The New Steam Controller Is $99, on Sale Since 4 May

The new Steam Controller costs $99 on Valve’s US store page, and purchasing opened on 4 May 2026. On 6 October the page’s only button for signed-out visitors read “Login for reservations”, so a signed-out visitor sees a reservation route rather than a checkout.

The same page showed £85 in the UK, €99 in Germany, CA$149 in Canada and A$149 in Australia, VAT included where it applies.

Price and availability

Store region	Valve’s price, 6 October 2026
US	$99
UK	£85
Germany (euro)	€99
Canada	CA$149
Australia	A$149

Valve announced the date on 27 April: “You can officially start adding Steam Controller to cart on May 4th.” It gave no price in that post. The price is on the product page.

What the page does not show is stock. There is no delivery estimate and no in-stock or sold-out label, only the reservation button, while the same panel renders the price and five feature bullets. We did not sign in, so we cannot say what a reservation involves or how long it takes.

If you are also after a Steam Machine, the bundle is cheaper: Valve lists each Machine with the controller for $79 more than without it, $20 under the controller on its own. The Machine page does not say whether that controller comes with its puck. It does not need one there: the Machine has the controller’s wireless adapter built in. That bundle sits behind the Machine’s own waitlist, set out in what Valve says about the $1,049 Steam Machine.

What it connects to

Valve’s list is “PC, laptop, Steam Deck, Steam Machine, Steam Frame, and more”: anything running Steam or the Steam Link app, including phones and tablets.

Device	What Valve says
Windows or Linux PC	Works through Steam or Steam Link
Mac	Works, but some Steam games cannot use it
Steam Deck (affiliate link to Amazon, opens in a new tab)	Docked or handheld, with the same inputs as the Deck
Steam Machine	Pairs without the puck, up to four, and can wake the Machine
Steam Frame	Infrared LEDs let the headset’s cameras track it
Phone or tablet	Through the Steam Link app

The Mac row is the catch. A footnote on Valve’s page says that on macOS the controller “is not compatible with some Steam titles because they rely on Apple’s Game Controller framework”, and that Valve has “no timeline” for a fix. Valve does not list which games.

Games outside Steam are a narrower case. Valve’s February FAQ says the controller works with “any game compatible with the Steam Overlay”, so the usual route is adding the game to Steam and launching it from there.

Valve pitches the Frame pairing for flat games: “Perfect for playing all of your non-VR games on a giant virtual screen.” The headset’s sign-up rules are separate again: Steam Frame orders now join the back of a waitlist.

How it connects

Three ways, from Valve’s spec table:

• The Steam Controller Puck, included with a USB cable. A 2.4GHz wireless transmitter that plugs into a PC over USB-C and doubles as a magnetic charging dock. Valve gives “~8ms full end-to-end, 4ms polling rate (measured at 5m)” and up to four controllers per puck.
• Bluetooth, 4.2 at minimum, with 5.0 or later recommended.
• USB-C, tethered.

Valve rates the 8.39 Wh battery at 35+ hours of gameplay, and says that drops when a Steam Frame is tracking the controller. It does not say by how much. The controller charges on the puck or over USB-C.

The inputs

The controller copies the Steam Deck’s layout, which is the point: Valve says that “input parity” means community control layouts for thousands of games are there from the first day.

Input	Valve’s spec
Thumbsticks	Two full-size magnetic (TMR) sticks with capacitive touch
Trackpads	Two 34.5mm square pads, pressure-sensitive, with haptics
Gyro	6-axis IMU
Grip Sense	Capacitive strips along the back of both handles
Back buttons	Four assignable grip buttons
Haptics	Four LRA motors: two in the trackpads, two in the grips
Standard	ABXY, D-pad, analog triggers, bumpers, View, Menu, Steam and Quick Access

Grip Sense is the new one. It detects whether your hands are on the handles, so holding the grips can switch gyro aiming on and letting go switches it off, the way you lift a mouse at the edge of the mat. Valve says it can also be mapped like any other button.

The controller weighs 292g and measures 111 × 159 × 57mm. The puck is 16g.

The controller page links Valve’s hardware refund policy, which gives you 14 days from delivery to send it back.

Questions people ask

How much is the new Steam Controller?

$99 on Valve’s US store page, read 6 October 2026. The same page showed £85 in the UK, €99 in Germany, CA$149 in Canada and A$149 in Australia, with VAT included where it applies. A Steam Machine bundle adds it for $79.

When did the new Steam Controller come out?

Valve opened purchasing on 4 May 2026, a date it announced on 27 April. It first showed the controller, with the Steam Machine and Steam Frame, in November 2025.

Is the Steam Controller in stock?

Valve’s page does not say. Signed out, the only button is “Login for reservations”, and the page shows no stock level or delivery estimate, though the same panel shows the price and features. Sign in to see what Valve offers your account.

Does the Steam Controller work with Steam Deck?

Yes. Valve lists Steam Deck, docked or handheld, and says the controller has input parity with it, so community control layouts made for the Deck are already there for thousands of games.

Do I need the puck to use a Steam Controller with a Steam Machine?

No. The Steam Machine has the controller’s wireless adapter built in, takes up to four controllers on it, and can be woken from the controller. Elsewhere, the puck, Bluetooth or a USB-C cable all work.

Does the Steam Controller work on a Mac?

With Steam, yes, but not with every game. Valve says some Steam titles on macOS cannot use it because they rely on Apple’s Game Controller framework, and that it has no timeline for a fix.

Can I use the Steam Controller with non-Steam games?

Valve’s answer is that it works with any game compatible with the Steam Overlay, which in practice means games you launch through Steam.