{"id":1933220,"date":"2026-05-13T13:03:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:03:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1933220"},"modified":"2026-05-13T13:03:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T10:03:42","slug":"yes-valves-new-steam-controller-screams-if-you-drop-it-from-a-great-enough-height","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=1933220","title":{"rendered":"Yes, Valve&#8217;s new Steam Controller screams if you drop it from a great enough height"},"content":{"rendered":"<article class=\"article \" data-ads=\"true\" data-article-type=\"news\" data-article-group=\"news\" data-paywalled=\"false\" data-premium=\"false\" data-sponsored=\"false\" data-type=\"article\">\n<header class=\"article_header\" data-component=\"article-header\">\n<div class=\"breadcrumbs\">\n<nav class=\"nav_breadcrumbs\" data-component=\"nav-breadcrumbs\" aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\">\n<ul class=\"nav-links\">\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      Home<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<li>\n                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/news\" data-active=\"false\"><br \/>\n                      News<br \/>\n                <\/a>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_details\" id=\"main-content\">\n<h1 class=\"title\">Yes, Valve&#8217;s new Steam Controller screams if you drop it from a great enough height<\/h1>\n<p class=\"strapline\">Yelp review.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline_asset\">\n<figure class=\"headline_image_wrapper\">\n<p>        <img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"headline_image\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/scream-controller-2.jpg?width=570&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;dpr=3&amp;auto=webp\" alt='Composite image showing an inverted Steam Controller falling downward as its wide mouth screams, \"Aaaah\".' loading=\"eager\" data-uri=\"scream-controller-2.jpg\" data-lightbox width=\"570\" height=\"321\"><figcaption>\n          <span class=\"attribution\">Image credit: <cite>Eurogamer<\/cite><\/span><br \/>\n        <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"metadata\">\n<div class=\"avatar\">\n<p>    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Matt Wales avatar\" src=\"https:\/\/assetsio.gnwcdn.com\/1521645425.jpg?width=2048&amp;height=2048&amp;fit=bounds&amp;quality=85&amp;format=jpg&amp;auto=webp\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\"><\/p>\n<p>  <img alt=\"Matt Wales avatar\" data-autosize=\"crop_lossy\" data-uri=\"1521645425.jpg\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1\" width=\"180\" height=\"179\">\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"text\">\n<div class=\"byline\">\n                  <span class=\"article_type\" data-slug=\"news\"><br \/>\n                    News<br \/>\n                  <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"by\">by<\/span> <span class=\"author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/authors\/matt-wales\">Matt Wales<\/a><\/span>                    <span class=\"job_title\"><br \/>\n                      News Reporter<br \/>\n                    <\/span>\n            <\/div>\n<div class=\"published_at\">\nPublished on <time datetime=\"2026-05-13T13:03:42+00:00\">May 13, 2026<\/time>              <\/div>\n<div class=\"comments\">\n      <a class=\"comments__link comments-bubble\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/valve-steam-controller-scream?view=comments\" rel=\"nofollow\"><br \/>\n          9 comments<br \/>\n      <\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Personally, I&#8217;m more of a gripper than a thrower when it comes to frustration-based controller behaviour. But if you&#8217;re one of those players prone to high-velocity gamepad tossing in moments of blind video game rage, perhaps you&#8217;ll think twice in the future after hearing how Valve&#8217;s shrieky new Steam Controller responds.<\/p>\n<p>Yup, those lucky enough to have secured a new Steam Controller amid the initial rush are starting to receive their orders. And some &#8211; presumably quite clumsy &#8211; recipients have noticed a fun little Easter egg included this time: drop the controller from high enough to register an impact and it&#8217;ll let out the legendary Wilhelm scream &#8211; beloved of Hollywood studios (and more recently, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/star-wars-battlefront-death-animations\">video game designers<\/a>) since its debut in 1951 movie Distant Drums.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Steam Controller 2026 easter egg\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tw5Luf_7F8c?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/tw5Luf_7F8c\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Steam Controller 2026 easter egg<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Scream if you want to go faster.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tw5Luf_7F8c\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It&#8217;s not entirely clear which furious\/careless soul first made and shared the discovery with the internet, but at least one player has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tw5Luf_7F8c\">documented the Steam Controller&#8217;s startled yelps<\/a> over on YouTube. But, of course, in the spirit of scientific curiosity and journalistic veracity, I too was compelled to try it myself &#8211; and, well, consider it verified.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It appears the easter egg only triggers while Steam is in Big Picture mode, and you&#8217;ll obviously need to make sure your controller&#8217;s turned on &#8211; unless Valve&#8217;s somehow shipped you a haunted one. In which case you&#8217;ve probably got bigger concerns than a Wilhelm scream.<\/p>\n<p>After a brief bit of experimentation, it seems you can trigger your Steam Controller&#8217;s howls of high-velocity horror fairly reliably by dropping in from around three feet onto the floor or, more wisely, couch cushion (I assume it&#8217;ll also be triggered by high-speed horizontal impact, but it&#8217;ll take a braver person to test that out). I&#8217;ve seen suggestions there&#8217;s only a random chance of it triggering, but I managed to provoke a scream considerably more often than not. Harrowing.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, if you want to torment an \u00a385 Steam Controller yourself, you might have to wait a bit given <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/valve-steam-controller-scalpers-ebay-sold-out\">Valve&#8217;s initial stock sold out almost immediately<\/a> &#8211; although the company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/valve-statement-steam-controller-stock\">quickly released a statement<\/a> confirming it was &#8220;working on getting more in stock and will have an update on expected timeline soon.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As for the controller itself, it&#8217;s a substantial improvement over its much-loved (by me at least) predecessor. Although after using it for a week, I couldn&#8217;t help feeling its best use cases &#8211; thanks to its slightly uncomfortable thumb stick placement &#8211; are still probably a bit niche. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/steam-controller-review\">read my full Steam Controller early impressions elsewhere on Eurogamer<\/a>, and, boy, am I kicking myself for not lobbing it across the room sooner.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"preferred-source\" data-component=\"preferred-source\">\nLove Eurogamer.net? Make us a <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\">Preferred Source on Google<\/a> and catch more of our coverage in your feeds.  <\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"article_body\" data-component=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"article_body_content article-styling\">\n<p>Personally, I&#8217;m more of a gripper than a thrower when it comes to frustration-based controller behaviour. But if you&#8217;re one of those players prone to high-velocity gamepad tossing in moments of blind video game rage, perhaps you&#8217;ll think twice in the future after hearing how Valve&#8217;s shrieky new Steam Controller responds.<\/p>\n<p>Yup, those lucky enough to have secured a new Steam Controller amid the initial rush are starting to receive their orders. And some &#8211; presumably quite clumsy &#8211; recipients have noticed a fun little Easter egg included this time: drop the controller from high enough to register an impact and it&#8217;ll let out the legendary Wilhelm scream &#8211; beloved of Hollywood studios (and more recently, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/star-wars-battlefront-death-animations\">video game designers<\/a>) since its debut in 1951 movie Distant Drums.<\/p>\n<figure>\n<div class=\"video_wrapper youtube\">\n<a aria-label=\"Steam Controller 2026 easter egg\" class=\"video-facade full-size\" data-platform=\"youtube\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/tw5Luf_7F8c?autoplay=1\" title=\"Click to play video from YouTube\"><br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Cover image for YouTube video\" class=\"video-facade__image\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/tw5Luf_7F8c\/hqdefault.jpg\"><span class=\"video-facade__title\">Steam Controller 2026 easter egg<\/span><\/p>\n<p><\/a>\n<\/div><figcaption>Scream if you want to go faster.<a class=\"video\" href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tw5Luf_7F8c\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Watch on YouTube<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>It&#8217;s not entirely clear which furious\/careless soul first made and shared the discovery with the internet, but at least one player has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=tw5Luf_7F8c\">documented the Steam Controller&#8217;s startled yelps<\/a> over on YouTube. But, of course, in the spirit of scientific curiosity and journalistic veracity, I too was compelled to try it myself &#8211; and, well, consider it verified.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"injection_placeholder\" data-position=\"1\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p>It appears the easter egg only triggers while Steam is in Big Picture mode, and you&#8217;ll obviously need to make sure your controller&#8217;s turned on &#8211; unless Valve&#8217;s somehow shipped you a haunted one. In which case you&#8217;ve probably got bigger concerns than a Wilhelm scream.<\/p>\n<p>After a brief bit of experimentation, it seems you can trigger your Steam Controller&#8217;s howls of high-velocity horror fairly reliably by dropping in from around three feet onto the floor or, more wisely, couch cushion (I assume it&#8217;ll also be triggered by high-speed horizontal impact, but it&#8217;ll take a braver person to test that out). I&#8217;ve seen suggestions there&#8217;s only a random chance of it triggering, but I managed to provoke a scream considerably more often than not. Harrowing.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, if you want to torment an \u00a385 Steam Controller yourself, you might have to wait a bit given <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/valve-steam-controller-scalpers-ebay-sold-out\">Valve&#8217;s initial stock sold out almost immediately<\/a> &#8211; although the company <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/valve-statement-steam-controller-stock\">quickly released a statement<\/a> confirming it was &#8220;working on getting more in stock and will have an update on expected timeline soon.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>As for the controller itself, it&#8217;s a substantial improvement over its much-loved (by me at least) predecessor. Although after using it for a week, I couldn&#8217;t help feeling its best use cases &#8211; thanks to its slightly uncomfortable thumb stick placement &#8211; are still probably a bit niche. You can <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eurogamer.net\/steam-controller-review\">read my full Steam Controller early impressions elsewhere on Eurogamer<\/a>, and, boy, am I kicking myself for not lobbing it across the room sooner.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home News Yes, Valve&#8217;s new Steam Controller screams if you drop it from a great enough height Yelp review. Image credit: Eurogamer News by Matt Wales News Reporter Published on May 13, 2026 9 comments Personally, I&#8217;m more of a gripper than a thrower when it comes to frustration-based controller behaviour. But if you&#8217;re one [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,253],"class_list":["post-1933220","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-eurogamer-net"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933220","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1933220"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1933220\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1933220"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1933220"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1933220"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}