As Steam adds new features and controller support to its Steam Input service, the PC gaming platform has given players a peak at the numbers behind its controller-loving player base, and one controller type stands the tallest.
Roughly 59 percent of controller gameplay sessions on Steam utilize an Xbox controller, while the PlayStation controller only amounts to 26 percent, according to a recent Steam blog post. And despite the device’s popularity, only 10 percent of total controller gameplay sessions are actually played on the handheld Steam Deck. Currently the Steam Input service supports more than 300 different controllers.
Overall, since 2018, Steam has said that daily average controller use has tripled from roughly five percent up to 15 percent. While that number may seem small, it’s worth considering that several of Steam’s most played games like Counter-Strike and Dota 2 are almost exclusively played with mouse and keyboard. With the launch of the Steam Deck and its own verified category though, there’s a been a heightened focus toward making more and more games controller compatible.
The differences between the Xbox and PlayStation controllers have long flamed a major front in the seemingly never-ending console wars, though both are relatively easy to connect to any PC nowadays either via a USB connection, wireless connection, or Bluetooth.
While most players have made their choice between the two main controllers, there are still some that want to see a return of the discontinued Steam Controller, which sold from 2015 to 2019. The Steam Controller was designed with features that could re-create mouse and keyboard movements from non-controller supported games. The final ones were sold as part of a Valve inventory-clearing initiative for just $5.
