XCOM 2 supports the Steam Controller, and no other gamepad

XCOM 2, the new strategy game from Firaxis, can't be played on a console; it's available only on Linux, Mac and Windows PC. And it launched today without support for controllers, except one — the Steam Controller, Valve announced yesterday.

Firaxis and Valve collaborated on native Steam Controller support for XCOM 2, and the game currently includes an "early access" version of that integration, according to Valve.

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XCOM 2 players can use the Steam Controller to play the game with situation-dependent control configurations, using the gamepad's touch menus to select abilities. In addition, the touchpads can be used to adjust the camera in the Geoscape and tactical view.

"We consider this configuration to be an initial implementation, and as always, we hope the community will provide feedback in addition to making improvements to the configuration on their own," said Valve.

XCOM 2 doesn't currently support any other controller, perhaps because Valve worked with Firaxis to build Steam Controller compatibility into the game. In an interview with IGN last June, Firaxis said it was optimizing XCOM 2 for mouse-and-keyboard controls: The interface is text-heavy, and the game is designed to be played at a desk, where you're sitting close enough to a monitor to read everything. Valve has touted the Steam Controller as a gamepad that works well with PC games made to be controlled with a mouse and keyboard.

Interested parties can pick up XCOM 2 and a Steam Controller in a bundle for $89.98, which is an 18 percent discount over buying them separately. For more on XCOM 2, read our review, which says it "may be the best XCOM game ever made."