or so. But still, when I talked to Valve last year, it insisted that the Steam Machine would be priced competitively with similarly specced gaming PCs. It's hard to take that at face value in a world where RAM costs have gone through the roof, but the Steam Controller coming in at such an affordable price is a good sign. Assuming that Valve went into the Steam Controller pricing with the same philosophy of matching comparable products, it really does seem like it succeeded. Sure, there are cheaper controllers out there with some of the features, but the Steam Controller holds its own against gamepads that cost upwards of $150. In our interview with Valve, Steve Cardinali told us that the price was kept down through "discipline around what we include and don't include." That sure explains the lack of garish RGB lighting, but it also sounds very similar to what Valve was telling me back in November about keeping the Steam Machine price down. There's still a pit in my stomach where I fear that the Steam Machine is going to cost something ridiculous like $1,500. And, well, I guess that's still possible. But if the Steam Controller is any indication, maybe Valve will find a way to squeeze it in under $1,200. That's probably still going to be too high for a lot of people, but just like this controller, it could be a lot more expensive. Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

Apr 28, 2026 - 02:39

The $99 Steam Controller Seems Expensive, But It's Really Not

When I first heard that the Steam Controller was $99, I immediately recoiled. For what is ostensibly a core controller, it'd be a big price hike above its fellow $75 PS5's DualSense 5 or $70 Xbox Series X controller. But the more I sit down and think about all the tech that Valve managed to shove into this thing, the more it seems like a pretty decent deal.

That mostly comes down to where it's competing. The world of PC controllers is full of ultra-premium "pro" controllers, that pack in some of the same features as the Steam Controller but at a much higher price. I mean, just look at the Asus ROG Raikiri II: It has the same TMR sticks, but with added RGB lighting, and it costs almost twice as much as Valve's controller.

But where Valve's controller lacks fancy rainbow lighting, it has the same haptic trackpads as the Steam Deck. These are divisive, of course, and they make the controller quite a bit larger than it would be otherwise, but they're genuinely useful for anyone playing PC games that don't usually play nice with a traditional controller.

Really, that's what also sets the Steam Controller apart from some of the more affordable controllers with TMR sticks. Something like the 8BitDo Ultimate 2 or the GameSir G7 Pro also have the same kind of joysticks that'll probably last you for years, but they're much cheaper, coming in at $69 and $79, respectively. But, again, those controllers don't have Valve's fancy little touchpads.

I'm not saying that the Steam Controller is the best deal out there for a controller – far from it. But for all the features, Valve probably could have got away with charging quite a bit more. And I just hope the company carries that philosophy forward for the Steam Machine.

Maybe The Steam Machine Won't Be Super Expensive

Assuming the Steam Machine comes out any time in the forseeable future, I don't think there's any escaping a higher price tag than we initially hoped. All the way back in November, I was guessing that Valve's console-esque mini gaming PC would cost at least $800, and the situation has only got more expensive over the last six months or so.

But still, when I talked to Valve last year, it insisted that the Steam Machine would be priced competitively with similarly specced gaming PCs. It's hard to take that at face value in a world where RAM costs have gone through the roof, but the Steam Controller coming in at such an affordable price is a good sign.

Assuming that Valve went into the Steam Controller pricing with the same philosophy of matching comparable products, it really does seem like it succeeded. Sure, there are cheaper controllers out there with some of the features, but the Steam Controller holds its own against gamepads that cost upwards of $150. In our interview with Valve, Steve Cardinali told us that the price was kept down through "discipline around what we include and don't include." That sure explains the lack of garish RGB lighting, but it also sounds very similar to what Valve was telling me back in November about keeping the Steam Machine price down.

There's still a pit in my stomach where I fear that the Steam Machine is going to cost something ridiculous like $1,500. And, well, I guess that's still possible. But if the Steam Controller is any indication, maybe Valve will find a way to squeeze it in under $1,200. That's probably still going to be too high for a lot of people, but just like this controller, it could be a lot more expensive.

Jackie Thomas is the Hardware and Buying Guides Editor at IGN and the PC components queen. You can follow her @Jackiecobra

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