10 years later, here goes a sequel to review of the “first gen” controller. Somehow, Valve just couldn’t name the controller 2 or something so here we go with “add year to product name” again…

I’m gonna keep it short and simple- just comparing notes with “the original”.

Hardware

Much better. Comparing plastic from the first one its like day and night. There are still some issues (I think all units have squeaky L1) but it’s not a big deal for me. Upgrades are handled inside steam client, on big picture mode it’s same place as regular updates. I keep the puck close so can’t comment much on signal strength, but from about 1 meters + small objects in between, the connection is excellent and lag not existent. Currently in 2026 (since basically the day orders started) you can’t buy another one- which means you only have 1 puck. Would like more just in case this one dies. There is a vibe coded open source project for puck but getting hardware it reburies is not that easy in EU.

Software

Steam Input went a long way in last decade. Most things just work, issues are rare. Sometimes when I start some games, input just doesn’t work. But I’m not sure if it’s a bug on Steam part, SteamOS or just bad game. Happens maybe 1 in 25. I’m running SteamOS on my gaming desktop so I don’t care anymore about system wide support.

Feeling in Games

Sticks make it much better for any regular game. But as you probably assumed, I’m also a big fan of Deck touchpads. For a short time my fingers used to hurt when holding it, but I think it was something on my end. After few weeks, all discomfort went away and I can play for hours. Buttons feel a little different but I consider this the best controller I used so far, only 8Bit Pro 2 came close for me.

Should You Get It?

Yes, if you can get it. :) Cost a little too much, but I still think it’s worth the money for what you get. And there aren’t really any competition with touchpads, not to mention software it would need. This time I don’t think Valve is going to abandon this project. Out of all hardware they had, I think its second biggest one. Just wish they would stock up more before the apocalypse.