Useless but fascinating: How to “drive” a Steam Controller like an RC car

Hobbyist developer VeryLazyPixels has built a program that turns the Steam Controller into something resembling a remote-controlled car. He first presented the project on Reddit on June 16. The idea came after he saw a video in which someone played songs through the controller’s haptic motors. That made him realize how strongly the gamepad could move across a table when vibrating – and raised the question of whether those movements could be deliberately controlled. As a recently published YouTube video shows, the answer is yes.

Of course, the controller has no wheels. Instead, the software relies entirely on the Steam Controller’s haptic motors. Carefully timed vibration pulses make the gamepad move across smooth surfaces, more by sliding than by driving in the usual sense. VeryLazyPixels has made the project available as a web app that any Steam Controller owner can try. Setup is simple: open the website in Chrome, Edge or another Chromium-based browser, click “Link the controller” and select the Steam Controller in the device window. Other browsers are not supported because the app uses WebHID, an interface that lets websites communicate directly with compatible hardware.

Once connected, the controller can be operated via keyboard: W or the Up Arrow moves it forward, A and D steer left and right and the Spacebar stops it. There is no reverse gear. The project has little practical use and is not entirely risk-free. Over time, the friction from sliding across a surface could leave visible marks on the controller. As a quirky technical experiment, however, it should still provide at least a brief moment of amazement.