Ray Foss from Aiti has developed software that makes the Steam Controller move independently across a table surface to a charging station. The system uses a regular camera and computer vision technology to navigate and correct the movement.
Ray Foss from Aiti has developed software that makes the Steam Controller move independently across a table surface to a charging station. The system uses a regular camera and computer vision technology to navigate and correct the movement.
The developer shared the unusual experiment on Twitter. He also created a web application called Auto-Charge Vision Tracker, which allows owners of the new controller to try out the experimental automatic return-to-base feature.
To start the auto-charging system, the user needs to connect the gamepad to the computer and install the camera directly above the workplace. In the web interface, you need to sequentially mark three points: the proprietary Puck charging block, and then the front and back of the controller itself. The program remembers these pixels and uses computer vision to track the position of the gamepad, directing it to the station using the vibration of four built-in tactile motors.
This sneaky trick is made possible by the technical features of the updated Steam Controller. The new gamepad is compatible with the entire Steam ecosystem and has three ways to connect. The main one is the separate Steam Controller Puck, which combines a wireless dongle and a magnetic charging station.
I made my Steam Controller automatically charge itself @Dexerto @HardwareSteam @valvesoftware pic.twitter.com/RzCApdq4l4
— Ray Foss (@FossPrime) June 25, 2026
It uses its own radio signal with a latency of about 8 milliseconds over a distance of up to 5 meters, which provides a more stable connection than Bluetooth and allows you to connect up to four controllers at once. Standard Bluetooth and wired connection via USB are also supported.
In addition, the new device has received super-sensitive magnetic TMR joysticks, special touch handles for activating the gyroscope, pressure-sensitive trackpads with a 6-axis IMU and four programmable buttons. The built-in battery provides over 35 hours of battery life and is charged directly via Puck or USB.
Enthusiasts in the comments reacted to the crawling experiment with curiosity, but expressed concerns about the durability of the device and furniture during such friction.
«This seems wrong in many ways… What does the wear look like on the bottom of the controller and on your desk? How often can you do this before noticeable scratches appear, and also how many days will it take before the wear reaches the button?» asked one X user.
Ray Foss agreed that plastic rubbing against the table is indeed a problem, but is already looking for ways to solve it.
«It looks like it really removed the plastic coating… I don’t see any damage on the table. Rubber feet can significantly improve acceleration and handling,» replied the project author, who shared a photo of his gamepad.
Recall that the other day, Valve officially announced the cost of its new stationary system Steam Machine, which caused lively discussions in the gaming community. Expectations about an affordable alternative to modern consoles were shattered by the harsh market reality — the price of the device turned out to be four figures. However, the company presented an unexpected alternative: developers are giving the official «green light» to the creation of homemade gaming systems.
