Valve Announces Steam Machines and Controllers Are Delayed Until 2015
Valve announced some bad news for gamers and PC makers alike: its highly anticipated Steam Machines won’t be available this year. If you’re one of the lucky few who has already tried a prototype Steam Controller, you know just what we’re all missing out on. Valve is now aiming for a 2015 release, and it hasn’t been more specific than that.
As Valve explains it, the controllers are at least one source of delay. “We’re now using wireless prototype controllers to conduct live playtests, with everyone from industry professionals to die-hard gamers to casual gamers. It’s generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we’ll be able to make the controller a lot better. Of course, it’s also keeping us pretty busy making all those improvements,” writes Valve’s Eric Hope, on the Steam Universe blog.
PC makers, who undoubtedly learned of the delay ahead of Valve’s public announcement, can’t be happy with waiting until next year, either. We had a chance to try out a Dell Steam Machine at CES and had good things to say about the wired Steam Controller, which had thumbpads that gave us surprisingly precise control, even after only a few minutes of use.
We liked the wired Steam Controller at CES, but we certainly wouldn't mind a wireless version.
Of course, a wireless Steam Controller is worth a little waiting – we just hope Valve’s thinking early 2015, and not the following Christmas.
As Valve explains it, the controllers are at least one source of delay. “We’re now using wireless prototype controllers to conduct live playtests, with everyone from industry professionals to die-hard gamers to casual gamers. It’s generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we’ll be able to make the controller a lot better. Of course, it’s also keeping us pretty busy making all those improvements,” writes Valve’s Eric Hope, on the Steam Universe blog.
PC makers, who undoubtedly learned of the delay ahead of Valve’s public announcement, can’t be happy with waiting until next year, either. We had a chance to try out a Dell Steam Machine at CES and had good things to say about the wired Steam Controller, which had thumbpads that gave us surprisingly precise control, even after only a few minutes of use.
We liked the wired Steam Controller at CES, but we certainly wouldn't mind a wireless version.
Of course, a wireless Steam Controller is worth a little waiting – we just hope Valve’s thinking early 2015, and not the following Christmas.
