Steam Controller Hidden Features You Might Have Missed

A complete guide to Steam Controller secrets covering connection modes, desktop controls, turbo settings, and grip sensitivity for smarter, smoother gameplay.

Steam Controller is a gaming peripheral with tons of features, modes, and tricks that most people will not discover on their own. Whether you're looking for Bluetooth capabilities or safety features for your backpack, knowing everything this controller can do makes it a more versatile game controller.

This is the list of the most helpful features of the Steam Controller that Valve doesn't mention.

Connection Modes

At initial setup, the Steam Controller won't use an external dongle, so that's the one you'll use. The only downside is that it only connects where the dongle is installed. Valve has also included Bluetooth on the controller, though not so explicitly.

Switching to the Bluetooth mode: Press Steam+Right bumper+B at the same time until the controller begins to flash (sync mode). Then go to your Steam Settings and press "Add Device" when it is flashing, it will be listed under the available to pair section. After pairing, the blue light is to indicate that the device is in Bluetooth mode.

To return to dongle mode, just press the Steam button for about 6 seconds; it will chime and then power off. Hold Steam+Right Bumper+A for a few seconds. When you are back in dongle mode, you will come across a white light. If you need to switch between these two modes, it will be very helpful, depending on your configuration.

Backpack Mode

The $99 price means you want to preserve your investment, including ensuring no one accidentally activates the controller inside the bag. The backpack mode was considered by Valve.
It has to be activated by holding all four back buttons and the Steam button at the same time until the controller is turned off.

Once that happens, if you press Steam, it will flash twice but not start. To exit backpack mode, do the same – hold the four back and the Steam buttons until it turns back on. This is particularly helpful when traveling, as it's very dangerous to leave the controller on when you're in a closed area.

It Feels Pain

The Steam Controller responds to being dropped by making a sound. I think a lot of people thought there would be a speaker inside, but instead it sounds like it's the haptic motors humming. I think this is a good segue into just how awesome the haptic motors are.

Increasing the Rumble

There is a small group of users who say that the haptics on the Steam Controller are weak, which can be increased. They can be tuned by going into Steam Settings, under Controller, then Your Steam Controller, Details, and finally Calibration and Advanced Settings. From there, scroll to Haptics Settings to independently set the haptic motors of the right and left.

It is set to 7, but can be turned to 12 to give it a bit more oomph. But even at the maximum setting in the menu, the motors can do much more; a direct ping of the controller will tell you how.

Wake Your PC With It

One of the best integrated features in the Steam Controller is that it operates exclusively via Bluetooth. Pressing the Steam button will activate the controller and wake your Steam Deck or PC! But not only that, Steam Deck and Steam Machine have HDMI CEC that lets them communicate with your TV and turn the thing on automatically as well.

Currently, this feature does not work with the dongle — only over Bluetooth. Hopefully, this will be resolved in an upcoming update, but it's a very pleasant experience in the living room, even with the glitches.

Desktop Controls

The Steam Controller itself doesn't become completely useless without Steam being open — it becomes a pseudo mouse and keyboard. This is useful when setting up your PC for the first time or when you are using the controller on a PC that does not have Steam installed.

The right side of the D-pad is the arrow keys, A is Enter, and B is Escape. Folders and the desktop can be opened and navigated without ever using a physical mouse or keyboard. It's a convenient trick that makes the controller look more flexible than it initially appears.

Non-Steam Game Fix

If there is a game that runs entirely without Steam, there are software solutions that can be used in the background and act as a gamepad instead of a Steam Controller. If you're playing non-Steam games on a regular basis and want controller support that is Steam-free, a link to one of those is worth seeking out.

Turbo Mode

There's a turbo mode feature in Steam Input that hardly anyone knows about, and it could be a great time-saver in some games and tasks.

To install it, click the Steam button, navigate to Controller Settings, and Edit Layout. Scroll down to Extended Buttons and set one of the back buttons to an action, such as a left mouse click. Next, press the gear icon to the right of it, then select Settings, then check the box for "Hold to Repeat". 

From there, you can adjust the repeat frequency and/or activate haptic feedback if you want during the action. With Toggle ON, pressing the button once will cause it to repeat the last pressed value without further input.

Grip Sensitivity

The Steam Controller's grip sensors are well known, but they can be too sensitive at times. Fortunately, sensitivity can also be adjusted as finely as needed to suit your preferences.

Select Steam, then Settings, then Controller, then Steam Controller, then Details, then Calibration and Advanced Settings, and then scroll down to Grip Sensors. There are two options: Grip Sensor Range and Grip Responsiveness. The narrower the range, the greater the force the sensors must exert to trigger. Once triggered, Grip Responsiveness determines the additional sensor travel required to turn it off and on.

These values are slightly lower than standard to prevent accidental activation when playing normally (what you can call the "pinky finger effect"). In a shooter game, just pressing your pinky fingers down will enable gyro aiming; lifting them will disable it. Clean, intuitive gyro control with no additional button presses.