I had hoped this day would never come. I had hoped I would never have to write this story. But Valve wants Steam Controller 2 to happen. Some may be gleeful at the news that the Gabe gang is about to create a new version of the hollow, clunky, all-purpose, master-of-nothing controller.

But getting excited is obviously wrong. The original Steam controller was garbage and deserved to be discontinued much earlier than its 2019 end date.

In other words, I didn't always feel that way. Gabe announced the first Steam Machines at CES in 2014, at a surprisingly intimate off-strip soiree, where I got a product prototype of the Steam Controller. And the feel was good. Solid, actually a bit responsive, but certainly a steep learning curve.

When they sent me the final unit, the steep learning curve was still there, but it no longer felt good. Just remembering the buttons placed on the back of the unit still makes me nauseous.

So when I read a Verge interview (opens in new tab) with Steam Deck (opens in new tab) designer Lawrence Yang asking him about the prospects of making a new version of the old pad, my blood froze.

"Yeah, I'd love to make it happen," Yang says. 'It's just a question of when and how.'

"It's something we've been wanting to do, too, so there's a good chance we'll explore it," he continues. 'Right now I'm concentrating on the deck.'

The fact that I was impressed with the build quality and effectiveness of the Steam Deck allays some of my concerns, and since the Index VR HMD (opens in new tab) is one of the best around, Valve's recent hardware venture has turned out great have yielded some great results.

However, there is no guarantee that the Steam Controller 2 will actually be made by Valve itself. We're definitely looking forward to Valve working with third parties or developing it in-house," says Yang.

Who would you trust to make a decent second-generation Steam controller, Razer, Logitech, or Scuf?

Fundamentally, however, for a desktop PC that can connect a dedicated controller or keyboard and mouse, Valve's Responsive Touchpad still doesn't seem to offer a better solution than either of those; the Steam Deck is great because that's what the device is, and it can't be used with other peripherals together, nor can it maintain the handheld orientation.

I am aware of the affection others have for the OG Steam Pad and the expected cries that they didn't give it enough of a chance. But I do have a mouse and keyboard.