Many things in life will scream when you drop them. But this may be the first that won’t lead to a lengthy prison sentence. The Steam Controller has an easter egg that makes it emit a Wilhelm scream when it takes a spill.
The secret was discovered by Reddit user u/RF3D19 and confirmed by Engadget. The Steam Controller lacks a traditional built-in speaker, so it simulates the classic scream using haptic motors. “Do whatever you want with this information, I just feel like I needed to share this asap,” the pioneering Redditor posted.
The easter egg appears to have a timeout period. Commenters on the Reddit thread estimate that it takes about one minute to reset. However, it won’t always cry out in agony even outside of that window.
As more users discovered the thread, enthusiasm grew for hoisting their $99 gamepads in the air and letting go. “So many people thinking about dropping their controllers right now,” u/itsactuallynot commented. Not everyone bought it right away. “Hmm, can’t tell if easter egg or ‘put your iPhone in the microwave to charge it’ trolling,” u/havoc1428 wondered.
Fortunately, the trick doesn’t require a hard surface. You can try it out on something soft like a bed or pillow. If you don’t have a Steam Controller, you can see for yourself in the video below.
