Grand total it has 4 extra buttons, 2 capacitive strips, 2 touchpads, gyro, and the fancy magnetic joysticks. $100 did not surprise me at all.

Of course, if you don't care about any of those features, it isn't the best deal, in the same way that a luxury sports car makes for a shit commuter vehicle. Not that the steam controller is "luxury" but like, if you don't want the extra features then the higher price probably isn't worth it. That doesn't make it overpriced, it means you aren't the target audience.

Full disclosure. I'm that target audience. I'm already mentally mapping extra buttons to the left touchpad and thinking about setting the back buttons to my armored core's shoulder weapons.

Requiring Steam to be able to use the controller as a functional kit is a...well it is a decision. I'm not a controller person so it wasn't ever on my radar at all, but I'm not a fan of that part of it.

Every outlet that you are seeing run a headline about the Steam Controller being in someway 'controversial' or 'has a problem' or 'may be divisive' ...

I contend that this is an anti-marketing campaign, being run by basically, potentially, the entire AAA gaming industry that isn't Valve.

Nearly every major AAA game company is currently imploding right now.

Except Valve.

Because Valve is privately held and owned, it doesn't have a board of investors to answer to, to constantly juice next quarter profits for.

It doesn't have a gaggle of people who sit on multiple corporate boards simultaneously, who sit on the boards of industry lobbying groups, who sit on the boards of astroturfed 'consumer rights' groups.

These people all know each other, or in some cases literally are the same people.

I of course cannot prove this conclusively, but just... look around.

This is nuts, the number of media outlets going with a non positive angle, in the headline... of a product launch.

Also consider that many of Valve's direct competition has extensive, direct ties to the AI bubble insano-mania, both hardware and software companies.

... Its not normal to have so many different outlets have such a standardized general framing of ... a video game controller launch.

This is what a retired ex corpo ex MSFT employee such as myself would describe as sus.

I still don't get the controversy.

Are you an avid Touchpad user on the Deck or on the OG Steam Controller? Buy this.
Do you just want a controller for your PC? Buy an Xbox, PS or Third party.

The only thing stopping me from buying the new Steam Controller is all of the original Steam Controllers I have that are all still working fine.

prices that have raised eyebrows among some gamers.

WTF?

Only those that know nothing about the features and tech internal.

price is a steal.

With prices of hardware in general world-wide (non-ram related) we're lucky this isn't $120US or $150US

Switch 2 Joycon's are the same price for fuck sakes...

Xbox Elite Wireless Controller is more expensive, and can't do the things this controller can do.

I'm more than willing to pay a premium for a PC controller that isn't going to have stick drift and will work a few years down the line. God knows how many xbox controllers I've gone through.

I trust Valve, I've used their product and played their games for decades and they've never let me down. they've made gaming on linux accessible and now extremely easy to set up and get going. $100 for a controller I will pay for.