Today Valve announced that it would be showcasing new hardware at the Game Developer’s Conference, including “Steam Machines with the final Steam Controller, new living room devices, and a previously-unannounced SteamVR hardware system.”
Information on a Valve-produced virtual reality machine surfaced in January last year, although the company reportedly had no plans to release its own VR headset. Valve worked with Oculus VR on the Crystal Cove prototype’s new tracking features, which was shown at CES 2014.
Valve also announced that it had reached 125 million users on Steam, up from 100 million in September last year. This marks an increase of 25 million in less than six months. The digital distribution service now offers 4,500 games, a marked increase from the 3,700 on offer last year.
Last month we learned that the design for Valve’s Steam Controller had been finalized, and that we could expect to see more details in March. The controller was originally revealed in September 2013 with a design that featured a touch-pad and haptic feedback. The pad has undergone numerous revisions since then, the latest of which leaked last December.
It is worth noting that Valve’s role in overseeing its hardware in the past has been to act as an enabler as opposed to a manufacturer. Case in point, CEO Gabe Newell reiterated this at CES last year when he said, “We really view our role in this as enabling. We’ll do whatever is going to be helpful to other hardware manufacturers.” Steam machine prototypes have emerged from several different manufacturers, and Valve’s VR hardware may experience the same treatment.
The Game Developers Conference will take place on March 2-6 at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. GameSpot will be covering the show, so stay tuned for updates as they roll out.
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