Last year, Valve sold off its final lot of Steam controllers for $5 apiece. It was a bargain for what was considered the best PC controller for gaming that was not officially supported, and it appeared to put an end to the project. Valve may not be done experimenting with input to handheld gaming consoles, however, as Valve's recently filed patent application describes a model of a Steam controller with removable parts.

The patent, discovered by Tyler McVicker of the Valve News Network, is titled "Handheld Controller with Swappable Controls." That's exactly what it is.

"This specification describes, inter alia, a handheld controller configured to be detachably coupled to different controls and methods of using and/or assembling the handheld controller. Thus, the handheld controllers described herein allow dynamic swapping of controls to change the configuration of the controller to meet the needs of different applications (e.g., game titles), users, etc.," the patent application states.

Although the patent application does not specifically name the Steam controller, it is indeed what is depicted in the accompanying drawings.

Swappable parts are a staple of high-end controllers like the Xbox Elite; Valve's patent describes the ability to completely change the controls: for example, removing the thumbstick and replacing it with a d-pad. There is also mention of trackball support.

Valve filed this patent in September 2018, but it was only recently published; it is unclear if this is something Valve is still pursuing or if it is on the back burner for the time being. The patent application is just that, a patent application, and one can only speculate whether Valve is actually working on a new controller.

The original Steam controller was intended as part of a larger initiative to bring PC gaming into the living room; Valve's Linux-based Steam Machines with SteamOS were a cornerstone of this plan, but delays and poor sales relegated it to a footnote in PC gaming history; after Valve's focus shifted to VR, it seems unlikely that the old hardware project will get any attention again, but perhaps a new version of the Steam controller will fit into the current plans.

Thanks, PCGamesN.