Valve has officially dropped the CAD files for the upcoming next generation of the Steam Controller under a Creative Commons license, enabling modders and accessory manufacturers to open the field to customize the hardware design.
Once again, Valve has reaffirmed its mission to open-hardware, community-driven innovations, allowing others to explore ways to make the most out of their design. Developers have also confirmed that Valve has included the geometry of the controller, allowing the manufacturing of custom shells, skins, grips, and other accessories.
The community has responded in a highly positive fashion as the geeks and enthusiasts have praised Valve’s approach to developing hardware of this nature. The Reddit threads are flooded with custom controller variants, replacement shells, and adaptive layout ideas.
By making the official CAD files public, Valve has opened the doors for open development and at the same time has positioned their product as a highly moddable platform by enabling easy accessory development for third-party creators and manufacturers that will push them ahead.
