Valve and Hori Collaborate to Launch Steam-Focussed Wireless Controller

Controller manufacturer Hori announced the launch of a new officially licensed gamepad for Steam last week. Scheduled to launch on October 31 in Japan (for now), the Wireless Horipad for Steam is the first controller licensed by Valve since it discontinued its Steam controller in 2019.

The PC and SteamOS controller includes all the menu and share buttons found on the Steam Deck, including the touch-sensitive stick tops that can activate gyroscope sensors. Unlike its predecessor, it hosts a variety of options that can be customized using Hori’s software, including four built-in programmable buttons similar to those on the Steam Deck.

For Steam specific mode, the console includes two dedicated buttons — quick access and big picture mode. As for connectivity, it supports both Bluetooth wireless and wired USB connections, similar to other popular controllers from Xbox and PlayStation.

According to The Verge, while Horipad shares many similarities with Steam Deck — “it lacks rumble, a matching set of four back buttons, and [its] signature trackpads.”

The product is currently available for pre-order exclusively on Hori’s Japan website in white, midnight black, neon yellow, and violet. It is currently priced at ¥7,980, which is approximately $50 USD at the time of writing.

There has been no announcement regarding a wider release. According to The Verge, this limited availability may be due to the rising popularity of PC gaming and console hardware in Japan. Data from Kadokawa ASCII Research Laboratories revealed that PC gaming in Japan saw a significant annual increase of 43%, reaching US$1.3 billion, while the console hardware segment grew by 3.4%, reaching US$1.4 billion in 2022.

Interestingly, on the same day Hori announced the launch of its Steam-centric controller, Valve published an article which discussed statistics on the rising use of controllers in Steam. The article also included a recent update on controller support implemented by Valve in Steam.