With Microsoft doing a great job in promoting Xbox Game Pass and uniting Xbox and PC as gaming platforms, there is also one interesting side effect.

Valve shared statistics on controller usage in Steam, noting that they are now used for gaming more often than ever before. During the last five years, the average daily usage of controllers among users has increased from 5% to 15%. 

The most popular controllers among Steam users are Xbox gamepads, which are used in 59% of sessions. 26% of sessions use PlayStation gamepads, and another 10% use Steam Deck. While there can be a big discussion about which console is better, the Xbox controller is having the edge as it has better compatibility with Windows.

In 2023, Valve mentioned that the DualShock and DualSense controllers had become four times more popular in recent years. Valve emphasized that they continuously improve Steam's compatibility with controllers due to their growing popularity. Earlier, the Japanese manufacturer Hori introduced a Steam-compatible controller, developed in collaboration with Valve.

Main image: alphacoders.com

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