Valve Updates Design Of Steam Controller, Removes Touch Screen

We’ve mentioned the Steam Controller a lot this month, primarily because it will be shipping with all the many Steam Machines that various companies are developing, but it’s time the device got some coverage of its own, because Valve has redesigned it and unveiled a photo of the new look at Steam Dev days.

new Valve Steam Controller
Credit: @TheIneQuation via @SteamDB (Twitter)

For a little comparison, here’s the old controller design:

Valve old Steam Controller
Original Steam Controller

As you can see, there are big differences with the new controller, including the absence of the touchscreen and the four buttons around it, as well as the three keys below that. The circular D-pads are still there, but now there are are two separate four-button directional banks, as well. Overall, the design is a lot cleaner.

At CES, we found the original prototype of the Steam Controller we got to play with to be innovative and engaging and a solid substitute for the keyboard and mouse, with impressive controls assigned to the left and right D-pads. You can always customize your bindings and create profiles for the Steam Controller, too. We imagine this new version will be even better, and we’ll be looking forward to getting some lengthy hands-on time with this controller and a Steam Machine or two as soon as possible.

Article updated 4:37pm 1/16/13 with revised text describing the new controller's features and removing a photo of the old prototype.