Controller usage by Steam players has tripled since 2018
Valve has shared how many of its Steam users play games with a controller. In a new Steam blog postValve revealed that more gamers than ever are choosing to play Steam games with a controller and that since 2018, average daily controller usage has tripled, from 5% to 15%. It also confirmed that 42% of […]
Valve has shared how many of its Steam users play games with a controller.
In a new Steam blog postValve revealed that more gamers than ever are choosing to play Steam games with a controller and that since 2018, average daily controller usage has tripled, from 5% to 15%.
It also confirmed that 42% of these controller sessions use the Steam Input feature.
When it comes to most used controllers, Xbox wins hands down. According to Valve, 59% of sessions are played with an Xbox controller, while 26% use PlayStation – likely the DualSense or DualShock 4 – and 10% are on Steam Deck.
“As usage has grown, our team has continued to work to improve and add features to enhance the controller experience for these players,” Valve explained, before listing a number of new features it recently released for Steam Input and the controller.
These include an update to Big Picture Mode, which introduced a complete overhaul of the controller experience first on Steam, which also brought the Steam Deck user experience to the big screen, as well as new controller layouts, gyro aiming and virtual menus for the desktop client, and support for PlayStation and Xbox controllers.
Valve also just added support for the latest Horipad controller for Steam. From Japanese peripheral maker Hori, the Wireless Horipad will be available in Japan on October 31 and costs 7,980 yen ($50/£40).
It will be available in four color variants including Midnight Black, Shiny White, Neon Yellow and Luminous Violet.
Steam now allows over 300 supported controllers, and if you’re looking for recommendations, you can check out our guide to the best PC controllers of 2024.
