If you bought Valve's new $99 Steam Controller as I did, you might have noticed that it doesn't function as expected outside the Steam app. It isn't completely useless, as the controller falls back into a "lizard mode" that lets you navigate your Windows desktop with basic controls.
Still, games launched from the Xbox app on PC or other third-party launchers won't detect any compatible controller and assume you're still using a mouse and keyboard.
If you aren't a particularly confident Windows user, potentially picking up Valve's new Steam Controller to simplify PC gaming into something more akin to a homemade Steam Machine "console", then this may already seem like too much hard work — or risky, if any of these apps are "vibe-coded" with the help of AI, noting that SteamlessController lists Anthropic's Claude as a contributor.
What about SDL support for the Steam Controller?
Thankfully, there has been some movement towards supporting the Steam Controller outside of the Steam app, as the SDL (Simple DirectMedia Layer) library now supports the controller's "touchpads, capacitive touch for sticks, and grip sense handling" (via Phoronix).
In theory, that means certain games will begin to recognize the Steam Controller as a fully-functional joypad when you play them on PC. You might not see SDL support across every AAA title, but it's a major step towards controller functionality on Windows when importing non-Steam games.
Testing the current functionality myself by adding the popular Subnautica 2 as a non-Steam game (or rather the GameLaunchHelper.exe file) confirms my suspicion: Steam Input doesn't activate, and the Steam Controller is still detected as a mouse and keyboard. While I can bind its detected mouse clicks and other inputs in the game, it won't support the controller's full feature set.
So, is the Steam Controller worth buying?
I spent my own money on Valve's revised Steam Controller, but my experience is far from unique. This issue with the Xbox PC app and Game Pass games has been known since the embargo lifted on sample units, but it's always better to go hands-on with a retail model and see what the experience is like for paying customers. I'm testing some of these trending concerns with my own unit, and will publish my take on its value soon enough.
For now, I'm not willing to download a third-party input translation layer just to play games from my Game Pass Ultimate subscription.
Whether the blame lies with Microsoft and its UWP app approach to games on the Xbox app or with Valve and its lack of Xinput support on the Steam Controller is a debate for another time, but I don't want another app in my system tray to solve the issue. I'll keep you updated if the situation changes, and if I have any luck with the Steam desktop app and its default setup.
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