A few months back, we saw the unveiling of a new Steam controller, but not one from Valve. Instead, HORI, a Japanese company perhaps best known for its arcade sticks, announced its very own version of the controller, which serves as a sequel to the original. While it misses out on some of the same features, it is designed with PC gaming on Steam in mind.
Named the Horipad, it launched on October 31st in Japan for 7,890 yen (which is around $50) with no mention of a wider release. However, the pad has now been spotted on Amazon in the US and is currently available for pre-order from the popular retailer.
HORI Wireless HORIPAD for Steam
HORI Wireless HORIPAD pre order is live on Amazon
You can now pre-order the Wireless Horipad for Steam on Amazon for $60. According to the product listing, it is compatible with Steam and Steam Deck (wirelessly) or acts as a regular XInput controller on Windows 10/11 when wired. It features dedicated buttons which give you quick access to Steam menus, in a similar fashion to the Deck.
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Here are some more features to think about:
- Capacitive Touch Thumbsticks
- Steam Button accesses the Steam menu or activates Big Picture Mode
- Quick Access Button opens simple settings while in Big Picture Mode
- Access to full controller mapping in Steam including Gyro, Turbo, and Analog Stick Sensitivity
- Four additional programmable buttons
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Analog or Digital trigger toggle switch
Both Amazon and the official Hori website reveal that the controller is expected to be released on December 16th, with pre-orders exclusively available through Amazon at the time of writing. Further digging also reveals it will be compatible with the Hori Device Manager software, which helps cover XInput configuration.
What’s missing?
Back when it was announced, the obvious difference between the Horipad and the original (now discontinued) Steam Controller was the lack of touchpads – perhaps the defining feature of Valve’s gamepad. This was something that was integrated with the Steam Deck handheld but Hori hasn’t followed suit.
Either way, the familiarity of thumbsticks is something many people prefer and we think the Horipad offers an excellent Steam-tailored controller that doesn’t drift too far away from what we’ve come to expect in a game controller.
