It looks like a new Steam controller could finally be on its way, five years after Valve discontinued the original, along with an additional new Steam VR controller, according to a new rumor. This would be big news for Steam gamers who, up until now, have mostly flocked to Xbox and PlayStation controllers as their go-to.
This isn’t the first sign that a new Steam controller was on its way, with rumors abound that Valve has been planning one for some time, but it’s the first time that a separate VR-friendly controller has been mentioned. It’s been four years since that first new Steam controller patent appeared, but it looks as though Valve is finally gearing up to put these new controllers into mass production, giving some strong competition to the best PC controller designs you can buy right now.
These leaks come from YouTuber Brad Lynch, known for reliable Valve leaks in the past, who has some datamined information to back up his claims across several X (previously Twitter) posts over the last few days. A week ago, Lynch shared an X post mentioning that he had been told “months ago” about a new Valve controller, codenamed Roy, which is now referenced in the SteamVR backend.
This could potentially form part of a standalone Steam VR headset, and even be the long-rumored Deckard Steam VR headset that we’ve waited years for. Lynch also mentioned that the Roy controller is separate from a new “spiritual successor” to the original Steam controller, which is already in the production stages.
In another post, Lynch confirms that he’s “confident in this info” based on both his own sources and the datamining he’d shared, while a third post mentions that both are being “tooled for mass production” for a launch sometime in the future.
It’s safe to say that there’s no comment from Valve about any of this speculation, but it’s interesting to see Valve potentially getting back into the hardware game so prominently. With its recent Steam Deck successes, it’s clear the company sees a future in selling hardware and peripherals directly to its customers.
However, until (or if) these new Steam controllers are released, you’ll need to consider other options. Check out our PowerA Moga XP-Ultra review next to hear our views on one of the most versatile third-party controllers you can buy to play your favorite PC games.