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You really don’t want to drop most gadgets, like your phone, other handhelds, or even a gaming controller. There’s a chance they’ll break. But Valve has taken things in a new direction with its updated Steam Controller. It has possibly one of the funniest easter eggs discovered in a device like this. If you drop it, occasionally it will play the infamous Wilhelm Scream — the scream is randomized. There’s also a cooldown, so repeated drops may not produce it, which adds to the fun.
You never know when it’s going to sound off. One of the first users to discover the scream, RF3D19, shared a YouTube video of it in action. Understandably, they drop their controller on a bed and a soft, cushy surface rather than throwing it on the floor. They don’t drop it from very high, either. Bear that in mind if you want to test this out yourself.
The controller is not exactly cheap, recently launching on May 4 for $99, a price equivalent to a pro-grade console controller. If you do happen to break it by throwing it around, good luck trying to get your hands on a new Steam Controller. Apparently, you don’t need to have the controller paired or connected to any devices, including a Steam Deck or PC. And if, for some reason, you’ve never heard of the Wilhelm Scream, it’s a popular stock sound effect that makes an appearance in hundreds, if not thousands, of movies and shows.
The Steam Controller has no speaker, it’s all haptics
Another odd thing to note is that the Steam Controller doesn’t have any built-in speakers like the PS5’s DualSense. Instead, the audio is being played through the haptic motors, produced when they reach a certain frequency. That explains why Wilhelm’s sound is reportedly low. There’s actually a tool called SteamHapticsSinger on GitHub, first shared by PC Gamer, that allows you to play simple yet customized tunes through the controller’s haptics. The program is based on an original tool that was used for the first controller released in 2015.
It plays MIDI files, so again, nothing complex, but it’s still a neat achievement nonetheless. There are demonstrations of the controller playing “Still Alive” from “Portal,” the Wii store music, and the internet darling’s Rick Roll track by Rick Astley — you know the one. It will be interesting to see what else everyone discovers about the Steam Controller as people get to spend more time with it. While Valve might have been confirmed some fears about the Steam Machine, with the release date being pushed back, Valve is certainly keeping everyone entertained in the meantime.
