I can't live without the Steam Deck's trackpads anymore, and I hope the Steam Controller forces the competition to adopt them

Valve's new and improved Steam Controller during a visit to Valve's HQ in Bellevue, Washington.

Of the three hardware announcements Valve made yesterday, the Steam Controller is probably the least exciting at face value. It looks a whole lot like the original Steam controller, which hardly set the world ablaze. Also, it’s a gamepad. There are countless PC gamepads on the market, and many are better than what Microsoft or Sony have to offer. We have 1000 Hz polling rates, TMR sticks, and near-mandatory paddle buttons. Sometimes they even have a screen on them, and if you’re lucky, a sprinkling of RGB too. Surely we’re good.

Valve's hot hardware

(Image credit: Future)

Steam Frame: Valve's new wireless VR headset
Steam Machine: Compact living room gaming box
Steam Controller: A controller to replace your mouse