Valve has been horsing around with the Steam controller for a couple of years, and to be sure, it's come a long way since it was first revealed to the world. But even though it's now ready for release, it's not really 'finished' in the strictest sense of the word. As Valve's Robin Walker told PC World, he expects that once the public gets hold of it, they'll improve the design even further.
"I don’t think this will be the last Steam Controller design ever. We’re just about to hit the point where customers get their hands on it which, to us in the software world, that’s where stuff starts to get really interesting," Walker said. He didn't predict what might be done with, but said he expects "it'll be awesome."
"It would be the first time our customers didn’t improve one of our products if, for some reason, they couldn’t make the hardware better," he added.
Valve itself may have plans for the long-term evolution of the controller, which could actually see it become closer to its original design. According to Engadget, Valve would like to ditch the left thumbstick, which Walker said was added to help smooth the transition from conventional controllers, and also hasn't given up on the idea of the touchscreen that was included in the first prototype but ultimately dropped. "Active screens on the controller—we think, probably long-term—will be something that'll be interesting," designer Erik Johnson said.
The Steam Controller will be available to the public on November 10. You can see Walker show it off during an interview with YouTuber OMGchat, recorded earlier this year at PAX Prime.
