Another week, another episode. This time we’re focusing on Valve’s latest hardware drop: the new Steam Controller. It’s been a hot minute since the House Gaben built released its first-generation Steam Controller, only to be discontinued four years later. Fast-forward to now and the company’s second stab at it might be its most promising yet. We also discuss how you could get your hands on it if you aren’t living in a market Valve is selling the new Steam Controller in like India. Along with this, we discuss PS5 exclusive Saros’ gameplay chops and the early commercial response to it thus far, May Madness — our term for the veritable deluge of gaming goodness hitting shelves digital and physical this month such as 007 First Light, Dead as Disco, Thick as Thieves, and Forza Horizon 6, and Xbox’s revenue from games making it to the PS5 courtesy Alinea Analytics. Finally, we round off the episode with what we’ve been playing this week. Namely Crimson Desert, Pragmata, and Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred. Time stamps as follows: Introduction and Overview * (00:00:00): High-level overview of topics: Steam Controller, Saros, and the May Madness of game releases. Valve’s New Steam Controller * (00:00:31): Initial impressions and discussion of the $100 price tag. * (00:01:21): Hardware features, including dual trackpads and new TMR analog sticks to reduce stick drift. * (00:01:46): Discussion on software limitations, specifically that it only works natively through Steam without workarounds. * (00:03:34): Challenges of buying Valve hardware to India, including grey market imports and lack of official distribution. * (00:09:03): Speculation on future “Steam Machines” from third-party manufacturers like Asus and HP. Saros Deep Dive * (00:11:01): Introduction to Saros, the spiritual successor to Returnal by Housemarque. * (00:11:53): Impressions of the Saros haptic feedback and sound design on the DualSense controller. * (00:12:40): Comparison to other roguelikes like Hades regarding permanent progression and difficulty. * (00:13:30): Breakdown of new gameplay mechanics: shields, movement speed, and the Eclipse risk/reward loop. * (00:18:10): Analysis of the game’s sales performance and marketing in India,. Every Video Game You Should Care About in May 2026 * (00:19:21): Overview of the major titles releasing in May. * (00:20:22): Forza Horizon 6: Discussion on its Day 1 release on PS5. * (00:20:44): Lego Batman: How it differs from the Arkham series with a populated open-world Gotham. * (00:22:16): Thick as Thieves: Excitement for the new game from immersive sim veteran Warren Spector. * (00:23:06): Dead as Disco: A viral rhythm-based brawler entering early access. * (00:23:38): Indiana Jones and the Great Circle: Discussion on the upcoming Switch port. * (00:25:11): Other notable mentions: Zero Parades for Dead Spies, Paralives, and Romestead. Xbox Game Sales on PS5 * (00:25:40): Breakdown of sales data from Alinea Analytics, highlighting that Forza Horizon 5 has sold 5.8 million units on PlayStation. * (00:26:49): The total gross revenue for the 13 analyzed titles reaching $667 million. What We’re Playing This Week * (00:28:01): Rahul’s progress in Pragmata via GeForce Now. * (00:28:20): Updates on Crimson Desert and its frequent patching. * (00:29:55): Rishi’s thoughts on Diablo 4: Lord of Hatred and its “MCU-style” story. Closing and Giveaway * (00:31:21): Housekeeping and announcement of the Marathon Controller winner. * (00:31:41): Social media handles and sign-off. This is Day Zero, a podcast is about video games breaking down the bytes and bits behind the decisions that make and break the world’s greatest entertainment industry. Have a request? Hot take? Insider tip? Reach us at the handles mentioned below: * Twitter/X - @rishialwani * Threads - @rishi.alwani * Instagram - @rishi.alwani * Twitter/X - @darthrahul * Threads - @darthrahul * Instagram - @darthrahul This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit dayzeromedia.substack.com
