As with everything it does, Valve plans to tinker with the Steam Controller as many times as the creators and the users deem necessary until it’s complete. Those who were in attendance at Steam Dev Days on Wednesday were the first to learn that Valve is planning to readjust the ABXY buttons on the Steam Controller into a diamond layout, similar to the design of most modern home console controllers. This should limit compatibility issues for classic titles.
Valve is also removing the touchscreen that dominates the center of the controller, replacing it with “ghost mode,” which apparently made the touchscreen redundant. According to The Verge, “ghost mode” will allow users to see a virtual display of the buttons on screen when they interact with the touchpad. Attendees are also reporting that the Steam Controller will run on two AA batteries, and the API will allow for up to 16 concurrent controllers on a Steam Machine.
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