Steam Controller

Big-picture product innovation and manufacturing strategy for mass production

Valve, a leading developer and distributor of PC games, enlisted Synapse to support productization and launch of its first hardware product, a revolutionary game controller designed for the most discriminating PC gamers. The Steam Controller includes dual trackpads, HD haptic feedback, dual-stage triggers, back grip buttons, and fully-customizable control schemes making it a breakthrough in game peripherals design.

Valve was highly focused on product design and engaged Synapse to assist in Valve’s development of an optimized design for mass production. As part of the this, Synapse helped bring up production & establish Valve’s new, entirely automated factory in Chicago. Synapse provided detailed engineering; contributing in FW development, prototype builds, test system development, regulatory compliance, robot factory ESD compliance, data collection & analysis, factory process development, and yield improvement.