Valve finally lifted the lid on its Steam Controller this week, and early reviews on the $99 / £85 gadget scheduled for May are sparking debates. I've yet to try out the accessory, but having just spent the week testing the Retro Fighters StrikerDC, a wireless Sega Dreamcast gamepad that uses the 2000s retro console button layout, I've got a newfound appreciation for Valve's original gamepad vision.
Let me get one thing straight: the Retro Fighters StrikerDC is nothing like the new Steam Controller. I'm not trying to pitch what is essentially a wireless remake of the Dreamcast pad with a single hall-effect joystick and a receiver cradle for Sega's VMU (Visual Memory Unit). What I will say is that it highlights gaming tech history repeating itself, as Valve's accessory is going through the same evolutionary process as Sega's pad before it.
