(Credit: Will Greenwald)
Easter eggs are few and far between on modern gadgets, but Valve managed to squeeze one into its Steam Controller that reviewers didn't catch.
As spotted by Reddit user RF3D19, the newest Steam Controller plays the Wilhelm scream when dropped from a height, letting out a long, comedic cry as it falls toward the floor.
If you’re not familiar with the Wilhelm scream, you’ve almost certainly heard it without knowing what it is. It's a stock sound effect, first used in the 1951 film Distant Drums, and later became popular as filmmakers recycled it and audiences began recognizing it.
The noise is particularly famous for being used in all the original Star Wars and Indiana Jones movies, and it has grown in popularity as fans have created and posted montages online. The sound effect has been used in hundreds of movies, including modern releases.
Valve appears to be using a haptic motor to detect when the controller is falling. There’s a slight delay in the sound effect, and the Reddit user says it won’t work for a while after the first drop, suggesting there’s a timeout so you can’t do it repeatedly. In the example video above, you can hear the noise as the uploader throws the controller onto a soft bed.
Will Greenwald's PCMag review, in which he didn't purposefully drop the controller, gave it four out of five stars. He called it a “terrific-feeling, feature-packed gamepad that leaps multiple generations beyond its predecessor.” He particularly loved the connectivity and compatibility options, impressive customization tools, and clever charging system.
Getting your hands on a Steam Controller is difficult, with a lot of the first wave of stock being bought by scalpers who are selling them on eBay for three times the price. Valve introduced a new reservation system last week, which now requires each purchaser to have a Steam sales history to buy the $99 controller.