Support for the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller has been added to the Steam Client Beta according to a news post from the digital distribution platform.
The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller is a controller for the Nintendo Switch that's closer to the traditional design of gaming controllers. While the Joy-Cons are certainly usable in their own right, the Pro Controller exists as an option for people who are looking for a more traditional style of controller when gaming. Now PC gamers will be able to take advantage of this particular peripheral thanks to the latest update made available in the Steam Client Beta earlier today.
To access the beta, select "Steam" in the upper left of your client and click on Settings (Preferences on Mac). The Account tab should be up by default; navigate to the lower section titled "Beta Participation" and select "Change...". Select "Steam Beta Update" from the drop-down menu and click OK. You'll be prompted to restart Steam; once it's restarted, you'll be all good to go.
Once you're in the beta, a new "Nintendo Switch Configuration Support" option will be available in the Controller Settings page. Checking this option will allow you to set up configurations for the Pro Controller on a per-game basis, and you can share them with the community if you so desire. Once you've enabled support, connect your Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, calibrate it (via the "Detected Controllers" menu), and get to making profiles for your game.
It's important to note that this functionality is still very much in testing - comments in the news post highlight a number of issues with it not quite working as reliably as one might hope. Keep that in mind if you decide to opt-in to the beta and give it a whirl. Be sure to read the Steam news post for all the details, and this thread on /r/NintendoSwitch also contains some useful tips and answered questions from Reddit's Nintendo Switch community.
Joy-Con support is still not here yet, but that is a feature that we may see at some point in the future. Fingers crossed!
What do you think of the Nintendo Switch Pro Controller being added to the Steam Client Beta? Do you think it's a good controller for PC gaming? Let us know in the comments below!
