Found: A Rare Early Valve Steam Controller Prototype From a Goodwill Haul
Valve’s Steam Controller didn’t arrive fully formed. The hardware went through a long series of redesigns before the company settled on the 2015 version—an approach that slowly brought the layout closer to what players expected from an Xbox pad or a DualShock, even if it still carried its own quirks, including only a single joystick.
One of the earliest builds—codenamed “Chell,” after the protagonist from Portal—leaned into touch controls in a way that looks striking today. Instead of the later arrangement, it used two circular touchpads, one on each side, with a central grid. That grid was surrounded by face buttons labeled Y, B, and X alongside A.
Valve ultimately moved away from the Chell concept, and it’s not hard to see why. The early button placement was awkward and would likely have fought against ingrained controller muscle memory. Still, some prototypes were produced, and over the years a handful have surfaced in thrift stores, picked up by players who were just lucky enough to spot them.
Rare Chell Prototype Resurfaces in the Wild
Just recently, a Reddit user named Waste-Set5032 posted that they found one of these uncommon Steam Controllers. They described the discovery as “dope,” explaining that their father located it at a Goodwill store.
For readers outside the U.S., Goodwill is a nonprofit retailer that sells donated items—everything from clothing to furniture and other household goods—typically at discounted prices.
Valve’s broader goal with the Steam Controller was to create a PC-focused input device, using trackpads to make navigating menus and interfaces feel more natural. Even in the final 2015 design, those two touch surfaces end up tucked in under the joysticks in a way that some players still describe as awkward.
Four years earlier, another Reddit user, Creepy-Boss-705, also managed to get their hands on a Chell prototype—this time through an eBay auction. They didn’t just own it; they tested a few games using the device.
In their comments, Creepy-Boss-705 said the biggest issue is that there isn’t much information about how the controller behaved after the retail version launched. They also noted a personal preference for the touchpads on the Chell prototype compared with the later consumer model.
They added that it’s surprising Steam still recognizes the device at all. So far, Steam treats it like a regular Steam Controller. The four center buttons appear to map to the joystick, which makes setup less troublesome, even if the overall feel is odd. They summed it up by saying the Chell build is easier to label as “inferior” to the finished product, while also pointing out they haven’t had much reason to use anything that relies on gyro functionality.
When you look closely at the pronounced ridged touch areas and the unmarked buttons, it’s hard to imagine the Chell prototype being anything more than a novelty. Even with the official 2015 Steam Controller, playing something as demanding as Dark Souls 2 was already a rough experience for many players—so the idea of clearing that game using this early Chell design seems functionally impossible.
That said, these prototypes are still fascinating precisely because they’re rare. Seeing one turn up years later—out in the wild, in a thrift store—offers a real snapshot of how Valve experimented before landing on the controller that eventually reached retail.
