The new Valve Steam Controller has just been revealed to the world and it looks pretty interesting. The announcement comes hot on the heels of announcements detailing a new Linux based operating system and the new Steam Machine games console.
The controller comes with a couple of trackpads and gives the player haptic feedback in the form of different sensations which they feel as they play.
The word from games developer Valve is that the Stream Controller will give players a better option rather than the “compromises” which come with playing on a PC with a keyboard and a mouse. The device isn’t going to be on sale until next year but Valve is inviting gamers to test it before then.
One in a series of recent announcements from the games firm on their website states that they “made it a goal” of theirs to make improvements on the “resolution and fidelity of input” that can be achieved with a games controller.
Aiming to Better the Mouse and Keyboard Approach
The idea behind the plans is to get gamers away from their PCs and into the living room to get playing on the Steam Machine. One of the keys which they have identified to doing successfully is to show that the keyboard and mouse control system they have been using can be bettered.
The researchers at Valve have been doing their homework for the last year and have tried out a number of different control methods. They say that the haptic feedback will give the players a “channel of information” about various events which happen on the screen while they are playing. 300 prototype controllers will be given to players who register for the testing phase.
