The Steam Controller 2 plays a Wilhelm scream when you drop it

The Steam Controller 2 has a hidden joke inside it: drop the controller while Big Picture mode is running and the haptic motors fire off a Wilhelm scream. The easter egg was discovered by Reddit user RF3D19 and later confirmed by a hands-on test at PC Gamer. For a controller that sold out in 30 minutes on launch day, it turns out there's more going on under the hood than anyone expected.

The scream explained

The Wilhelm scream is a stock sound effect recorded in 1951 and used in hundreds of films ever since — you've almost certainly heard it without knowing its name. It's a sharp, yelping cry typically played when a character falls or gets hit. Valve routed the audio through the controller's haptic motors rather than a dedicated speaker, meaning the scream is felt as much as heard. You won't stumble across it by accident: Big Picture mode has to be active, which makes it the kind of gag only a certain type of player will ever find.

The bigger picture

The controller launched May 4, 2026, priced at $99 in the US and £85 in the UK, sold exclusively through Steam. Demand was severe enough to crash the Steam Store at launch, and the entire first batch was gone within half an hour. Valve has since announced a second wave through a reservation system starting May 8, with a two-unit limit per customer to slow down scalpers — who wasted no time listing the controller on eBay at a premium.

The scarcity feels pointed given how the original Steam Controller ended: discontinued in 2019 and cleared out at $5 a unit. Gen 2 is a different story. Between the sellout, the broken storefront, and a hidden movie reference tucked inside the haptics, Valve has turned a peripheral launch into an event. Whether the controller itself justifies $99 is a separate question — but the easter egg at least confirms someone at Valve had fun making it.