The first generation Steam controller went through countless iterations before Valve finally finalized the mass production design in 2015. The appearance of the finished product gradually became closer to the Xbox controller and DualShock controller that players are familiar with. But for whatever reason, this final version only comes with one joystick.
One of the early prototypes called "Chell" was named after the protagonist of "Portal". There was a circular touchpad on each side of the fuselage, with a grille area in the middle, and Y, B, X, and A buttons on both sides. It's not hard to understand why Valve abandoned this solution: its ergonomics are extremely poor, the button layout is awkward, and it completely violates the player's operating muscle memory. Still, a handful of prototypes made it into production, and a few lucky Valve enthusiasts have found one in thrift stores over the years.
Just last weekend, Reddit user Waste-Set5032 stumbled upon one of the rare Steam prototype controllers. "That's so cool to me," he said, adding that his father found it at a Goodwill store. "I'm young and haven't caught up with Valve's peak period, so I'm really interested in finding this kind of old objects." For readers outside the United States, Goodwill is a non-profit chain store that sells donated clothing, furniture and other items at low prices.
Four years ago, Reddit user Creepy-Boss-705 also bought a "Chell" prototype at an eBay auction and even used it to test several games.
“I think the most special thing about this controller is that after the retail version was launched, there was almost no public information about its functions,” he explained, adding that he preferred the touchpad of the “Chell” prototype to the retail version. "I'm still surprised that Steam can recognize it. Currently, Steam will judge it as a normal Steam controller. The four buttons in the middle correspond to the joystick functions, so button mapping is not a problem, but it feels weird to use. I also admit that it is not as easy to use as the final production version, but I don't play games that require gyroscope functions."
Looking at the awkward embossed rings and unmarked buttons on this controller, it’s hard to imagine how practical it is besides its collection value – it’s already torture enough to clear “Dark Souls 2” with the 2015 official version, and it’s almost impossible to clear it with the “Chell” prototype. But after all, it is a physical witness in the history of game development. It is really amazing that it can be accidentally discovered among the public after so many years.