New Leak Hints at a Refresh of Valve’s Steam Controller, Inspired by the Steam Deck’s Design

Following last week’s announcement, Valve is developing a new version of its popular (yet controversial) Steam Controller. A recent leak has possibly unveiled an initial glimpse of its redesigned look – and it’s perhaps not a complete shock to observe that it’s drawing many inspirations from the Steam Deck.

Valve’s original Steam Controller was first revealed in 2013, along with discussions surrounding third-party Steam machines. However, while that venture ultimately struggled, the controller continued to exist, officially launching in November 2015. Unfortunately, it was time to say goodbye merely four years later, following a patent infringement lawsuit regarding its distinctive rear buttons.

Valve initially lost that lawsuit and was instructed to pay $4 million USD in compensation; nevertheless, it successfully contested the ruling in August 2021, clearing the path for a Steam Controller 2. This brings us to last week, when a reliable Valve source, Brad Lynch, asserted that not only was a new Steam Controller being developed, it was “currently being tooled for mass production.”

Lynch also noted that the new device’s “most significant alteration will be in the shape and size of the trackpads”, with Valve shifting toward a more traditional “gamepad-style design”. Moreover, thanks to Lynch, we now have a much clearer vision of what the upcoming Steam Controller could potentially resemble, via a low-resolution image found in Valve’s SteamVR drivers.

It seems Valve is taking several design elements from the Steam Deck for this iteration – which appears quite fitting considering the substantial influence of the original Steam Controller on the handheld PC. If the recently discovered image is accurate, Valve’s second version might also, like the Steam Deck, feature a more traditional dual analog stick configuration alongside dual music pads, all contained within a design that seems to be significantly more ergonomic.

The original Steam Controller’s single analog stick layout wasn’t universally appreciated, but it has been a fixture in my living room/PC gaming setup ever since its debut due to those music pads. This newly