A tinkerer known as Pixel1011 (or just Pixel) reverse-engineered the new Steam Controller’s firmware and found Human Interface Device (HID) commands, unlocking the ability to stream audio files to the peripheral. At first, they managed to stream 8-bit quality at 8 kHz, but have recently updated the project to support 16-bit at 8kHz, so now you can play music on your gamepad.

It didn’t take long after the Steam Controller was released on May 4 for owners to discover a humorous easter egg – the iconic Wilhelm scream. Dropping the controller while Big Picture Mode is open on Steam has a chance to trigger the recognizable scream, which has been used in cinema and other media for decades. Valve also utilizes the haptic motors/actuators to recreate this sound.

You can essentially turn your Steam Controller into a speaker

A user by the name of Pixel has released files on GitHub under the project name ‘SteamHapticsPlayer’ to allow others to experiment with. Simply put, the project allows Steam Controller owners to play stereo audio by streaming from a file to the second-gen controller’s haptics. Pixel says the project allows ‘practically anything’ to be played on the haptic motors.

The creator posted on their YouTube channel to show it off in action, currently featuring two songs from the Portal series, Still Alive and Want You Gone, which you may remember from the credits of Portal 1 and Portal 2, respectively. It’s worth noting that the controller does not actually have traditional built-in speakers, so it’s all done through the haptic actuators to produce sound.

For the latter song demonstration, Want You Gone, Pixel says they had updated the program to stream higher-quality 16-bit audio, noting that it works (sounds) best with a wired connection. They also recommend resting the controller against a hard surface to better project the sound, as it carries more of the vibration. The haptic motors are located directly under the trackpads.

In terms of file formats, the creator says the Steam Haptics Player accepts “anything at all” – as long as FFmpeg accepts it (you can see a full list of supported codecs and formats here).

About the Author

Jack Goodall

At PC Guide, Jack is mostly responsible for reporting on hardware deals. He also specializes in monitors, TVs, and headsets and can be found putting his findings together in a review or best-of guide.