[goosedragons]

After having a Steam Deck for a bit I really really hope either Valve or some other decent controller company like 8bitdo makes a controller with the same style of setup. The dual haptic trackpads+paddle buttons combined with the customizability is incredible. To me it is easily the biggest leap in controller tech since the analog stick with the N64.

I've never used the original Steam Controller and I still think the dual analog stick setup is better for some games but having the trackpads is good for many others.

[Grazester]

It should be noted that Sega released their analog controller for the Saturn before Nintendo released theirs.

[balefrost]

And Atari released theirs back in 1982.

[emeril]

was that controller really analog though?

[balefrost]

The Atari 2600 had a digital joystick. The Atari 5200 was completely analog. If you tear the controller down, there's a complex mechanism that links the stick to two rotational potentiometers. It's similar in outcome to modern analog thumbsticks, but the mechanism is completely different (and is MUCH bigger).

The 5200 joystick didn't self-center, though. The only centering force was from the rubber boot. This ended up being advantageous in a game like missile command, but is widely seen as the Achilles heel of the controller.