A new rumor has surfaced online regarding hardware development at Valve. Fresh off the back of its Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary celebrations, there are new reports that Valve is working on a sequel to the Steam Controller which was discontinued in November 2019. We already knew Valve is working on future new hardware, so this leak is an interesting find.
While the Steam Controller itself may have not survived, aspects of it such as the dual trackpads went on to feature in the popular Steam Deck handheld. Despite not turning out to be a massive success, the unique controller is still one fans have been asking Valve to bring back – the closest we got recently was Hori’s Steam controller, the Horipad, but that still uses regular thumbsticks.
Steam Controller 2 is codenamed ‘Ibex’ and is in “later stages of productization”
According to word from Brad Lynch, a common source of Valve, Steam, or Steam Deck leaks, the Steam Controller 2 is codenamed Ibex and a separate product from the Deckard’s ‘Roy’ controller. For the uninformed, Deckard is in reference to Valve’s upcoming VR headset, currently known as Project Deckard. Lynch reports that both of these controllers (Ibex and Roy) are working towards “a mass production goal” right now and are expected to be in the later stages of development.
A few days prior, Lynch also shared some code sourced via data mining that Valve’s Roy controller(s) have at least a D-pad, bumpers, grip buttons, triggers, ABXY, system button, and “some sort of strap.” Again, this is referring to a controller designed to go with the Deckard headset, while the Steam Controller 2 will be a standalone product. However, both could be released within a similar timeframe – though we’ll have to take any details so far with a pinch of salt as Valve is yet to make anything official.
What about the Horipad for Steam?
You may have remembered the Horipad for Steam – an officially licensed Steam controller that was originally announced back in June for retail in Japan; it since became available for pre-order in the US in early November. Looking at Amazon right now, the device is currently unavailable, so we’ll have to wait and see how that is resolved in the coming weeks.
Regardless of stock, the Horipad for Steam is a nice addition to the PC controller market, but it does miss out on the trackpads – a defining feature of the original Steam Controller that only just lives on via the Steam Deck (or the Zotac Zone handheld).
HORI Wireless HORIPAD for Steam
