Valve recently released a firmware update for the Steam Controller via the Steam Client Beta. The update effectively enables Bluetooth Low Energy (LE) functionality on the controller, allowing it to pair with devices other than a PC or a Steam Machine.
The update comes ahead of the launch of Valve’s Steam Link streaming app, which is slated for launch this 21 May 2018. To be clear, the controller with still retain its original wireless connectivity. The Bluetooth firmware update will gamers to pair the controller with iOS and Android devices, and negates the need for a wireless dongle (although the controller itself comes with one).
If you’ve got a Steam Controller and you want to give it a try, you can do so by opting into the latest Steam Client Beta. Keep in mind that the update is still in its early stage, so it’s likely that you’ll be experiencing several issues until Valve fixes them.
The Steam Controller was first released in 2015, and was initially designed to work with PCs and Valve’s own Steam Machines hardware platform (which didn’t take off as expected). The controller stands out from the conventional controller, featuring two trackpads that essentially allows gamers to play genres that are traditionally played with a keyboard and mouse. This includes games in the RTS genre, such as the Civilization series, Starcraft, or more conventional titles, such as Valve’s Portal series.
(Source: Steam)
