Valve’s new Steam hardware has been developed based on the team’s experience of PC gaming, rather than comparing to other console makers like PlayStation or Xbox.
The company has today announced new Steam hardware, namely a standalone Steam Frame VR headset, a Steam Machine console, and Steam Controller. But rather than entering the console space to compete with established companies, Valve’s new hardware is an evolution of PC gaming.
“We typically just work back from our own experience playing PC games and what we wish was possible to do and what we hear our users say as well,” Kaci Aitchison Boyle from Valve’s PR team told Eurogamer.
“PC gaming has a lot of value to offer. There are a lot of game genres that started on PC because it’s an open platform where people could mod and experiment and do things that are not necessarily possible if the distribution of software is restricted in any way.”
She added: “We don’t really tend to work back from what’s happening in other spaces and we try and focus on our audience.”
Microsoft has just released its ROG Ally X handheld in partnership with Asus, seemingly in direct competition with Valve’s Steam Deck.
“If anything, we’re kind of excited that other people are looking at the handheld space, the PC handheld space, because we see it as more options for people to play all of their games,” said Aitchison Boyle.
“So we kind of see it as a sign of success that Steam Deck was actually something very meaningful and valuable for customers. If SteamOS lets the same dynamic apply to the kind of set-top box or living room form-factor, we’ll be really happy with that as well.”
Valve’s new Steam hardware will be released next year, though release dates are currently unknown. If you’re hoping to get your hands on it all, know that Valve will continue to self-distribute hardware just as it did with the Steam Deck.
