Valve's foray into hardware has been... disappointing, to say the least. The Steam Machines disappeared from the radar a while ago, and we're still waiting for news on the Steam Controller. Fortunately, the company has some things prepared for the upcoming edition of GDC. There, Gabe Newell and his squad will unveil SteamVR, a new virtual reality system for which they're already seeking content developers.
Valve's Hardware Journey
Let's face it: on one hand, we have a distribution client that's increasingly heavy, incorporating completely superficial features that aren't in the user's interests. On the other, we find a giant sleeping on its Dota 2 laurels, a game that was released over a year and a half ago. Then there are its missteps in hardware. Valve didn't flinch when it moved the launch of the Steam Machines to 2015. Nine months after that announcement, enthusiasts essentially got bored of waiting and poured their money into the new generation of consoles, which, by the way, still has to surprise us. However, there's still hope.
Valve has always taken all the time it needed to launch products, and every time it hit, it did so with force, but that mechanism has become frustrating. With the new Game Developers Conference on the horizon, things might change.
SteamVR Revealed
The portal dedicated to the Steam Universe has published an update talking about SteamVR, a hardware system "that was not previously announced." The obvious reference to virtual reality reminds us of everything we've seen from Valve regarding its own VR headset. The SteamVR demo will be accompanied by a new version of the Steam Controller, and by unseen devices aimed at the living room. Of course, the SteamVR announcement is also a talent search. Valve wants virtual content developers willing to work with the SteamVR SDK, and the scheduled demos are aimed mainly at them.
Specs? Nothing. Price? Not even in our most optimistic dreams. To tell the truth, SteamVR doesn't even have a press image, so we have nothing to show. That forces us to cast a layer of skepticism on SteamVR. The virtual experience of this platform must be more than formidable if the plan is to recapture user interest. 2015 needs to be "the" year of virtual reality, or there's a risk the technology will sit on a shelf gathering dust for the next decade. We'll see if Valve has a strong card.
