Steam Controller 2 is apparently a thing and being 'tooled for a mass production' plus a new VR controller

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.