Two years ago, Valve told The Verge it wanted a successor to its cult classic Steam Controller, whose incredibly customizable buttons and touchpads paved the way for the Steam Deck handheld PC. Now, Valve watcher Brad Lynch claims a Steam Controller 2 — codename “Ibex” — is actually getting made.
His sources tell him the Steam Controller 2 is currently being tooled for mass production, and it’s apparently not the only new Valve gamepad on the way!
What’s more, “Roy” may have enough buttons to double as a Steam Controller gamepad when it’s not acting as your hands in VR. Unlike the Index wands, they’ll apparently have a D-pad, bumpers (aka shoulder buttons), and a full set of ABXY buttons for traditional gaming as well.
Valve hasn’t confirmed any of this, of course — these days, it tends to wait until it’s ready to show a near-complete product before surprise-announcing everything at once. It did also partner with Hori on an officially licensed Steam gamepad that’s coming to the US, but is not really a proper successor.
Oh, and just in case you’re wondering why “Roy,” please familiarize yourself with tears in rain.