Valve’s new Steam Controller aims to be a deeply customizable bridge between console and PC gaming. It also has some whimsical surprises that add to its unlikely charm.
Steam user RF3D19 recently discovered that one of those easter eggs is how the controller literally screams when you drop it. More specifically, it will recreate the Wilhelm scream, which originated in a 1950s Western and is now considered the “most famous scream of all time.”
“Do whatever you want with this information, I just feel like I needed to share this asap,” they wrote. RF3D19 was also kind enough to upload a demonstration to YouTube:
And yes, the first thing I did after watching this video was find my own Steam Controller and drop it to confirm the scream is real. Of course, I’m not as smart as RF3D19 and dropped it on the rug instead of a bed. Still, it seems to have come out of the experiment mostly unscathed. The scream appears to be on a cooldown so don’t go repeatedly throwing it around like a mad man.
Players are now wondering just how easy it will be to tinker with some of these easter eggs and program their own. The Steam Controller also rings like an old telephone to help you locate it. While the touchpads, haptics, and overall feel are all quite excellent, it’s clear the peripheral was as much a labor of love for Valve’s design team as anything else.
If only it were as easy to buy as it is to throw. Valve has promised restocks after an initial wave of supplies sold out almost instantly, as well as new scalper protections to help with all those rogue eBay listings trying to flip the $100 controller for up to $400. And those prices were before anyone knew it could scream.