Valve’s reboot of the Steam Controller brings the best of the Steam Deck to a handheld controller for any device, but it’s the little details that really make it great. That includes the Steam Controller charger, which magnetically attaches and, with the help of a clever program, can automatically attach using the controller’s built-in haptic motors.
The Steam Controller’s charger is designed to let you just put the controller down on the charger and let magnets do the hard work. If you get it close by, it just connects on its own.
That’s already wildly convenient, but a new idea takes it a step further.
Ray Foss on Twitter/X posted a video of an “Auto-Charge Vision Tracker” that integrates with the Steam Controller, using the built-in haptics and a webcam to let the controller go and “find” the charging puck to charge itself. Just put it down on your desk and the controller does the rest, tuning each of the haptic motors to push the controller in the needed direction. It’s “not a Mercedes-Benz,” but it works.
It’s a really clever and fun idea that, while obviously impractical for a number of reasons, just highlights how flexible the Steam Controller is for the end user. You can effectively do whatever you want.
The tool is available via a web app hosted on GitHub, though “success” is “not guaranteed.”
Do note, though, that it seems to strip the plastic on the controller just a little bit in the process of scooting around.
If you don’t yet have a Steam Controller, you can reserve one, but they won’t ship until 2027.
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