The 5 Best Controller Options For Your Steam Deck

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The primary purpose of a Steam Deck is to be a gaming PC you can carry around, hence its built-in controls. However, if the controls don’t meet your needs for whatever reason, or you want to play games while the Steam Deck is docked, you’ll want a separate controller. The good news is that most major controller brands like Xbox, 8BitDo, and GuliKit are just as compatible with the Steam Deck as they would be with a regular gaming PC.

Valve offers its own gaming accessories, such as the new version of the Steam Controller that’s releasing alongside the Steam Machine. However, thanks to its inherent flexibility as a gaming platform, backed by built-in compatibilities from SteamOS, the Steam Deck can connect to most current-gen controllers, either wirelessly through Bluetooth or wired via USB ports on its dock. This means you have your choice of a wide variety of different controllers, covering a massive range of features and price ranges, to meet your gaming needs.

All of the following controllers are readily available for purchase on Amazon and have a user rating of at least 4 out of 5 stars.

While Nintendo’s current consoles don’t always play nice with third-party controllers, that disconnect thankfully doesn’t go both ways. The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller, the newest model of traditional gamepad for Nintendo’s newest console, can be used as a typical USB joystick for both gaming PCs and the Steam Deck. It’s available on Amazon for $89.00.

While some of the Switch 2 Pro Controller’s features are exclusively for Nintendo’s console, such as Amiibo support and the screen capture button, the rest of the functions work just fine on the Steam Deck. It features HD Rumble 2, mappable rear buttons, and built-in motion controls, and is just a generally comfortable, straightforward controller to hold and use. The only catch is that it can only be used with a wired connection, so it’s better suited for docked Steam Deck play than handheld.

The Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller has a 4.8 out of 5 rating from Amazon shoppers. Users appreciate the smoothness and comfort of the controller’s grip and sticks, and one of them particularly liked the mappable buttons on the back.

If money is no object, then it makes sense to get the highest-quality controller you possibly can to go with your Steam Deck. For instance, the PlayStation DualSense controller is often regarded as one of the highest-quality controllers on the market right now, so if you can afford its $199.00 price tag from Amazon, you can go the extra mile with the PlayStation DualSense Edge Wireless Controller.

The DualSense Edge can connect to your PC and your Steam Deck via USB or Bluetooth, boasting not just its sleek, comfortable profile, but its signature features like haptic feedback and adaptive triggers. The included function (Fn) button allows you to quickly set up and swap between profiles, perfect if you share the controller with a friend or family member or need different setups for different games. You can also use the switches on the back to manually adjust the trigger lengths for your comfort, and the stick modules and caps can be easily swapped out for the same purpose and general upkeep.

Amazon shoppers have given the DualSense Edge a 4.7 out of 5 rating, saying it’s an excellent choice for competitive gaming and noting that being able to freely swap out stick modules makes it an invaluable long-term investment.

Unfortunately, not everyone can afford a multi-hundred-dollar investment in a gaming controller, and you don’t need to compromise on overall quality to get a decent controller for your Steam Deck. For something a little more reasonably priced, try the 8BitDo Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller, available on Amazon for $29.99.

This hearty controller dispenses with most of the bells and whistles to deliver a consistent and comfortable gaming experience. It’s got a refined D-pad and bumpers that are light, yet tactile to the touch, wear-resistant hall-effect sticks, a turbo mode toggle, and, in an interesting addition, an extra set of trigger buttons sandwiched between the usual triggers and bumpers. The functions of these quick-fire buttons can be freely customized on the controller itself without external hardware.

Some customers say it’s the best controller they have ever used, with particular praise for its impressive wireless connection distance and efficacy, even maintaining its signal while underneath a blanket. That’s why the Ultimate 2C Wireless Controller has a 4.5 out of 5 rating from Amazon shoppers.

Control stick drift has become an enduring scourge for gamers of all walks of life and a major contributing factor to buying replacement controllers. In this era, GuliKit has emerged as a seller of high-quality, drift-resistant sticks, which it has also integrated into its own controllers. For a Steam Deck controller with reduced drift risk, try the GuliKit ES Wireless Controller, available on Amazon for $24.99.

This controller has full wireless and wired support with the Steam Deck, along with most other game consoles, PCs, and portable gaming alternatives to the Steam Deck. The headlining feature is GuliKit’s signature hall-effect electromagnetic sticks, delivering precise, drift-resistant stick input with numerous analog switches. The conductive rubber buttons are soft and comfortable to press, and the layout can be customized on the controller itself alongside toggles for joystick deadzones and turbo mode.

This controller has a 4.0 out of 5 rating from Amazon users. One user bought two units and found the controllers to be lightweight and comfortable. They particularly liked the controller’s impressive battery life, able to last multiple sessions before needing a charge.

When it comes to controllers for gaming PCs or PC-adjacent devices like the Steam Deck, it shouldn’t be surprising that Microsoft has remained one of the most consistent brand choices with its Xbox controllers. For a Steam Deck controller with a familiar layout, plus a few extra features, there’s the Xbox Elite Series 2 Core Wireless Controller, available on Amazon for $149.99.

This professional-grade controller features a wrap-around rubber grip, adjustable-tension thumbsticks, and shorter hair trigger locks, all to help optimize your high-impact gaming experience. The controller can save up to three setup profiles and swap between them on the fly, with further customizations available via the Xbox Accessories app. Xbox also sells a Complete Component Pack, including swappable D-pads, paddles, and thumbsticks for fine-tuning your overall setup.

This Xbox controller has earned a 4.3 out of 5 rating from Amazon shoppers, who praised the overall comfort of the grip, as well as the many adjustable elements like the bumper buttons and joysticks.

As important as it is to have a variety of different controller options for your Steam Deck to cater to various experiences, it’s debatably more important that all of those options actually work as advertised. This is why, in order to select the preceding controllers, we focused on those readily available on Amazon with at least a 4 out of 5 user rating to ensure consistent quality.