Valve has been in the software business organization for a long time, and they've gotten pretty good at it. In 2022, the PC gaming behemothic will be launching their kickoff official piece of hardware: The incomparably odd, innovative Steam Controller. What will happen when a company steeped in software releases their first piece of hardware? No 1—including the people making the controller—is quite sure.

On Tuesday, I flew in to the Consumer Electronics Evidence in Las Vegas to attend a brief Valve event dedicated to their new Steam Machines initiative. The issue took place at a rooftop bar at the Palms hotel; information technology was all very royal and generally looked like this:

During a cursory presentation, Valve head Gabe Newell unveiled 13 Steam Machines prototypes from various third-political party developers. Also on hand were several of the Valve-designed Steam Motorcar prototypes, complete with prototype controllers, both of which have already been sent out to 300 beta testers.

Information technology was my first chance to try out Valve'southward interesting, thumbstick-less controller, and I came away intrigued.

It's a funky piece of tech, and I get the sense that I'd need a few days to get used to it. In place of the expected thumbsticks, the Steam Controller has two touchpads that await like the globe's smallest DJ turntables. The touchpads offer haptic feedback, and then y'all can feel them rumbling and almost rolling under your thumbs. In apply, the controller really feels a bit more like a stationary trackball-mouse, rather than a traditional game controller or even a laptop trackpad.

The Steam Controller doesn't appear to be designed to replace the traditional Xbox/PS3-style controller for which nigh electric current controller-based games are designed; rather, information technology's Valve's attempt to build a device that can play mouse/keyboard PC games on a living room Idiot box. Newell says that Valve is still deciding whether they desire to make their own in-house Steam Machine PC, which means that at this point the Steam Controller is the only hardware they're officially working on with plans to release.

"...we do a ton of experimentation and we iterate very quickly. I'd say the core hardware team is probably about half-dozen people. So it's like a black ops team."

Shortly after Newell's presentation, I had a chance to chat with Valve industrial designer Claire Gottschalk—who tells me her last proper name translates literally to "Lamb of God," awesomely—nigh the ongoing, challenging process of designing the Steam Controller and the uncertain territory Valve is inbound as they make their way toward the controller's launch later this year.

Kotaku : As Valve ready about making the Steam Motorcar prototype and controller paradigm that you lot recently sent out to beta users, what take you lot learned almost making hardware?

Claire Gottschalk: Information technology's definitely a very organic process. At Valve, it really all comes back to the user, and the user's needs. So, we do a ton of experimentation and nosotros iterate very rapidly. I'd say the core hardware squad is probably about six people. Then information technology'southward like a black ops team. Everybody's very good at what they practice, very good at communicating and respectful of each other, to brand sure we don't footstep on each other's toes.

We've found that's really the best style to be able to iterate really quickly, that that interpersonal component is just every bit important as your skills. And then for a long time, with a controller peculiarly, in my personal opinion the controller is much more hard to develop than the console, because yous're working with human interaction and ergonomics and human factors and input.

What'southward your process similar, in terms of iteration and redesign?

We build stuff very quickly; we accept working prototypes in a couple of days. Pretty much every other morning nosotros but sit and conversation and talk about all the stuff on our minds and how we think we can push it forward. We don't similar [job] titles, just nosotros accept mechanical engineers, nosotros have electrical engineers, we have machinists, we have UI experts, and we have industrial designers. Those are probably the people working on [the controller]. And you're talking to the industrial designer. So I'm probably the least technical, but more attuned towards user interaction and usability.

(Photo of unreleased controller prototypes via Seattle Times)

This will be the first time Valve has shipped hardware. So far it seems like y'all're taking a very iterative, software-like approach to it, doing constant revisions and getting a lot of user feedback. But when information technology comes down to it, yous're going to take to ship a concrete object that yous tin't just update by pushing out a new software revision. Does that make you feel force per unit area to get it perfect?

Well, not force per unit area. I find… it'southward probably merely my personality, but I'm more than fascinated past how this is really gonna play out. Considering it is absolutely as you say, a very software-axial arroyo to iteration. And it's like, yep, we tin't hit an update push.

…and but push a prepare out and give everybody a new controller.

Yes. Only we tin can absolutely hit a push and produce three hundred of them, or a yard, or a couple of thousand. Even so, the market place doesn't like waiting for that. Especially when you involve partners, and they have their own schedules and their own deadlines, and they want to ship with a controller that works.

It's tricky for consumers, considering when people purchase something, and they own it… and then you issue a new version of it and of a sudden they accept the inferior version. That can make people mad. And you lot tin't just issue a mass-recall or freely update the controller people already own.

Aye. And so just, I find just from a product development and business standpoint, it'due south a really interesting story in itself, how is this going to play out? I'yard curious myself. I don't accept the answers. Because it is a big experiment, to see how this really plays out. Nosotros volition run into.

Only information technology sounds like you're by and large feeling good.

All of this has happened in the past yr. I've been at Valve a yr and a half, and when I joined nosotros just started working on controller prototypes. And then it's amazing see that we're developing this totally different type of input device that is still recognizable every bit a controller and is still reasonably usable. And launching it to a exam group and getting feedback. I'm more than curious on how the ecosystem will evolve, or if it will evolve. That I'm very curious about. Like, how we're gonna balance the needs of other [third party Steam Motorcar] partners with the evolution of this, and how it's a software approach to hardware. Atoms and bits are very different things.

The Valve "halo result"

Related to beta feedback: Earlier this evening during his presentation, Gabe Newell was saying that y'all guys are pushing the beta testers to give tougher feedback. [Full quote from Newell: "The beta users take been super happy, we kind of want them to tell united states of america what'due south wrong. And so we're kind of poking at them a piddling harder. Right now they're only saying this is the best thing since, y'all know, the starting time of fourth dimension or something. Then we're trying to get them to requite united states of america more, how can we iterate on this, what are the steps that nosotros need to solve side by side."] How has information technology been, trying to go more effective criticism from beta users?

Claire Gottschalk: It is interesting. If you look at a company like… well, I won't name any names. But there are some companies that people criticize very heavily, and they become, "This tin can't perchance be any adept." And and then with Valve, it's a strange place considering there's a scrap of a halo around some of this stuff, because we've always tried to produce things that we believe are the all-time that they can exist, and that resonates on a lot of different levels.

We're in very good standing with the customers, and I think that's kind of what [Gabe] is referring to. That we're in good standing and accept this positive halo effect, and nosotros're like, now we want you to please tell us constructive criticism, and what sucks about this, and how nosotros need to better information technology. That'south actually what nosotros're trying to get.

Though you know that when you release it to the public, people won't hesitate to tell you what sucks almost it.

[Nods] And part of it is likewise, it'southward a weird experiment because none of our beta users paid for the system. It's like, "Hither'southward this crawly Christmas present!" So, I recall, from a psychological standpoint, perhaps users feel like they tin can't exist critical because they've been given this gift, in a way. We kind of have to look at how that's affecting our users.

Though on the flip side, it's not as though when people buy stuff, they're unbiased, either. If people buy information technology, they might accept a separate thing where they're going to exist more than critical of it because they'll want information technology to justify the cost they paid for information technology.

Yeah. Though it's not like all the [beta] feedback's been positive; information technology hasn't. We have gotten some constructive criticism on it, which is what we want. Things like it's also calorie-free, it's besides difficult to learn—we realize there's a actually steep learning curve with it.

I noticed the lightness when I used it.

Yes, because it's hollow.

Are you guys thinking almost changing the weight?

Claire Gottschalk: Oh, yes. Totally. I mean right now, it's just a beat out built effectually the average size of most male hands. So information technology'due south built effectually fiftieth percentile male easily.

"We take gotten some constructive criticism on it, which is what we want. Things similar it'south as well light, it's too difficult to learn—we realize there's a really steep learning bend with it."

Are you thinking most doing unlike sizes?

Nosotros've talked nigh that. Information technology'southward kind of a merchandise off because as soon as you involve tooling in cost, you lot have to attempt to think, well, is the market really large enough for minor hands? We don't collect demographic information well-nigh any of our users, so we really don't know how large or how old virtually of our gamers are.

So yous just sent them out, you don't really have whatsoever idea of men, women, old, young…

Well, yeah, in a way, we don't accept that data. With the beta test, people supplied, "How-do-you-do, my name is Jack blahbahblah," so you're like, this is most likely a male…

But if it was "Adrien" or something, you wouldn't be as sure.

Yeah, considering we don't collect that information. Only what we do collect and what nosotros are paying attention to is is this person an active gamer, are they part of the community, do they provide feedback? That's the type of stuff nosotros're interested in. But yeah, it'due south kinda hard designing blindly, in a fashion. And so you lot try to run across equally many of your users as possible, and get feedback, and then to have from that.

I'd assume that if you aim for fiftieth percentile-sized male hands, you're probably striking a large percent of your users.

That is absolutely the assumption we've made; we take no hard data. It's our policy that nosotros don't collect user data. So… [laughs]

That must make your job harder!

It is harder. And so the whole matter is trial and mistake. So far, we're like, oh, it turns out that yeah, everybody at this issue [looks effectually] is you know, male person, to a higher place thirty.

And it'southward self selecting, as well. Like, everyone here is games press, games press is largely male, because lots of guys play video games, because lots of games are marketed to guys, and so on.

And and so if yous actually look at information technology, what is the flip side to it? Does [the controller] actually take to exist designed for a adult female? If you wait at the bodily differences in paw size it's much smaller, y'all know, my hands are fiftieth percentile female hands, and a male manus is a centimeter longer for an average male person paw. And so that, when it comes to playing a game controller, is actually not that large.

Have you gotten any feedback from whatsoever women or people with small-scale easily saying the controller is too big?

In the early stages, yeah, nosotros had some crazy-sized prototypes. We have one guy in our office who's six'7, ex-NBA, and a lady, she's probably 4'x? And and so [laughs] I would kind of become to them as extremes. Merely the population falls right between that fortieth to sixtieth percentile. It was kind of funny because Eric, the huge guy, would concord the controller, and it's this tiny piddling matter in his hands. Then we made him a behemothic controller for fun and put it on his desk. [Laughing more] It's like a lunch tray, it's like a bento box. Information technology'southward pretty hilarious.

Ha, that sounds pretty great.

And then back to your earlier question, in the whole development procedure, the controller is very fast-paced, organic, nosotros kind of try to pursue one or two avenues at the same time and test them as much as nosotros tin can. Nigh of the initial testing has been internal.

"Atoms and bits are very different things"

Kotaku: So near of the people in the office merely use the controller and let you lot know how it's going?

Claire Gottschalk: Yes. And then if in that location are things that we feel we tin't observe out from that core group, we try to open. It'southward like virtually companies: Yous aggrandize your test base to friends and family unit, and right at present we're expanding to the public.

Exercise you guys have whatsoever plan to practise a broader examination of the controller exterior of the Steam Machines beta? Send them out to more people to plug them into their regular computers and test them out?

Yes. Nosotros're doing another build correct now to build more controllers, and the controller is easier to build than the steam boxes.

And cheaper, I'd imagine.

Yeah, I don't want to say that, only you can exercise the math of the components. It is really logistically a lot easier to create a couple thou controllers, so we're trying to build those and transport them out to a group of the community including a lot of developers. Because the 300 beta users are not developers.

And then we're going to be having Steam Dev Days this year. I'm not sure the details or if the big game developers are coming out this year, I think it'southward mostly indie developers. I call up that'll be our adjacent big outreach to get the more really educated community involved in testing these and trying them out. Considering those indie devs, they're part of the manufacture but they're besides the almost in-tune customers. This is what they swallow and exhale, they honey games.

And they're generally the game-makers doing the about interesting things, particularly with input.

Aye. So that's kind of the adjacent big big/pocket-size batch that we programme on shipping out.

[ Note: I checked in with Valve to confirm that they're going to be sending out more controllers to the public, and a Valve spokesperson said they are indeed planning on standing to make and distribute controllers to both developers and testers, though they don't take whatever specific timelines at the moment. Which means that sometime this twelvemonth, y'all could get your ain prototype controller to mess with. Good times!]

There are going to be third-party companies designing Steam controllers too, right? That's kind of weird… how tin someone else design a Steam controller?

It is a gratis-for-all, it's open up. If you lot are whatsoever one of Ten amount of hardware companies, yous can develop a controller.

What's the baseline? Does it have to have two trackpads, or… what makes information technology a Steam controller?

I recall the primary thing that makes a Steam controller a Steam controller is that it works in Big Moving picture mode.

But a regular Xbox-style controller does that, too.

Besides that it allows y'all to easily play and bask games that are built for a mouse and keyboard-type setup, that's the tricky one. The [games] that are congenital for XInput, you tin use your Xbox controller, your Logitech controller. That's less of a claiming.

Then having it register as a mouse and keyboard, that's the thing.

Yes, exactly. So that's kind of the technical workaround. Simply the hard office is how practice you make information technology as intuitive, and equally like shooting fish in a barrel as possible to use. So we however have a couple of little hiccups and glitches and things, you know, if a game pops up with a certain control, "press M" or something…

How practise you piece of work effectually that?

The temporary set up is that you lot'd accept to become familiar with your controller and what the configurations are bound to. And that takes some work. And nobody likes work.

"In an ideal world, the games are designed around the input device."

I would imagine a game that has that kind of QTE kind of thing, information technology'southward non going to be selecting from a pool of too many keys, so it'd exist pretty easy to learn. But more complex PC games would be some other story.

Yes. The hardest way is probably memorization, which I'g not a fan of, I don't think anybody is a fan of. The other way that we were exploring was the integrated screen. And that would show you some of the most common commands. So at that place is that feedback, if you do need to actually wait downwards. Yous're however learning it, you lot haven't memorized it, that's an pick. So the third path is besides the other side of the experience, which is the game itself and how that's written.

Right now, a lot of these games—well, all of these games—were created earlier this controller came out. And then we're trying to become our developer community more involved, to create games that are more friendly for this type of device.

And if you lot do come upwardly with a solution, you lot can make it work with old games. Because developers are probably not going to go back and change whatever game from two years agone to make information technology piece of work better with the Steam controller.

Those two start methods that I mentioned, that'due south more kind of backward compatibility mode. And in an ideal world, the games are designed around the input device. [For] Xbox, the games are designed around XInput. Every developer knows exactly the layout, and you have things that flash green, blood-red, blueish, yellowish on your screen, and everybody knows what that means. And that'due south a very integrated experience.

So, nosotros will run across how things develop, but information technology actually takes not just the hardware side, simply it takes the software and the games side to be able to complete that. Right at present we're just in the very baby stages of talking to the community, gauging interest, getting people on board, simply fifty-fifty getting people to port their games to linux.

That'south a whole other battle, convincing developers to port to linux.

Yes.

And so are y'all guys still because putting a screen on the controller?

We've talked virtually it. I think we accept a dissimilar method that we recollect is a bit easier, which is more of a… we don't know. Ane method is the screen, another could be that it's simply a heads-upwardly, or the equivalent of a screen, that information is displayed on your TV. So it's on your primary screen, and peradventure… there's a lot of different ways of doing it.

Then that's actually 1 of the things we're exploring as we speak. To figure out what makes the nearly sense. To endeavor to solve that upshot of knowing all these commands. Worst-case nightmare is trying to have an unabridged keyboard and map that many commands.

So the current face buttons, and the plastic Steam logo in between the 2 trackpads...

That's kind of a placeholder for the screen. And so it could exist a number of inputs if it was a screen and y'all could swipe through. Because of ergonomics and the size of your pollex, nosotros could cutting it into four quadrants so that you could emulate 4 different zones. And then if you demand more than that you accept to become to a configuration setup and get and add more than commands to it. So that's kind of the band-aid that we have right now.

And regardless of how you lot do it, people can make and share their ain presets or download the best presets, then each role player doesn't accept to brand his or her own. Since that'd be a lot to ask of people.

Exactly. And the whole configuration thing, we really want the community to vote up the most popular presets for a game.

"It's going to take some time"

Which I imagine volition probably tell you guys a affair or ii most how people are using it, besides.

Oh yeah, admittedly. Maybe there's a whole lefty community, or I don't know. [laughs] Or there're superstars in the gaming world and you tin follow them. The whole ecosystem really is in its fledgling days, and it's going to accept some time. It needs to develop in so many unlike avenues, from the input, to the game evolution, to the hardware, to the systems that they're running on being more friendly of an environment. The people in the business infinite merely being able to wrap their heads around "where tin this actually go," because my general feeling is that a lot of people are like, [Makes skeptical face] "Okay…"

Ha, that's definitely how a lot of people feel. Which is largely probably because information technology seems like this is a very fluid time for the Steam controller, and for Valve's hardware plans in general.

This week right now, at CES, a lot of what's happening right now is talking to partners, and figuring out what their needs are. If they want us to provide the controllers, so nosotros're looking at going into mass production, what needs to happen to gear up as many of the user complaints or concerns equally possible. Because we desire to ship the best product that we can. Everybody wants that. And so, it all comes downwards to timing. Nosotros're trying to see, can nosotros accomplish that initial goal of making a good, solid experience shippable by the end of this year. Then that'due south kind of what we're looking at.

Thank you for taking the time to talk with me.

Happy to.