Hori has announced that it is working with Valve on a new gaming controller called the Horipad that works with Steam and the Steam Deck. This is fantastic news since Valve discontinued its own Steam gaming controllers and hasn’t looked back. I’m glad that someone else is trying to release a controller strictly for PC gaming.
Oddly enough, it would seem that these controllers are only being marketed for the Japan PC gaming scene. Which should be an indication of how big PC gaming is in Japan. It appears the release date is toward the end of October 2024, and the controllers will be priced at $50. These controllers will come in four colors, Black, White, Purple, and Lime, and will work with Windows 10 and 11. There doesn’t appear to be any rumble support or trackpads, and sadly, Hori decided to go with Bluetooth over 2.4 GHz, which would have been better for input latency.
According to Hori’s website, these controllers will feature several features, such as:
- Full Gyro Support is available when Steam Mode is activated.
- DirectInput and XInput support
- Bluetooth (range of 10 meters) and wired connections
- A dedicated Steam button that can be used to start Steam if it isn’t already running
- Continuous button pressing or “Rapid Fire” mode for face buttons
- Quick access button
- Four customization buttons
- It can be used on PC or the Steam Deck
- 12 hours of usage
So far, I like what Hori is doing, but the lack of the trackpad, which the original Steam Controller had, and rumble support is frustrating. I enjoyed the original Steam controller and still use mine occasionally. Beyond that, I’d love to get my hands on one of these since I’m all about that PC gaming life. Here’s hoping that Hori will eventually bring these controllers to North America as well.