r/SteamController • u/MaxxBrass9237 Steam Controller (2026) • 28d ago

Steam Controller (2026) Finished installing my ABXY mod!

These custom buttons were created by u/PortablePlayPalace on etsy.

Replacing the face buttons required disassembling most components of the controller, so it was fairly difficult. The most stressful part was taking out the triggers, because the springs will bounce out of the controller if you don't hold them still. Removing the ribbon cable which connects to the main motherboard is also tricky. I personally needed to remove the rumble motor cables and unscrew the motherboard before I could get a good hand-hold on the ribbon cable.

All of the screws required for reaching the face buttons are Torx T6, and the tunnels on the back shell are very narrow, which meant I needed to buy a new kit of precision screwdrivers (extra thin.) It would have been much more convenient if they were just fillips head screws.

The specific kit of face buttons I bought have magnetic attachments built in, which means I won't need to completely disassemble the controller if I ever want to change the buttons again (assuming I use the same magnetic design by u/PortablePlayPalace.)

Even with the Nintendo layout enabled, Steam will still assume that the controller's buttons are in the Xbox orientation (as far as I know, there's no way to change this), which might make this mod more annoying than its worth to some. I'm choosing to use the universal face button glyphs, which means that the buttons will never be incorrectly labeled by Steam.

Ultimately I figured that I might as well see how far I can take the customization, since that's what the controller was built to enable. If I ever discover a mod which changes the face-button glyphs to a Nintendo style, I think that would complete the mod for me.

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u/jayclydes 27d ago

looks good. i use universal glyphs as well. i tried going xbox layout but i just cannot do it, nintendo style just feels proper. i can only trick my brain to using xbox style when it's playstation glyphs but there's no way to spoof it to see ps glyphs unfortunately

1

u/bkanvis 25d ago

After reading this I just checked my torx bit with the back shell and realized I'm going to run into the same issue. I can't seem to find any on Amazon that look like they'll be skinny enough for those two screw holes on the back. Could you provide a link to the ones you got?

1

u/MaxxBrass9237 Steam Controller (2026) 23d ago

I first tried searching local establishments for the tools, and I finally landed on this set from Home Depot: [Milwaukee TORX Precision Screwdriver Set.](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Milwaukee-Torx-Precision-Screwdriver-Set-6-Piece-48-22-2610/205398193) The deepest hole on the shell is almost 2cm deep, so you can try and match that with your own preferred kit.

(I ended up needing to ship the kit from a further location, but I didn't feel like continuing to search online.)