straightup if you don’t immediately recognize the touchpads as game-changing, then this is NOT the controller for you.

just be content with knowing that scores of people saw the $100 price tag and said “oh that’s actually fine.” and moreover that offering a dissenting opinion to folks who like it is akin to saying “i get this Mona Lisa is popular, i just don’t think anyone should pay that much for a painting!”

it’s got a unique stank threat no other controller replicates. also valve hardware is pretty faultless up to this point.

Joysticks not offset like a typical controller.

What's a "typical" controller? Playstation controller joysticks haven't been offset since they invented the concept in 1997.

Also, I didn't assume anything. I quoted your own words.

I feel like your negatives, while subjective are just completely meaningless to me, who would gladly buy this over anything else, especially considering the terrible battery life my Dualsense has had.

Not having RGB to me just seems good, no battery drain and stupid "gamer" styling.

Colour choice sure, but I would have picked black.

Offset sticks would mean I wouldn't be interested at all.

Console support is entirely meaningless to me, I guess not for everyone but Steam devices are already geared towards PC gaming so it should come as no surprise.

If you have a Steam Deck you should be aware the touch pads can be unbound if that is your preference, so any accidental touches are avoided.

And regarding the price that is the price of an Xbox or PS5 controller in my region already, What is the price for you?

I can't speak for triggers using different tech as I don't know enough (or care lets be honest) but I would've appreciated the adaptive trigger tech in this one, while underused I think it can be great, especially for driving games.

I feel like you are some sort of power user with a very strict preference, which you seem to make the mistake of thinking your average user is. I just want a controller that does the job and does it well, with some few requirements, like non offset sticks. I might enjoy adjustable sticks. but I will not be bothered by it not being there.

A few notes:

• First-party support for Steam Input's deep configuration is a big selling point for a lot of people, myself included. It also means the lack of some of the extra buttons you mentioned present on other premium controllers doesn't hurt so much, because there's already so many options for layering in more inputs. Not wanting to mess with most of that doesn't mean the controller is "not for you," but it does mean it's going to align less with what you value.

• I absolutely love the Deck's touchpads. I consider them non-negotiable inclusions for any future PC handheld or controller I buy. I will agree though that they aren't ideal if your main use case for them was typing any more than a couple words at a time.

• Citation needed on no one using grip-enabled gyro. It's not something you need a game to support to make use of. Also, touch-enabled gyro was awesome on the original Steam Controller, and grip sensing on the Index controllers enabled some cool functionality.

• I don't think lack of console support or color customization are going to register as negatives for most people in the market for this. I can't even remember the last time I used a console.

• Valve has a pretty good track record with ergonomics, so I doubt accidentally activating the touchpads will be a common problem. Even if you find yourself in that spot though, you can have Steam Input disable a pad under certain conditions like when its thumb is on a stick.

• Symmetrical sticks being a downside is extremely subjective.