- Steam has been the best launcher on PC for over 20 years now.
- 15% of all users now rely on controllers due to recent advancements in Steam Input and the convenience factor.
- Controller players have tripled in the span of 6 years, and 60% of them are using Xbox controllers.
Steam is inarguably the best launcher on PC, and nothing even comes close. This platform has helped PC gaming become even more popular, recently setting a record of 34 million concurrent players in March.
Needless to say, it has a strong standing in the PC gaming market and will continue to reign. The platform has recently shared new data on player preferences, stating that controllers are gaining more popularity as the preferred input device for games.
According to Steam, players are more reliant on controllers than they have ever been.
Why it matters: Controllers let you stay in your comfort zone while playing a game, and you can be more relaxed than playing with a mouse and keyboard combo.
Valve revealed in a new report that Steam controller usage has risen to 15%, and 60% of those players use Xbox controllers. 26% of the players use PS5 controllers, and only 10% use Steam Deck.
the controller landscape has changed.
-Valve
Valve has also revealed that 42% of controller-using players rely on Steam Input. This figure is understandable, as games often lack support for different types of controllers.
This is where Steam Input comes in. It can be a real lifesaver, especially for those who prefer controllers like the DualShock 4. To no one’s surprise, most players are using the Xbox controller.
This is mainly because PC games rely on the XInput API. Therefore, Xbox controllers are typically supported out of the box across nearly all PC games. Perhaps the most interesting figure here is that controller usage on the platform has grown 3x since 2018.
Despite the recent popularity of controllers, the keyboard and mouse combo is better for certain games. Once you play a first-person shooter with this combo, there really is no going back.
Still, controllers like the DualSense offer unique features, such as Haptic Feedback and Adaptive Triggers, that make them compelling for various titles.
The recent increase in controller usage may indicate that more and more console players are shifting to PCs.
Action adventure titles, Souls-likes, and various other gaming genres work remarkably with controllers, making them the go-to for many players, even if the mouse and keyboard combo remains as iconic as ever.
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