A new official Steam controller is on its way, but there’s a catch

There’s a new officially endorsed steam controller on the scene, but there’s a catch: it’s only available in Japan.

Established accessory company Hori has unveiled the Wireless Horipad for Steam, a wireless PC game controller made specifically with Steam in mind. It comes with Valve’s seal of approval and steam branding.

Unlike the original Steam Controller, which Valve itself launched in 2015 and discontinued in 2019, the controller adopts a fairly typical layout that will be familiar to anyone with a games console from the last several generations. There’s a pair of analogue sticks, four shoulder buttons (two of which are analogue), a D-pad, and four basic fascia buttons.

However, it also mirrors the Steam Deck’s array of menu buttons, four bonus mappable control buttons (though only two on the back), and even copies the PC gaming handheld’s touch-sensitive analogue stick caps for initiating gyro control. The only things that don’t map directly to the Steam Deck, are the lack of those twin touchpads and an unfortunate absence of haptic feedback.

Connectivity goes down the standard Bluetooth and USB-C routes, as you might expect.

As already mentioned, the Wireless Horipad for Steam will only be available in its native Japan, where will become available on October 31 for 7,980 yen (about £40). It comes in four colours, with the standard Midnight Black and Shiny White shades accompanied more vibrant Neon Yellow and Luminous Violet options.