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While we will continue to insist that the PlayStation 5 DualSense is the best gaming controller on the market — or at least the most stylish — the latest iteration of Valve’s Steam controller inches ever closer to that title. This device houses countless secrets, including the ability to run around like a remote-controlled car.
Recently, a modder by the name of Very Lazy Pixels discovered you can basically drive the Steam Controller around on a flat surface. No, the controller doesn’t have tiny wheels on the bottom, just some very strong and dexterous haptic motors (i.e., the components that are designed to provide rumble feedback). Very Lazy Pixels even figured out how to rig up a program that lets you steer the controller via these motors.
Admittedly, we have known the Steam Controller’s rumble motors give even the Switch 2’s haptics a run for their money for quite some time. Previously, we went over what might be the funniest Easter egg ever in any controller: The Steam Controller’s internal haptics occasionally unleash the Wilhelm scream if you drop it from a sufficient height. Preferably onto something soft because you don’t want to damage the device. However, that was a built-in feature; Very Lazy Pixels just piggy-backed on what was already there.
How to set up the remote control functionality
Unlike similar mods, if you want to drive your Steam Controller around like an RC car, you don’t need to install any third-party files into firmware folders on the device’s BIOS or anything. Instead, you only need to visit Very Lazy Pixels’ Steam Controller RC website. Simply click on the “Select a Controller” button and follow the on-screen instructions. As the website runs on WebHID, this function only works with Chromium browsers such as Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge; Safari and Firefox are incompatible.
Once your Steam Controller is connected to the website, you can command it with the W, A, S, and D keys. However, keep in mind that because of how the controller moves, you are stuck with the tank controls of retro horror games: W and S move the controller forward and backward, respectively, whereas A and D make it turn left and right. No strafing allowed. Oh, and Very Lazy Pixels would like to remind anyone who uses their website that the function is “provided as-is with no warranty.” While the haptics need to rumble at full tilt in order to move the controller, Very Lazy Pixels takes no responsibility for any damage your controller sustains while it scuttles along.
According to Very Lazy Pixels, the RC feature was heavily inspired by Steam Haptics Singer, a mod that lets you make the controller “sing” different tunes using nothing but its rumble motors. Think of all those videos where people use the tech sounds of floppy disk drives to recreate iconic songs like “At Doom’s Gate.” However, unlike the Steam Controller RC mod, you need to create your own executable and supply your own MIDI files for the songs.
