Valve has published a report that highlights a rise in customers who play their Steam video games with a controller.
The stats reveal that, since 2018, the each day common of controller use has tripled from round 5% to fifteen%. Whereas many customers put the mouse and keyboard apart when enjoying, Valve says they do have a desire wherein controller they select. The Steam staff explains that 59% of controller periods use an Xbox controller, whereas PlayStation controllers account for 26% and Steam Decks make up 10%.
Valve provides that 46% of controller periods make the most of its controller-friendly service, Steam Enter. As customers have flocked to make use of controllers extra usually, the corporate has introduced in a quantity of options and choices for these gamers. Some latest updates embody its Huge Image replace, the brand new controller configurator, improved gyro aiming, digital menus, and enhanced help for a range of PlayStation and Xbox controllers.
Moreover, Valve says it not too long ago added help for the brand new Steam HORIPAD, which can arrive in Japan later this summer time. No particular numbers, or how controller utilization compares to those that favor mouse and keyboard, had been revealed in in the present day’s replace from the corporate.
Valve took a deeper dive into conventional controller help for PC gaming with the discharge of the Steam Deck in 2022. We gave the transportable machine a 7/10 in our evaluation, however this on-the-go {hardware} isn’t Valve’s solely trek into this space. In 2015, the corporate additionally launched its personal Steam Controller, although it was discontinued round 4 years later (we gave it a 5.9/10 in our evaluation). In 2022, the corporate teased that it was curious about revisiting the thought of its personal controller in some unspecified time in the future sooner or later.
Michael Cripe is a contract contributor with IGN. He began writing within the trade in 2017 and is greatest identified for his work at retailers comparable to The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
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