Valve is not the type of company to go unnoticed—it shouldn’t be surprising, then, that online gaming communities everywhere are buzzing about the newly-announced Steam Controller.
And with good reason, too: not only is having Steam optimized for the living room experience potentially game-changing, the controller itself is…well, it’s kinda funny lookin’. Which is why some of the immediate reactions involved Photoshops of the controller—the one above with Gabe Newell’s eyes is by our very own commenter, Pixel. It’s a response to Chris’ photoshop of the controller, which is also excellent:
Also by Chris: an interpretation of the controller as a crotch:
And yes, of course, the controller as a part of a Half-Life 3 conspiracy:
The controller as Wall-E, by Greg-The-Mad:
Many feel that the controller looks like a boom box of sorts, hence shops like this one by Slappers Only on neoGAF:
Others, instead, saw something like an owl:
Couldn't resist – sorry Valve pic.twitter.com/g560f88119
— Mark Richard Davies (@Ninjafr4me) September 27, 2013
Hence, I imagine, this comparison by Corronchilejano on neoGAF:
Or this GIF by Impossiburu
Then there are sillier interpretations of the controller, like this cutesy…thing by Tumo:
And some, like Farrow, seem skeptical of how this thing will work in your hands:
Some seemed rather disappointed this announcement isn’t Half-Life 3—and can you blame them? This is the THIRD ANNOUNCEMENT, you guys! It practically begs for the joke…
There’s even this song floating around from last year, where a super fan writes to Gabe about Half-Life 3 in the style of ‘Stan,’ the song by Eminem…it’s kind of hilarious:
Twitter, naturally, had its own slew of reactions—jokes and serious alike. Have a look:
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383642137767575552
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383644337927901184
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383650396851683328
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383659843359608832
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383669181050134528
Well the Steam Controller looks pretty horrible for any game that uses a dpad.
— Hayden Scott-Baron ✨ (@docky) September 27, 2013
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383664210644705280
The Steam controller reminds me of a Hoothoot.
— Clivingway (@RPGMoogle) September 27, 2013
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383671254227890176
That Steam controller looks cool. Button placement seems wildly impractical though.
— Marvel Champions enthusiast (Will) (@krummey) September 27, 2013
Despite its name, the Steam Controller has no steam and will not explode under the pressure and kill you by boiling flesh from your bones.
— Custard Smingleigh (@Smingleigh) September 27, 2013
The new Steam Controller can navigate in pitch darkness because it senses obstacles with a form of sonar, just like a dolphin or bat does.
— Custard Smingleigh (@Smingleigh) September 27, 2013
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383674027102842880
I used a Steam Controller a few months ago; the button configuration was different at the time, but the cursor pads worked amazingly well.
— Chris Remo (@chrisremo) September 27, 2013
.@firehair12000 Yes, it makes it feel like you're actually operating a real physically mechanical device, not just a touchscreen.
— Chris Remo (@chrisremo) September 27, 2013
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383671051005075457
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383635832487149568
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383672320113385472
Very excited about valve's controller, but wondering about the texture of the trackpads and how sweat-tolerant they'll be
— ~~ snow kitty kira ~~ (socials pinned) (@snowkittykira) September 27, 2013
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383650965905108993
Steam's latest announcements should be called "Look at this new idea and forget about HL3"
— Alexander McCauley (@BlufootGamer) September 27, 2013
https://twitter.com/embed/status/383677173741023232
Did Valve already kill the Steam Box console? That controller looks 100% useless – what were they thinking?
— Jimmy Marcus Munk (@ChronoDK) September 27, 2013
One Tweeter even sees the, uh, erotic? possibilities with the new controller.
And one YouTuber is ready to throw money at this all, but nothing is happening!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=whzm_zn-WXQ
Ah, internet.
