SteamVR Input is Valve's way of streamlining input across the different VR controllers

With SteamVR Input, Valve is doing to VR controllers what it once did to traditional controllers on Steam.

In a new SteamVR update, Valve made a big addition called SteamVR Input. In short, the new system allows users to create their own controller bindings that will work across the different VR controllers, whether that's Valve's HTC Vice, Rift Touch etc.

The tech is designed to even apply the same configs to controllers that have not yet been released, so long as they support SteamVR Input. Like Steam Controller configs, these can be shared with others through the Steam Workshop.

This not only lets players make a one-size-fits-all list of bindings and use with all controllers, it also helps developers adapt controls in their games to the wider array of available VR controllers.

"When using SteamVR Input, developers expose high level 'actions' in their applications that control how the binding UI presents their game to users," Valve explained.

This works with all games that support SteamVR Input, even if they're using an outdated version. Valve's intent is also forward-looking in that it's allowing developers, no matter how radical their VR controllers are, to still be able to translate their game inputs to the system.

The feature is currently available in beta, and you'll need to opt in to the beta branch of SteamVR to try it. Developers can download the OpenVR SDK 1.0.15 to get started.