connecting a steam controller in 2024

I apologize for the audio being bad. stuff went wrong in my obs. I also apologize for the long rambly video. could have probably been shorter, but I felt like not cutting things out to keep expectations realistic.

unboxing a new in box steam controller to showcase how to use the cli tool valve made to update the steam controllers firmware... because its no longer part of the steam input ui for whatever stupid reason. its a more complicated process, but myself and others have now confirmed it works. you dont need to be afraid of bricking your steam controller using the tool linked below and in the reddit thread also linked below.

[Mennenth]

EDIT: MAKE SURE YOU ACTUALLY EXTRACT THE CONTENTS OF THE DOWNLOADED .ZIP FOLDER
I sort of glazed over that part for brevity, but you cant simply double click to open the archive and flash from there. You do actually have to extract the contents for it to work (right click, extract, all that jazz). Of course, if Valve actually bothered to properly support their own controller through their own controller ui then this wouldnt be a point of confusion.

OH!
Info I forgot to include: Even if you update to the bluetooth firmware, if you can get your hands on one of the proprietary dongles it is better to connect through it. The proprietary dongle is lower latency compared to bluetooth. While there is no need to, if you have the dongle you can still update the firmware as there is no harm in that. Having bluetooth as an option is good for compatibility (steam link through an app, one less thing to worry about carrying around with your Deck, etc)

[chrissy]

The fact you just have a brand new controller just lying around is such an insane flex 😭😭

[Space_Pad]

Thank you for the video. Haven't had to replace my Steam controller with a new one yet, but when that day comes the update guide will come in handy. It is a shame Linux users are left out given the popularity of the Steam Deck.

[Silentwaytogo]

Thanks for the tutorial on getting the steam controller to work on my pc via bluetooth. My brother gave me a Steam controller he found for $5 a year ago and I am looking forward to using it.

[whistlingsage]

Edit: It worked! Thank you for putting in so much work to upload this video! Straightforward, clear instructions are hard to find regarding this issue. Also, thank you for providing the link to the correct update .zip file, because there are several sources linking outdated files. You were right about the need for a good USB cable; the only cable that worked for me was the one that came with my Controller, and I had a heck of a time finding it.

[JxcksonSF]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THIS VIDEO!!!
i have a steam controller that the bluetooh didnt worked anymore, i tought it was broken. gave it one more chance and it worked 😭😭😭😭😭😭 i love you.

[WLTW]

I lose my Bluetooth receiver and can't find BLE update in stream, now after update my steam controller work again and work great with pc ! thanks !

[tajemniczepulchnecos]

I bought my steam controller when steam was getting rid of the last in stock for around 15$, i use it once a few months, specially for games like Jurassic world evolution 1 and 2. It just feels natural. Didn't know valve did this...

[gemshards]

Fun fact:
Apparently, if you used your steam controller and firmware spontaneously combusted by connecting controller to pc via wire, after batteries was drained - you cannot reupdate it without pressing "deregister controller" button that was in old big picture...

I wasted whole 10 days of failed updates and surfing the internet to obtain this knowledge
At least I'm super happy that now everything works

[benjaminthorpe]

I just picked up a new one off of ebay for $105. I'm loving it. I can't believe more people haven't even tried it. I told all my friends and showed them. It's definitely a muscle memory retrain. But oh does it pay off.

[greymamith]

guess its time for me to set up my 7 new in box steam controllers so they have the firmware for when my current one inevitably dies one day.

[Travestyyy]

This video was super helpful. Thank you so much!

[ColorfulCountess]

TY TY TY a million times! I had been trying everything and this got my controller going fairly painlessly. Also, I appreciate you leaving the progress bar time in there. It helped me to know that it was still going and that I should be patient.

[greatstoneplanet]

This allowed me to pair my Steam Controller with my android tablet to use playing games through the Steam Link app.

[dchester]

THANK YOU SO MUCH YOU HAVE JUST SAVED ME SO MANY TEARS <3

[AdamSaeed]

I picked one a few days back. It's so sad that Valve abandoned it like that. Whenever I visit a game page, it would have a tag saying "this game supports your Xbox controller", but I never owned an Xbox controller. Also, when trying to filter to games that support a specific controller, Steam Controller isn't on the list

[maynardmann]

THANK YOU SO MUCH saved my SC after my dongle craped out love this thing

[cliffseagull]

fantastically helpful video! thanks for this!

[Guaranteed_JET]

Thank you very much! This guide was very helpful

[athetos-]

thanks i have been using mine for like 7 years now,