Valve says more Steam users are playing games with controllers than ever before

Valve is improving controller support on Steam and has provided some interesting data on PC gaming as part of an update. Valve says daily controller use has tripled from 5% of all sessions to 15% since 2018. We've also got a breakdown of the most popular controllers on the platform, with Xbox leading the charge with a 59% controller share on Steam.

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More PC gamers are playing games with Xbox and PlayStation controllers than ever.

This is followed by PlayStation controllers at 26% - a higher number than expected, considering Xbox controller integration has been a part of Windows for far longer. This is followed by Steam Deck, with a 10% share of controller use.

Valve has worked with Sony to improve PlayStation controller support on the platform, including the PS5's DualSense Edge 'elite' style controller. It's also great to hear that future third-party PlayStation controllers will be supported on Steam.

On the Xbox front, Valve has "shipped a driver for Windows" to improve support for Xbox One controllers, including the Elite's rear buttons - something you'd think Microsoft would have taken care of.

Valve has also updated Big Picture mode to redesign the controller UI to mimic what you'd find on the Steam Deck while expanding the controller configurator tool.

With support for over 300 controllers, the days of keyboard and mouse being the dominant way to game on a PC is shifting to a more balanced mix between input devices. Valve also confirms that it has partnered with Japanese company HORI to create the new HORIPAD for Steam. Check it out below. It's out this summer in Japan, but as of now, there's no word on when it might get a worldwide release.

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