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Using a webcam, the Steam Controller can now seek out it's charger by vibrating across the desk
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this post was submitted on 26 Jun 2026
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Steam Hardware
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But why? You can just.... put it on the charger.
Why would anyone buy a Roomba when they can just vacuum the floor themselves?
I've never been sold on the roomba idea, but vacuuming can take some time and physical effort depending on the size of the living/working space.
Putting a controller on a charging puck should take all of five seconds, to be generous. It even has magnets!
I feel like the real answer here with the controller is "because we can/because it's cool"
Well, also "as proof of a concept that may to lead to something more useful"
Also true! Though in a Roomba's case with room mapping, sometimes more terrifying... 😔
Sadly that's the risk of any innovation, that someone will use it to manipulate and abuse others for power or pleasure.
I was kinda joking with the Roomba comparison.
I could kinda see a use for this where the controller could wake itself up and try to plug itself in if the battery gets low, but the steam controller battery life is so good that it's a pretty low need
I know you think you are making a point but you aren't roombas do a shit job and you have to vacuum anyway.
I had a roomba it was garbage
Too much work.
Science isn't about "why?" it's about "why not?"
Why not? Because if fucking stupid. It would take you longer to set this bullshit up than it would to just set it on the puck.
This was clearly a project someone did for fun, it's not meant to be practical or actually useful. Everyone else understands this and is making jokes about it, and you're lashing out at people acting like the joke responses were people being serious.
It should be obvious that it's not actually very helpful to have a controller that can charge itself, if placed within a few feet of a charger, on a perfectly flat surface, under a webcam, with a running computer and webapp managing the whole thing. It also wasn't useful to make a program to "drive" the controller with wasd. It also wasn't useful to make a program to sing chiptunes with the vibration motors. It wasn't even useful for valve to make the controller scream when dropped. It's just funny, and people are enjoying it.
I understand it was for fun too, doesn't make it any less pointless.
Some people find fun to be the point
is it pointless if fun was the point?
I suppose thats true.
Same as your comment
Whoosh