Steam now has official support for the classic controllers available to Nintendo Switch Online members.
The patch notes for the July 27 build of theSteam Clientsimply say: “Added support forNintendoOnline classic controllers.”
However, aValvespokesperson confirmed toThe Vergethat this specifically referred to the NES, SNES, N64 and Mega Drive controllers.
Naturally, these controllers have fewer buttons than a more conventional Steam-supported controller (such as anXboxorPlayStationcontroller), but they can at least be used for games that only use a limited number of buttons, including smaller indie titles and retro compilations.
Players can also use Steam’s settings to reconfigure a controller’s buttons, making it easier for them to play some games that weren’t designed with that controller in mind.
The Switch Online NES controller was made available in 2018, with SNES controllers following in 2019, and N64 and Mega Drive controllers arriving in 2021.
The controllers are mainly designed to play the libraries of NES and SNES games available through Switch Online, as well as the N64 and Mega Drive libraries available via the service’s Expansion Pack.
Further reading
At the time of writing, there are currently 93 NES games, 72 SNES games, 30 Mega Drive games and 19 Nintendo 64 games available on Switch Online, with more being added over time.
Nintendo 64 games in particular appear to be added on a monthly basis, withthe latest addition being Pokémon Puzzle League.
