Take this with a pinch of salt as you always do with leaks, but it appears Valve may be prepping a Steam Controller 2, along with a new controller for their Deckard VR kit as well.
News about this comes from Brad Lynch on X, who has covered a lot of Valve leaks for upcoming VR hardware in the past who said:
Codename for Steam Controller 2 is “Ibex”
Separate product from Deckard’s “Roy” controller(s)
Both are being tooled for a mass production goal in their factories right now. That’s why I know they’re in later stages of productization
If you wondering where the name Roy for the Deckard VR headset comes from, it seem Valve really love Blade Runner references with Rick Deckard and Roy Batty.
Interestingly, according to Lynch in another post, the Deckard Roy controller has quite a lot of inputs on it:
Valve Roy controller(s) have at least: DPAD, Bumpers, Grip Buttons, Triggers, ABXY, system button, and some sort of strap
I am confident in this info based on datamining AND sources who wished not to be named
There is also an unreleased OpenXR extension for these controllers
We might even get some eye-tracking in the Deckard headset.
Long time readers of GamingOnLinux will know that this nearly made my heart explode, because I'm a die-hard fan of the original Steam Controller. I even wrote about my continued love of it in a little article back in 2019. So the news of a potential new and updated one really has me excited.
Just two things I want from it:
- Two thumbsticks in addition to the trackpads.
- Better battery placement, because the original is a nightmare to get batteries out.
Obviously Valve won't confirm any leaks, we'll just have to wait and see what it all turns out to be.
What makes me truly curious on the Steam Controller 2 is just — why? The original was done along with the Steam Machines and Steam Link. While we do have the Steam Deck now, it has been out for years already , and Steam Input works great with tons of different controllers, so why would Valve be again making their own? Just because they can? Because it might sell well for all the people docking the Steam Deck that want a dedicated controller? Or perhaps we might finally see Valve decide to make another attempt at a true home-console like Steam Machine?
You can bet I'll be first in line to buy one either way. I'll be pushing you all out of my way to get it.
Interesting times ahead.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
hardpenguin Nov 20
Or making a second variant alongside the VR stuff is cheap enough to just go ahead with it. Would make people happy.
I also hope the VR controllers can be used by itself. Wiimote + Nunchuck have been the most comfortable control scheme I ever used. Just the fact you can keep your arms in whatever position you want is really nice. I'm a bit disappointed that there are so few options for this setup, the tiny joycons being the most common ones.
Last edited by _Mars on 20 November 2024 at 9:45 am UTC
it honestly feels really cheap, the shoulder buttons feel like they could come off any minute and both the shoulders and the touchpads require an overwhelming amount of force to be pressed. that also produces a very loud clicking noise. the vibration on it's also really terrible compared to any other controller, it's more a whiny sound with a little bit of feedback than vibration. The face buttons are too small, hard to find when you're not looking, and have a mushy feel. I find myself constantly looking at it in my hands because my muscle memory just can't find the buttons...
It's a shame honestly because i wanted to like this controller. i feel like it'd work great for games that don't need precise aiming. But no matter what, I just keep coming back to the Dualshock 4 which is superior in almost every way.
Last edited by Stella on 20 November 2024 at 9:51 am UTC
The trackpads, four grip triggers, dual analog, and 2 haptic touchpads are absolutely non negotiable to me and the thing that has made steam deck's competitors outside the legion go non starters for me since it doesn't matter how much more powerful something is if the controls suck.
I really wanna be able to make a steam input profile that requires no changes between docked and undocked steam deck play, as I currently see this somewhere in the top 5 only criticisms I have of the deck.
While the Steam Controller 1 is a great concept, its execution is severely lacking.I totally agree with that, it basically suck and is not worth it. Just useless.
it honestly feels really cheap, the shoulder buttons feel like they could come off any minute and both the shoulders and the touchpads require an overwhelming amount of force to be pressed. that also produces a very loud clicking noise. the vibration on it's also really terrible compared to any other controller, it's more a whiny sound with a little bit of feedback than vibration. The face buttons are too small, hard to find when you're not looking, and have a mushy feel. I find myself constantly looking at it in my hands because my muscle memory just can't find the buttons...
It's a shame honestly because i wanted to like this controller. i feel like it'd work great for games that don't need precise aiming. But no matter what, I just keep coming back to the Dualshock 4 which is superior in almost every way.
Can you send it to me please?
ShadowXeldron Nov 20
I would be curious to see how a new controller with all the SD's features would work. Knowing Valve it would have great Linux support (unlike the Xbox Series controller I use which won't even show up on my Bluetooth list; works fine wired though). I felt that the Steam Deck's control options were very good, so having that on the desktop with the added bonus of, y'know, actually showing up on my Bluetooth list (admittedly Nintendo's controllers do, but the button layout is different and my brother uses them for the Switch).
Bonus points if someone can get it to work with the MiSTer. A lot of the retro computer cores on there (such as the Amiga) are mouse-focused but I haven't got any spare mice. If it has the dual trackpads from the Steam Deck though then it'll work pretty well for those use cases.
What makes me truly curious on the Steam Controller 2 is just — why? The original was done along with the Steam Machines and Steam Link. While we do have the Steam Deck now, it has been out for years already , and Steam Input works great with tons of different controllers, so why would Valve be again making their own?
I'd say because there is no controller on the market that has the same inputs as the Steam Deck and people like that a lot.
Then give me Deckard and maybe a SteamMachine2 as the finisher :D
legluondunet Nov 20
williamjcm Nov 20
Meanwhile, the Steam Deck's triggers don't have that, and it saddens me.
RavenWings Nov 20
What makes me truly curious on the Steam Controller 2 is just — why?
For me its more like "why so late?". This really should´ve accompanied the Steam Deck launch. But I´d take it. Damn will I take it. Another Day 1 preorder for sure!
I cant say I ever loved the first Steam Controller, but I did love a lot ABOUT it. I´m so glad Valve kept and improved on its concepts for the Deck.
Honestly, if Valve does make a Steam Controller 2 or similar, I hope they'll bring back the dual-stage triggers from the original. I really loved those, as I used the click at the end to enable gyro aiming.
Meanwhile, the Steam Deck's triggers don't have that, and it saddens me.
Oh, that's sad to know. It is handy to use for boost in some racing games.
Swingswindle Nov 20
Honestly, if Valve does make a Steam Controller 2 or similar, I hope they'll bring back the dual-stage triggers from the original. I really loved those, as I used the click at the end to enable gyro aiming.
Meanwhile, the Steam Deck's triggers don't have that, and it saddens me.
The dual stage triggers and back paddles made the sc perfect for 6dof games like everspace, they need to return
I'll take three, please!
Mountain Man Nov 20
Craggles086 Nov 20
Have to practice my Steam Input skills so I can set it up. But think it would perform better if the game supported it natively
ExpandingMan Nov 20
I was fine with a single thumbstick. I feel like a second would get in my way.
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