Final Update: My Steam Controller (2026) hardware seems to be fine after all!
There is something funky going on with some combination of Steam Controller, Bazzite, and Big Picture “Gaming” Mode, creating problems with inputs in the Steam menu itself… It’s still a minor issue for me.
But I was able to open Ultra Street Fighter IV and give the controller a thorough test in training mode with visible inputs, and it acted as expected (without dropping or doubling inputs at all). It worked well in game, and I found the d-pad and track pad to be pretty solid for fighting games, too!
So, in short, something is causing it to bug out a little bit in the Bazzite HTPC Big Picture Mode, but it’s working pretty well in games and I’m now confident that there isn’t any hardware-related issue.
Turns out the Steam Controller doesn’t suck afterall!
Original Post: After a long shipping process (and an even longer wait) I finally got my new Steam Controller (2026), only to find that… it sucks!?
It drops inputs in Steam Big Picture Mode (or rather, Bazzite’s gaming mode). And when it’s not dropping inputs, it’s doubling them!
The puck is ~15ft (4.5m) away from me, on top of the TV stand with direct line of sight to me and it reports having a bad and unstable connection. To make matters worse, the input issues seem to happen regardless of whether it’s a wireless or wired connection…
Finally, the pairing process is straight up laughable. Connect the controller to your puck to try to pair it, and it prompts you on screen to confirm? How am I supposed to agree to pair it if my controller isn’t paired in the first place??
Am I the only one having a terrible experience with this controller so far? This was supposed to be an easy win for Valve…
I sure hope they have some kind of emergency patch in the works for this thing because right now I’m on the verge of asking for a refund.
Commenting to mention that I’ve posted an update to this thread at the top of the OP.
Turns out the hardware is fine, and the controller seems to be working perfectly fine in game!
The issue I’m having seems to be really limited to Steam menu navigation within Bazzite’s Big Picture “Gaming” Mode.
I can live with that, for now.
They’ve released a couple firmware/steam updates for people having doubled inputs, so definitely make sure you have those all installed. A new firmware update for the controller was released last night.
Under Controller>Advanced settings in steam big picture mode, you can try forcibly updating all hardwired controllers.
You shouldn’t be having any signal issues at that range, so you either have something defective or some really bad signal interference. I’m leaning towards something being defective, because my puck doesn’t have line of sight, is immediately next to a router and a bunch of bluetooth devices, and hasn’t had any connection issues. You also mentioned the issues happening while wired, which definitely suggests a controller issue and not a connection problem.
They’ve released a couple firmware/steam updates for people having doubled inputs, so definitely make sure you have those all installed. A new firmware update for the controller was released last night.
I guess I’m up to date, though it’s not really clear…
The first time I plugged in the puck, Steam recognized it and prompted me to update the puck firmware. Ok, that went fine.
But then it told me to unplug the puck and plug in the controller, at which point the controller was not automatically recognized and I had no way to proceed.
I ended up quitting out of that menu and finding a button to update the controller in the general settings menu, after which that button simply disappeared (?) or something…
Under Controller>Advanced settings in steam big picture mode, you can try forcibly updating all hardwired controllers.
I’ve tried that one. You click “start” and it spins for 2-3 seconds before going right back to saying “start”. It’s unclear to me what, if anything, it does.
You shouldn’t be having any signal issues at that range, so you either have something defective or some really bad signal interference. I’m leaning towards something being defective, because my puck doesn’t have line of sight, is immediately next to a router and a bunch of bluetooth devices, and hasn’t had any connection issues. You also mentioned the issues happening while wired, which definitely suggests a controller issue and not a connection problem.
Yeah… I’ve sent in a Steam support ticket.
I’m trying to keep my cool about it, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t pretty annoyed at how shoddy this thing seems to be, given my long standing support of Valve hardware, the long delays, $100 price tags, struggling to buy it immediately, and it now being sold out.
I’m sure that I’ll love it if I can get it to work, but it’s still a little frustrating that this thing doesn’t just work right out of the box.
You can force-flash the firmware from developer mode: https://lemmy.world/post/46802249
If the process fails, try another USB cable.
The wireless connection uses 2.4GHz, a range that can get very crowded, especially in tight urban spaces. This could explain the bad connection you have, the signal just drowns in all the noise and interference. Bad shielded electronic installations could also produce a lot of noise over a broad spectrum. If this is the reason for the bad connection then Valve can’t do much against it.
You could try using something like WiFi Analyzer on Android - this will give you a bunch of ways to visualise the number of networks, their frequency, and channels that are being used. At the very least it’ll give you a good idea in how busy the area around you is.
So with a similar distance, my controller fluctuates between “ok” and “weak” reported connection strength. However, I haven’t experienced it ever dropping or doubling an input, so I don’t think that part is normal behaviour. Can even use it from the next room, with a solid wall in-between.
Have you tried different USB ports? My controller initially had some (different) issues when the puck was in the “wrong” USB port.
Disclaimer: the last time I used a controller was more than 20 years ago on a PS1, so this might be entirely user error.
I’ve been playing some Vampire Crawlers with the controller and sometimes the sticks act weird. In the game you move around a maze, using the left one to move and the right one to turn, except sometimes the character moves when I meant to turn and vice versa, as if the two inputs got mixed up?
Again, it’s possible it’s me fucking up, but I’m putting it out there in case someone else noticed something similar.
Do you use a configuration that mixes gamepad with mouse or keyboard input, like “Gamepad with Mouse Trackpad” or something like that? Some games can’t handle those configurations, causing some strange behaviours.
I honestly have no idea. I just got the controller and I haven’t been tinkering with settings or anything, but I’ll take a look. Thanks!
Try something like Network Survey to see if the radio spectrum situation is a bit crazy.
I haven’t noticed any dropped inputs or anything myself (also bazzite, though I rarely use big picture mode).
To pair the on screen instructions said to connect the controller with a cable separate from the puck. Just connecting it to the puck didn’t work.
(Also I don’t really see the issue with needing to confirm on the device. Surely you had a way to control it before this controller arrived?)
I don’t understand this comment thread. I paired and updated my steam controller on bazzite in gaming mode without needing to use a second controller, keyboard, or mouse.
No, the prompt won’t respond to non keyboard input devices. You have to click with a mouse or keyboard.
There should really be a timeout confirmation, you know, like most prompts of this sort. It’s a pretty big design flaw imo.
Did you upgrade its firmware?
Yes. Updated the puck, the controller, and Bazzite. Both Bazzite and Steam on their respective Beta branches.
Finally, the pairing process is straight up laughable. Connect the controller to your puck to try to pair it, and it prompts you on screen to confirm? How am I supposed to agree to pair it if my controller isn’t paired in the first place??
Who doesn’t have a cheap-ass mouse or keyboard for stuff like this?
I have a mouse and keyboard, I have other controllers. That’s not really the point.
I don’t feel that I should need to plug a separate device into my Bazzite HTPC “console” to pair my controller to the puck that it comes with. Valve have marketed this controller as a replacement for a mouse and keyboard in the livingroom/bedroom setup, right?
