In late June, shortly after E3, Valve released details about a revised version of the company’s in-development next-generation VR controller, the Knuckles EV2. The EV2 was a major step forward from the original prototype design, but Valve and the developers who received EV2 controllers weren’t completely satisfied with the design, so they redesigned it again. Valve’s latest iteration, the Knuckles EV3, offers stronger components for better reliability, improved battery life for extended play time and a refined strap to better hold the controller in the palm of your hand.

Valve teased developers at the 2016 Steam Dev Days conference with the next generation of the Steam VR controller. The company showed off a working prototype of the Knuckles controller that lets players use their fingers for gestures and input without pressing buttons. The controllers included a strap that holds the controller in your palm even when you lift all your fingers off it. Valve promised that the Knuckles controllers would unlock new ways to interact with VR experiences and quickly put the controllers in the hands of a select group of developers. We thought we would see the controller hit the market before the end of 2017, but we should have expected delays. Valve operates on Valve-time even when it develops hardware.

In June, Valve revealed the Knuckles EV2 controller, which improved upon the original design in several ways, including a more ergonomic shape, improved hand strap that accommodates larger and smaller hands than the original prototype. The controller also includes analog force sensors coupled with capacitive touch sensors for all five digits.