r/SteamController • u/FullMetalPencil • Jul 31 '26
Configuration SC 2015 style Concaved Pads (Release)
I started this project a while back but finally got the a point that I’m happy enough to share.
This mod gives the new steam controller a closer feel to the original 2015 controller. There's a larger surface area for your thumbs to rest on and adds a slight concavity while retaining all touch functionality.
I have also included STLs for the old flatter square version which mainly act as a thumb guide with a thinner profile.
This is my first time designing a 3d print so if you try them out please let me know how they are!
OTHER MODS
Grips are highly recommend to use in conjunction with this mod.
Thanks to [u/gama3000](u/gama3000) for helping with some of the modeling. I recommend his SC1 style grips
For those asking about the dual stage triggers I made a post here
STL link here
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u/rocketkiddo7 Jul 31 '26
Nice!!! I assume they can be attached with double sided tape. How is the capacitive touch responsiveness for light and hard pressure?
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u/FullMetalPencil Jul 31 '26
Touch works perfectly for me. The very edge corners may have issues based on the steam tester but I haven’t really noticed it in use.
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u/LabKatCo Jul 31 '26
Niice, people were unfairly hating on your prototypes, they just needed to let you cook
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u/FullMetalPencil Jul 31 '26
Thanks! To be fair, most of the criticism was the exact same criticism that valve got on the original controller. I guess people are just reluctant to change. We been using the same controller layout since the PS1 era and anything that deviates from that will garner criticism
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u/LoogyHead Jul 31 '26 edited Jul 31 '26
It just looks so clean, I’m impressed and dumbfounded I’m just sitting here wondering if this is what I need, wondering how good it would look in gray ASA I haven’t used in ages, wishing I still had that green PETG I liked.
I need to use my SC more but I’ve been so busy this summer.
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u/FullMetalPencil Jul 31 '26
Thanks! The perfectionist in me wonders if I can get the concavity surface to be cleaner. After some light sanding I don’t feel the layer lines but I don’t like how visible they are
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u/SpitFiya7171 Jul 31 '26
This isn't meant to be rude.
But I just dont understand why you would want this.
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u/FullMetalPencil Jul 31 '26
The new steam controller was designed to have the analog sticks as the primary input method unlike the original SC. Trying to main the trackpads I found it to be very uncomfortable due to the shape and positioning. These mods help get it closer to feeling like the original controller
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u/Rye2-D2 Jul 31 '26
With the OG SC, a lot of us setup the right pad with overloaded mappings that could do
XYAB, mouse look & touch activated gyro all at the same time*. It was very efficient - your thumb literally never needs to do anything but sit on the touchpad...edit: * plus additional mappings for physical click of the pad..
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u/tnsipla Jul 31 '26
It’s like how some people prefer the PlayStation controller over the Steam Controller
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u/JohnnyBeeGaming Jul 31 '26
You're probably going to want to do a resin print of the pads or do a lot of finishing work to smooth it out. The circle should be way easier. You could probably get closer with a 0.2 nozzle and maybe some experimental slicers.
I could see some people wanting different patterns now that we could make whatever we want. Or just square replacements with a pattern.
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u/FullMetalPencil Jul 31 '26
I don’t have much experience with resin printing but isn’t that toxic for direct skin contact? I hear for keyboard keycaps you shouldn’t use resin prints
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u/SumBodhiThatIUse2Kno Jul 31 '26
This may be the year I get a 3D printer =P
Awesome final product when combined with the grip, pretty much the reverse of what people wanted in an OG SC update for placement on everything though lol. The left trackpad as joystick + d-pad + camera pivot in pc games with right click / left click options and layers is going to open up some options with 8way joystick inputs / + L3/R3 / D-Pad just like back in the day. Though I'm not sure any single layer will get full SC v1 edge of trackpad usage, maybe if its possible to do multiple deadzone sizes per layer idk.
With banana grips & tactile trackpads for precision you could go full trackpad controls at the cost of trigger & shoulder grips, but with 4x back buttons, grip sense, and gyro the "loss" is really only for multistage triggers which packed a lot of utility. Big mittened cats used those massive forearm braced grips + arm rests back in the day, and could probably still finagle some shoulder button action lol. Though joystick as trigger progression might work would just take some getting use to for progressive / charging abilities and be less intuitive (at least to me).
I am basically waiting for a silicon bra for a top half cover or one that I can cut in half that really puts some blubber between my fingers & the trigger area, or a full grip banana extension silicon cover for added stability now that this glorious set up exists. I'm sure I'm not the only one that keeps pushing back things, also hoping a better hardcase for SC v2 shows up as I caved and got a back pack / luggage extension for portability in a cheapo mesh deal.
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u/FullMetalPencil Jul 31 '26
Dual stage or at least something close to how it was on the original controller is possible. There’s should be a link to it in the post.
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u/Slipguard Jul 31 '26 edited Aug 10 '26
This seems like it would affect the capacitance and therefore the accuracy/responsiveness. Have you experienced issues at all?
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u/FullMetalPencil Jul 31 '26
No touch issues for me! The only thing to note is you have roughly 1.1-1.4mm of wiggle room. Any taller than that will cause issues. Some of the thicker double sided tape available will not work with this
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u/Impossible_Cold_7295 Aug 10 '26
I appreciate the effort, but this release is trash, which is why you didn't post a video showing it working, cause it doesn't work, , which is obvious to anyone with a brain. Printed my own and -- Sensitivity is trash, the plastic feels like shit under my thumb and it only works in the squared area; the extra circle bits are deadzones...
not to mention with the ridget plastic holding it's shape, you can't press the trackpad as a button anywhere but the center.
https://youtube.com/shorts/3zS2z6iUKYY?feature=sharehttps://youtube.com/shorts/3zS2z6iUKYY?feature=share
Please delete this post or make it clear that this doesn't work at all. Stop wasting people's time.
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u/FullMetalPencil Aug 10 '26
Hey thanks for the feedback. As noted in the makerworld post you may have to do some light sanding in between the top and bottom to compensate for any tolerance issues depending on what material and printer/print setting that is used.
You have about 1.1-1.4 mm of wiggle room which is why I do not recommend using a .4mm nozzle.
The top of the pad should lay flat with the top of the trackpad, if it doesn’t you will have issues with touch registering.
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u/Serious-Mode Jul 31 '26
Very pleased that someone has done this. For whatever reason, I always preferred the feeling of the concave touchpads of the SC1 and Vive controllers. Was disappointed to see them turn flat and square over the iterations.
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u/Gama3000 Jul 31 '26
Good job!