Airfried

I got a good deal for their older Pro 2 model last year and yeah it’s pretty good for the price honestly. Linux functionality is a bit dodgy though. Like, it kinda works but I need to set it up regularly for some reason. Switch mode is only partially supported and I can’t get the back buttons to work whatsoever on any mode. I switched to the Sony DualSense for most things but I’m willing to pay a premium price for the Steam Controller.

Back to your point though: Yes, there are good alternatives. Especially if you’re looking for something specialized like N64 emulation. 8BitDo got it for you. But man the Steam Controller seemss neat.

Can’t talk for Vader but 8BitDo’s repairability is going downhill while prices go up. Just based on repariability I would trust this Steam controller to outlive anything else at the moment.

It’s a no-brainer, really. All Steam Decks have been out of stock for literal months here in Europe. It’s clear they can’t deliver much more at the moment given the current hardware prices. Might as well develop something beefier before putting even more overpriced RAM and storage space into the old Steam Deck for much longer. It will be years until the Steam Deck 2 will release anyway.