HOW IT’S DONE
Don’t take this simple design for granted — if anything, it makes it easier to fix.
Valve Steam Controller gets taken apart.
BACKGROUND:
Every once in a while, cloud software giant Valve tries its hand at hardware — see the Steam Machine. This time, it’s promised to revolutionise the way we game with its Steam Controller. The company has impressed us with highly modular tech in the past, so let’s find out how much game this controller has.
MAJOR TECH SPECS:
Highdefi nition haptic feedback Dual trackpads USB 2.0 via microUSB port Six axis combination gyroscope-accelerometer sensor Dualstage digital triggers with 10 degrees of travel, magnetic flux sensor, and tactile switch Up to 80 hours of gameplay from two removable AA batteries Five metres of wireless communication range
KEY FINDINGS:
The rear cover snaps off with no tools required to reveal the model number: 1001. After rooting around the battery compartment, we punch through the sticker on the back to find three T6 Torx screws. With the rear housing removed, we get our first look inside. Underneath the rear casing, we find a couple of battery eject levers. Frequent battery replacements means less time not playing. While battery eject levers are nice, what we’re interested in is Valve’s decision not to use an integrated battery. It’s a trap! Lifting the motherboard out of its housing reveals a couple of hidden ribbon cables connecting the touchpads to the underside of the board. Removing the mobo without dispatching these cables will increase your repair woes. We use a plastic opening tool from our new Pro Tech Toolkit to bust the touchpad out from its bracket bars. The ribbon cable plugs into a socket on the touchpad daughterboard and is soldered to the haptic feedback actuators. The brains of the operation is a Cirque 1CA027 companion MCU. The dualstage trigger can be broken down into two stages: the first is the smooth motion of the trigger when pressed. The magnetic flux sensor measures the position and speed of the trigger based on a timevarying flux. The second part is the click when the trigger presses a button on the mobo. Repairability Score: 8 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair). The only adhesive we encountered was on the touchpads. All other mechanical connections are made with screws. The Controller’s modular construction means replacing a single component is a simple task. While we always say screws before glue, the nonmagnetic screws here are apt to get misplaced. The most likelytofail component, the thumbstick, is soldered directly to the motherboard.