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.
Quoting: InhaleOblivionI still have both the OG Steam controller and the slightly revised one they updated it to. Both still work though I only have one remaining bluetooth doggle that comes with it. Whenever they release the Steam Controller 2, it's a day 1 purchase for me again.
I'm not even aware of a revised Steam Controller? (I guess it's too many years ago. :D )
This said, "instabuy" for me. My 3 former Steam Controllers are still really usable, but are showing their age.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 22 November 2024 at 3:07 pm UTC
Apart from the two excellent touch pads, the Steam Controller boasted dual-stage triggers, back buttons that were not tied to another input on the controller, gyro, and a battery life of at least 80 hours although I have gotten over 100 hours. No other controller on the market compares in terms of battery life. The price was incredible too, considering how other controllers cost far more despite not having all these features.
The gyro on the DualSense is okay for mouse emulation, but trackpads are just unparalleled for some classic, laid-back slow tempo PC gaming on the big screen. With some practice, I really enjoyed FPS games too and reached almost equivalent results to KBM.
See more from me