Valve’s Steam Controller is a wireless gaming controller, but unlike other controllers that typically rely on Bluetooth, the Steam Controller does not, at least not until recently where Valve has announced that the Steam Client Beta will now add the option of Bluetooth for gamers using the Steam Controller.
Like we said, the device actually relies on a proprietary connection using the included USB wireless pairing dongle. This was designed to minimize the latency issues typically associated with Bluetooth which is important when gaming, but with Bluetooth now offered as an option, it means that users will have alternatives should they lose their dongle.
The announcement was made shortly after Valve announced their Steam Link app which will allow gamers to stream games from their PC onto their mobile devices. Obviously since phones do not have USB or Ethernet port, plugging the controller in via a wire is out of the question, which is why Bluetooth has now been added as an option.
That being said, Valve’s post states that they still recommend users using the original protocol when using the controller as it was designed to provide the best user experience, but we suppose in a pinch, Bluetooth will now be an option that users can use.
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