Valve’s second-generation Steam Controller released in May 2026 and sold out almost immediately. When you’re looking at it, it is immediately obvious that it is a continuation of the original Steam Controller, but there are some important differences.

Valve has been unusually open about the design—there are four addressable linear resonant actuators, a raw human interface device (HID) interface, and CAD files available under a Creative Commons License.

That has made the Steam Controller an appealing target for tinkerers. Within a few weeks of release, Steam controllers were “singing” songs and sliding around desks, propelled by their own LRAs.

I’ve spent the last week digging through GitHub repositories and putting these mods to the test; these five are easily the most impressive

Make the controller charge itself like a robot vacuum

The controller can glide to its own charging puck

Credit: FossPrime

Out of all the projects on this list, FossPrime’s Triton Auto-Charge is perhaps the most ambitious—and the most hilarious.

The premise is simple: It uses an overhead webcam and OpenCV (an open-source computer vision) to track the location of the controller and the charging puck in real time. Then, it fires haptic pulses through the controller’s LRA to nudge the controller across your desk towards the puck. It even uses an “AI” to avoid obstacles.

Once it is close, it slows down, gently docks, and sends a confirmation signal.

You can open it up in any Chromium-based browser. Don’t run this project too much. Controllers are meant to take some wear and tear, but they’re really not designed to spend their free time meandering across your desk.

Battery

8.39 Wh Li-ion battery

Connectivity

2.4GHz, Bluetooth, USB-C

Weight

292g

The second-generation Steam controller features the standard controls you’d expect on a controller, but adds two trackpads, two grip buttons, and a gyroscope for extra control options.The mix of control options makes it suitable for any game.

Drive it around your desk like a remote control car

Trackpad haptics turn the controller into a vibration-powered vehicle

If you want something manual, Steam Controller RC by VeryLazyPixels allows you to drive your Steam Controller. By pulsing the LRAs, the controller creeps forward, while shifting the balance between them allows you to steer. The controls are familiar to PC gamers: W to move, A and D to turn, and space to stop.

Just open the hosted page in Chrome or Edge and approve the controller in the device picker.

Try not to drive your Steam Controller off the edge of your desk.

Make it play MIDI music

Four haptic actuators become a mechanical instrument

MIDI is a universal standard that allows musical instruments and computers to communicate. Rather than sending actual recorded audio, the computer sends instructions to an instrument to play back. Alternatively, an instrument can send input information to a computer to be recorded.

You can also play back MIDI files on the Steam Controller if you’re willing to do some creative programming. Rather than using a traditional speaker, Steam Haptic Singer converts MIDI notes into haptic commands and produces sound using the controller’s four LRAs.

To try it out, download the release from the project’s GitHub, then connect your Steam Controller to your PC. You can run a MIDI file by dragging and dropping it onto the executable or by opening a Terminal window and running steam-haptics-singer.exe (name of your midi file).

MIDI Files themselves are widely available on the internet. Piano instruction YouTube channels often release MIDI files to help learners; I’d start there.

Replace the expensive receiver with a $5 board

Open firmware adds new controller identities

Credit: DORHEA

OpenPuck provides firmware for an inexpensive nRF52840 Pro Micro that recreates the functionality of the Steam Controller’s official wireless receiver. Once flashed, the board pairs with the controller with latency very close to Valve’s official hardware. You can swap between Steam Controller, Xbox 360, and Switch Pro identities.

Valve doesn’t sell the Puck separately yet, which means that if you lose or damage yours, you’re in trouble. This gives you a cost-effective way to replace it.

To use it, you’ll need a compatible nRF52840 Pro Micro and a USB-C cable. Flash OpenPuck.ino by following the instructions from the project’s GitHub, then pair the device through Steam.

Use it as a normal gamepad without Steam

A virtual Xbox pad frees the controller from Steam

SteamlessController is a Windows app designed for any program that expects a standard controller. It reads raw HID info and creates a virtual Xbox- or PlayStation-compatible pad through ViGEmBus. It also adds features like rumble, rear-button remapping, and mirrored controls for left-handed players.

If you’re used to tinkering with DIY button boxes, the process is very similar.

Install ViGEmBus and ensure Steam is closed. Launch the app and enable Steamless mode; your PC will now recognize the device as a virtual Xbox pad. You can remap buttons in the UI, then turn Steamless mode off when you want to return to normal behavior.

Valve handed DIYers the tools to do anything

In just a few months, the community has made the Steam Controller sing, move, and function without Valve’s software, largely thanks to Valve’s open approach.

Beyond software projects, the CAD files that Valve released have already inspired dozens of new takes on custom grips and docks, and the community doesn’t seem to show any signs of slowing down. As more people get their controllers (there is a backlog until 2027), we’ll probably see even more adventurous projects.