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Valve just shared exciting Steam Controller news for anyone looking to "hack, mod, or design accessories" for the gamepad. No, it's not back in stock yet, but you can now download and 3D print official models of the pad and its wireless puck, and I'm wondering if I can use them to make my own out of a Steam Deck.
In a fresh community post, Valve shares an official link to its Steam Controller STL and STP CAD files available under a Creative Commons license. That means, providing you don't start selling your own knock-off versions of the gamepad, you're free to modify, share, and whip up creations based on the files. You'll even have engineering drawings at your disposal to ensure you can avoid blocking elements like ports and the antenna, but I can't stop thinking about just recreating the actual pad.
I'll admit that I'm a complete novice when it comes to 3D printing. While I've been using Snapmaker's U1 to fix up retro consoles for a feature I'll be sharing soon, I'd need a bit of time to figure out what the heck to do with Valve's STL files. The first hurdle is that the models are solid, which is fine if you just need the surface topology, but not if you want to make a shell to squeeze components into.
The other natural hurdle to 3D printing your own Steam Controller right now is the components. Replacement parts should be available at iFixit soon, but I am curious whether I could use Steam Deck OLED elements to piece together something that looks like the pad. The recycler in me would probably rather re-purpose a broken gaming handheld, but you can buy Steam Deck parts from iFixit, too, including everything from the tiny menu buttons to the d-pad, triggers, and membranes.
The beauty of making your own Steam Controller means you could just add hall-effect thumbsticks from the get-go, like Gulikit's replacements at Amazon. There are some parts that are just seemingly unobtainable right now without salvaging, though, like the touchpads that make Valve's new accessory what it is, and the versions on the standalone PC controller are actually every so slightly smaller.
Of course, that's not as much of an issue as, well, the main controller board itself. That's the part that'd require some real big-brain moves, but I don't think making your own innards is completely impossible. As an avid tinkerer in the retro console space, I've seen fellow enthusiasts make custom PCBs for everything you can think of, so I imagine some clever clogs could reverse-engineer or even just make something that'll work like a Steam controller.
Even if making a Steam Controller from scratch is ultimately off the table, I'm pleased to see Valve release 3D files for its accessory. Not only will the files help aid accessibility via custom mods and designs that will help players with different ergonomic needs, but it should make the pad that bit more repairable since you could potentially just print replacement shells.
The chaos goblin in me still wants to see bananas creations, though, and while my brain started with "make your own Steam Controller," I'm now wondering if the files could be used to make a retro handheld shaped like the pad. If you've got any ideas off the back of Valve's STL files, I'd love to hear them, even if the more responsible people in my life think I shouldn't be encouraged.
As a side note, if you'd rather the mini PC just got a release date, you might be in luck, as Valve is seemingly sitting on 20,000 Steam Machine units, and that could mean the launch is imminent.
Looking for ways to enhance your setup? Swing by the best Steam Deck docks to arm your handheld with hybrid capabilities.
