When "good enough" isn’t good enough

Image credit: Rock Paper Shotgun

When the new Steam Controller goes on sale on May 4th , it will go up against much more established gamepads in the Xbox Wireless Controller and PS5 DualSense vein – though none that share its singular focus on being a PC gaming controller, specifically. Why are there so few PC pads?

It’s a question I put to Valve designer Lawrence Yang and engineer Steve Cardinali, who’ve also worked on the Steam Deck , Steam Deck OLED , and the upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame VR hardware. And while theories were offered, the true reasoning for the peripheral industry’s console monogamy was, alas, left a mystery.

"I actually don't know why!" Yang chuckles.…