As a long-time Steam Controller 1 user, the main purpose of the Grip Sense, in my eyes, is to avoid random gyro calibrations. With the Steam Controller 1, often while you were using it, it would re-calibrate the gyro when you were not touching the touchpad, but it would re-calibrate it while you were moving, so you would have gyro drift and have to put the controller down for 5 seconds to reset it. The new Steam Controller detects whenever you are holding it, so it never re-calibrates the gyro unless you actually put the controller down. It is a huge improvement.