Steam Console starts with controller sales on May 5 while the console itself holds back a bigger reveal

Valve engineer Pierre-Loup Griffais confirmed on the official blog that the next-generation Steam controller will officially launch on May 5 (Beijing time) at around RMB 700–800, while the Steam console is still refining its supply and delivery pipeline.

Launching the controller first is a smart move. First, the controller is a standalone product, so Steam Deck users can buy it as an immediate upgrade. Second, the console needs controller support at launch, and shipping controllers early helps avoid day-one stock shortages. At a 700-plus RMB price, it is cheaper than the Xbox Elite controller but about twice the price of standard controllers, which suggests Valve is targeting the upper mid-range segment.

The Steam console itself is still being polished. Officially, the core experience is described as similar to a Steam Deck connected to a dock, but with stronger GPU performance—so 4K output and higher frame rates finally look realistic. Still, “news coming soon” should be taken cautiously; Valve’s “soon” can mean three months, or it can mean half a year.

Compared with Sony’s PS5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X, the Steam console’s biggest advantage is its game library: tens of thousands of Steam titles, plus backward compatibility with older games. But the weaknesses are just as clear: third-party consoles have often earned praise without strong sales, and PC game optimization remains uneven, so whether the living-room experience can truly match mainstream consoles depends on real hardware performance.

The practical call is to wait for the console’s official release before making a final decision. If you already own a Steam Deck or have a large PC game library, you can pick up the controller on May 5 to try it early. But if you want a complete living-room gaming setup, it is better to wait for the console’s final pricing and performance.