Games developer and publisher Valve has shown off its Steam Controller, the final part of its strategy to bring its PC-based platform to the living room.
The controller touts two trackpads which provide "haptic" feedback capable of delivering various physical sensations to the player.
Valve claims that the controller offers a better way to play games that have traditionally been controlled with a keyboard and mouse.
Gamers have been invited test the device before it goes on sale in 2014.
"Traditional gamepads force us to accept compromises," the company said.
"We’ve made it a goal to improve upon the resolution and fidelity of input that’s possible with those devices."
"The Steam controller offers a new and, we believe, vastly superior control scheme, all while enabling you to play from the comfort of your sofa."
This is the third announcement from the company in the past week. It has already outlined plans to create an entire Linux-based operating system for running games, and followed that up with details of the Steam Machine.
The widely-anticipated controller completes what Valve will hope is a strategy that can shift gamers that use traditional PCs – which is seen as a market headed for decline – and coax them into the living room.
However, the biggest challenge the company faces in doing so is in convincing gamers who have spent years playing titles, particularly first-person shooters, by using a combination of keyboard and mouse that a handheld controller can offer a more enjoyable solution.
"This haptic capability provides a vital channel of information to the player – delivering in-game information about speed, boundaries, thresholds, textures, action confirmations, or any other events about which game designers want players to be aware."
The company is to send out 300 early versions of the controller to people who sign up for beta testing.
"A lot of people are also saying that it would be exclusive to the Steam Machine – but that would be a very un-Valve-like thing to do. They’ve always been very open."
