It might seem pointless but it’s about marketing and perception that PC games can use controllers and I’m sure they’d sell it “trough” steam too.

Still it’s a shame most games aren’t properly ported in a way to make keyboard/mouse actually viable as it should (first example that comes to mind is Resident Evil 4) even though controller for some games just make more sense.

If Valve is really going to bother with making a Steam gamepad perhaps they should follow the rest of the PC game dissers and just abandon PC gaming for the consoles where the standard if a gamepad. (I have no problem with gamepads on PC I just don’t see a point in a useless Steam gamepad).

P.S. Trackballs suck.

XInput supports 4 axes, 8 buttons, and a D-Pad. This is exactly what a 360 controller offers, so to add something like a trackpad, they’d have to remove a thumb-stick or a trigger. Considering that most (Wii aside) controllers have standardised on a two-stick, 4 (main) face with shoulder buttons configuration, it seems unlikely that anyone would be mad enough to change it, unless they’re hitting a really specialised market, like flight simulators, or some ultra-niche game. I’d say in terms of functional design, such a beast would be very conventional.

I’d say it is mostly a propaganda excercise. I mean, what are the iconic symbols of a platform? I’d say first was the console itself, a close second is the controller. Steam has no physical console to design, but they can have a controller. It’s like… countries wanting nuclear weapons.

Sure, they’re of no practical use without ensuring your own anihilation, but they afford you a certain respect. I’d wager this to be a move along the same vein – Steam asserting a profile as a platform in and of itself.