Final Update: My Steam Controller (2026) hardware seems to be fine after all!
There is something funky going on with some combination of Steam Controller, Bazzite, and Big Picture "Gaming" Mode, creating problems with inputs in the Steam menu itself... It's still a minor issue for me.
But I was able to open Ultra Street Fighter IV and give the controller a thorough test in training mode with visible inputs, and it acted as expected (without dropping or doubling inputs at all). It worked well in game, and I found the d-pad and track pad to be pretty solid for fighting games, too!
So, in short, something is causing it to bug out a little bit in the Bazzite HTPC Big Picture Mode, but it's working pretty well in games and I'm now confident that there isn't any hardware-related issue.
Turns out the Steam Controller doesn't suck afterall!
Original Post: After a long shipping process (and an even longer wait) I finally got my new Steam Controller (2026), only to find that... it sucks!?
It drops inputs in Steam Big Picture Mode (or rather, Bazzite's gaming mode). And when it's not dropping inputs, it's doubling them!
The puck is ~15ft (4.5m) away from me, on top of the TV stand with direct line of sight to me and it reports having a bad and unstable connection. To make matters worse, the input issues seem to happen regardless of whether it's a wireless or wired connection...
Finally, the pairing process is straight up laughable. Connect the controller to your puck to try to pair it, and it prompts you on screen to confirm? How am I supposed to agree to pair it if my controller isn't paired in the first place??
Am I the only one having a terrible experience with this controller so far? This was supposed to be an easy win for Valve...
I sure hope they have some kind of emergency patch in the works for this thing because right now I'm on the verge of asking for a refund.
Do you use a configuration that mixes gamepad with mouse or keyboard input, like "Gamepad with Mouse Trackpad" or something like that? Some games can't handle those configurations, causing some strange behaviours.
I honestly have no idea. I just got the controller and I haven't been tinkering with settings or anything, but I'll take a look. Thanks!