The Steam Controller has a hidden easter egg: It screams if you drop it
The controller uses its haptic motors to recreate the Wilhelm Scream
Players have discovered a hidden easter egg in the Steam Controller which makes it scream when dropped.
Early adopters of the Steam Controller have started receiving their devices, and Reddit user RF3D19 discovered that dropping it can sometimes cause it to scream.
Specifically, the controller plays the Wilhelm Scream, a long-running movie in-joke where a stock sound effect of a man screaming is inserted into numerous films and TV shows. The scream was made famous for its appearance in the Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, and these days is used frequently.
VGC has tested the theory on our controller and can confirm that the easter egg is indeed real, but it’s recommended that anyone wishing to test it out does so by dropping it onto a soft surface like a bed or a large pillow to avoid damage.
To trigger the sound, the player’s PC must be in Steam Big Picture mode. Then, while on the main menu, dropping the controller will sometimes cause it to do a Wilhelm Scream.
The Steam Controller doesn’t have an internal speaker, but controllers with more sophisticated types of rumble can use the motors in a way that recreates sounds.
The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller, for example, can use its HD Rumble to make musical sound effects in Super Mario Bros Wonder, when the player walks on music blocks or uses grind rails.
The Steam Controller went on sale on Valve‘s storefront on May 4, but demand caused site issues with numerous customers reporting error messages.
Within around 30 minutes the controller started selling out in some regions – eventually selling out in every major market – with scalpers then listing it on sites like eBay for up to three times the price.
Valve responded by implementing a reservation queue, which started on May 8 and is still active, allowing players to add themselves to a reservation queue for Steam Controllers.
“Once you reserve, your place in line will be saved,” Valve explained. “When we go back in stock, order emails will be sent in the same order that reservations were made.”
Reservations will be limited to one Steam Controller per user. Once an order email is received, users have 72 hours to make a purchase. Users who were already able to buy a Steam Controller won’t be able to reserve a second one.
