The topic The Steam Controller has a hidden Wilhelm scream, and people are dropping it on… is currently the subject of lively discussion — readers and analysts are keeping a close eye on developments.
This is taking place in a dynamic environment: companies’ decisions and competitors’ reactions can quickly change the picture.
The Wilhelm Scream is one of those weird examples of sounds you’ve likely heard a million times before, but you had no idea it had a name. But it does have a name, and as soon as you know what the Wilhelm Scream sounds like, you’ll never stop hearing it in TV shows, movies, and video games.
But have you ever heard a game controller make the sound? If not, you either haven’t got your hands on a Steam Controller yet, or you’ve been careful enough not to drop it on the floor. Stunned gamers are discovering that if your controller hits the deck, there’s a chance it will play a Wilhelm Scream sound effect, and fortunately, it still works if you drop it on something soft.
As spotted by PC Gamer, people are reporting that their Steam Controllers make the Wilhelm Scream when dropped. It doesn’t seem to happen all the time, and there is a cooldown, but every so often, it’ll make the iconic noise when it hits the floor. If I accidentally dropped a $100 controller, I think I’d do the Wilhelm Scream too.
The discoveries began when someone on Reddit posted that, when they threw their Steam Controller onto their bed, it made the iconic cry. They then began testing what causes it so they could reproduce it consistently:
If you drop the controller while in steam big picture mode (on a pillow or a bed, we’re not psychopaths here), it will occasionally play the wilhelm scream with the haptic motors. Do whatever you want with this information, I just feel like I needed to share this asap
You can see the video evidence in the poster provided above. Granted, it’s easy for someone to edit or manually play their own Wilhelm Scream, but Redditors were soon discovering that, yes, this is very real. Even PC Gamer gave it a go and confirmed this was real. So, there you have it; plug in your Steam Controller, boot up Steam Big Picture Mode, then drop your controller on something soft to hear the scream.
It wants Steam Decks back on shelves as soon as realistically possible.