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[ashecitism]

Article was regarding LG's SteamVR headset, Valve offering the software and tech, but not making their own headset or console and the author asking about that. (Valve does make the Steam controller and Link at least.)

http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/2...ll-release-more-vr-headsets-but-not-a-console

Last week Valve announced plans to partner with technology company LG to release a new virtual reality headset. What's more, this won't be its last.

Valve's Doug Lombardi confirmed to Eurogamer at GDC that this is only the second of many VR headsets on the docket for Valve. That's because Valve itself isn't actually developing the hardware per se, but rather sharing its VR R&D tech with anyone who wants it.

"Steam VR is completely free. Same with Steam tracking," Lombardi said, adding, "There are other HMD (head-mounted displays) in development."

When asked why Valve isn't making its own headset, Lombardi clarified that "at its core it's still a development studio". It only dabbles in hardware because it wants to push the needle forward with technological progress.

But Valve has no interest in becoming a hardware company. When asked why Valve hasn't created a console, an oft-speculated (and frequently wished for) rumour, Lombardi explained that taking on such an undertaking would fundamentally change the company.

"For now Valve's place is very much in working on software, working on Steam and starting to look at ways we can work in the design area to prototype different pieces of hardware that may push things forward," he said.

"For us right now that's working. We do sort of have this idea that staying agile, staying nimble, staying at a certain company number has benefited and worked well for us in that culture. Once you dive into saying you're going to go into a bigger operation, that means more offices, more people and all that kind of stuff.

"We're like 330 people. There's something about that culture of keeping people that size," he added. "But you're still able to fit everybody under one roof. There's something to that. For people to float from team to team, to have that sort of open culture that Valve is principled on. It would be pretty hard to have that with a thousand people across three different continents."

330 people is down from the estimated 350-380 numbers from 2015 and back to the number that was reported in, I think 2013. However remember Valve is moving to a new, bigger office this summer.

Without offering a specific window for when we'll see a new Valve game, Lombardi noted that these lengthy gaps have happened before. After all, there was a six-year gap between Half-Life 1 and 2.

"If you look at the cyclical nature of that, it's like a flurry happens, a bunch of R&D happens. And one could argue that a bunch of R&D has been happening and there may be another flurry coming." Wink, wink.

"It's not unlike Valve to go away for awhile and come back with a bunch of stuff and I think Gabe was pretty clear that that's sort of the mode we're ready to come out of."

For those not in the know Valve is working on 3 VR games with both Source 2 and Unity and according to them they will be big and have mass appeal.

 

[potatohead]

Lol wut

 

[afternoon delight]

Lol wut

 

[Stranya]

People want Valve to make a console?

 

[ashecitism]

People want Valve to make a console?

That part is a bit odd. Surely he means when the Steambox rumors started to appear and then later Gabe talking about Valve making a $300 box to the Verge. However when the Steam Machines announcement happened Valve made it clear that's not happening. I don't think I read anyone wanting a Valve console since.

 

[tmarg]

I'm not really a technophile, my interest in PC gaming is primarily due to the openness of the platform. I may not be the majority of PC gamers, but I'm pretty sure there are plenty of others like me.

Valve making hardware is something I actively don't want.

 

[120v]

Well yeah... I think that's been clear for years now

 

[Ionic]

As far as hardware goes Valve is also going to start manufacturing the new lighthouse base stations themselves, right?

 

[ashecitism]

As far as hardware goes Valve is also going to start manufacturing the new lighthouse base stations themselves, right?

I think so, yes.

 

[serenewarfare]

Could have fooled me.

 

[Zukkoyaki]

 

[Decider]

Valve are just happy to pass on risk to third party hardware companies in exchange for use of their software (SteamVR, SteamOS). Quite slippery and non-committal of them but they're not taking the hit if the hardware doesn't sell.

 

[Arulan]

I don't know what is so surprising. They're one of the most influential development studios in the industry, both in actual video games and software that brings enormous value to developers, Steam, and the VR industry.

Sometimes it feels like GAF can't see beyond the limited space that is consoles. I'm obviously generalizing.

 

[Arulan]

EDIT:

Double post error?

 

[JaseC]

Valve are just happy to pass on risk to third party hardware companies in exchange for use of their software (SteamVR, SteamOS). Quite slippery and non-committal of them but they're not taking the hit if the hardware doesn't sell.

It's easy to be a little cynical about Valve's position, but it offering its own technologies -- and without charge, no less -- significantly lowers the barrier to entry for others, which has been its driving philosophy behind, well, everything related to content creation/distribution and now hardware development. I'd also argue that Valve has assumed a sizeable amount of risk by being one of the pioneers of VR technology -- there's years of R&D that will have been a waste in hindsight if VR ultimately goes the way of, say, in-home 3D.

 

[mikezilla2]

no FPS games from valve anytime soon ?

 

[Fisty]

So did SteamOS ever catch on? I was really rooting for that, would have loved to buy a dedicated steambox at a good price

 

[ashecitism]

no FPS games from valve anytime soon ?

Maybe one of the VR games will have shooting. Otherwise I'm not holding my breath that we'll see a new non-VR from them this decade.

 

[Arulan]

So did SteamOS ever catch on? I was really rooting for that, would have loved to buy a dedicated steambox at a good price

I mean SteamOS was and is nothing more than Debian with a few modifications that boots immediately to Big Picture mode. Linux support has gotten a lot better since Valve's initiative, but you won't be able to play everything on it. You can also just build your own PC, and install SteamOS, or whatever flavor of Linux you want.

 

[Arulan]

no FPS games from valve anytime soon ?

I don't know when is soon, but I expect Left 4 Dead 3 is likely to be coming up. In various AMAs they appear to hold shared narratives as a strong focus, and specifically mentioned that Left 4 Dead is perfect for that.

 

[CHC]

Well you can't really blame anyone for thinking otherwise considering they have not released, announced, or discussed making a solid, tangible, contained game since arguably 2012 or 13.

 

[Fahzgoolin]

A valve software flurry sounds like ecstacy.

 

[giant_frying_pan]

What about Valve not making HL?

 

[The Dutch Slayer]

Still insane to me that it's only around 330 people in a company that makes a few billion a year.
We will see what is next for Valve hopefully we all get to play a valve game within like 10 years.

 

[sugarhigh4242]

So did SteamOS ever catch on? I was really rooting for that, would have loved to buy a dedicated steambox at a good price

In terms of hardware sales, it has certainly not caught on. In terms of the "ecosystem", I'd say it's still in the process of catching on. 2016 was a really good year for SteamOS/Linux ports. Unity and UE4 have improved their linux support substantially such that many/most games using those engines can be ported easily. Games like Firewatch, Rust, and Superhot all run well on linux.

The major publishers supporting linux (other than valve) seem to be: 2K, Sega, Square Enix (western devs), and Warner Bros. There's two main companies doing port contracts, which are Feral Interactive and Aspyr.

The big things to watch out for in 2017 are Vulkan and SteamVR. Vulkan is the new graphics api that will compete with DX12. If developers adopt it, cross-platform development will be much easier. It's also supported on Android which gives developers some extra incentive to use Vulkan over DX12. Some incredible results have already been shown with DOOM, though unfortunately Bethesda has not supported linux by releasing a port.

SteamVR speaks for itself. It's obvious to me that VR will have to be a self-contained solution to reach any kind of mass audience. I don't think VR's current status as an expensive Windows PC peripheral is the future. SteamOS will allow Valve to make VR plug and play when the time comes. Might take 2 more years to fully get there.

 

[ashecitism]

Well you can't really blame anyone for thinking otherwise considering they have not released, announced, or discussed making a solid, tangible, contained game since arguably 2012 or 13.

Dota 2 is a 2013 release, however they haven't talked about a new game since the august of 2011, when they announced CS:GO

 

[The Dutch Slayer]

So did SteamOS ever catch on? I was really rooting for that, would have loved to buy a dedicated steambox at a good price

That is not Valve goal with steamOS.
It's just making sure there is a future for them if MS ever closed off windows even more and or made it very hard to be a marketplace platform on windows in the future they would still have a place to sell larger part of the games on their own platform.
This is an investment into the future for them just to make sure that they have a platform in 15 years.

It was never about getting everyone off windows it's just about insurance for them.

 

[SystemUser]

Is Valve really a dev studio primarily? I always just think of Valve as a digital distributor more than anything else. How often do they put out games now? It seems like they just have a few software as a service game products that they support and the rest the Steam money train.

 

[blanchot]

Is Valve really a dev studio primarily? I always just think of Valve as a digital distributor more than anything else. How often do they put out games now? It seems like they just have a few software as a service game products that they support and the rest the Steam money train.

certainly, they don't develop single player experiences anymore.

 

[Micael]

Quite surprised to see that they are still so small, especially since at some point I believe Gabe Newell said one of their main issues with scaling was finding qualified people (by valve standards) that could work in that environment.

BTW for those that might not have seen it vive put on their website (sometime ago now) the vive trackers https://www.vive.com/eu/vive-tracker/ which help track objects, this should be really really useful for an arcade revival, since at least from my experience VR has an amazing potential for that sort of space.

This tracking is obviously also using valve lighthouse technology.

As far as hardware goes Valve is also going to start manufacturing the new lighthouse base stations themselves, right?

LG is manufacturing their own light houses, they are similar in design to valve ones (assumed the 2.0 version not the 1.0), but it is being manufactured by LG not valve.

The big things to watch out for in 2017 are Vulkan and SteamVR. Vulkan is the new graphics api that will compete with DX12. If developers adopt it, cross-platform development will be much easier. It's also supported on Android which gives developers some extra incentive to use Vulkan over DX12. Some incredible results have already been shown with DOOM, though unfortunately Bethesda has not supported linux by releasing a port.

Epic is almost assuredly going to be pretty adamant in supporting vulkan, given tim sweeney significant distrust of microsoft, that in itself is a huge boost for vulkan, because unreal engine is growing really fast, we have seen for example quite a few projects switching from unity to UE4.

Is Valve really a dev studio primarily? I always just think of Valve as a digital distributor more than anything else. How often do they put out games now? It seems like they just have a few software as a service game products that they support and the rest the Steam money train.

They are one of the most prolific development studios in the AAA space, and as can be found on the OP they are currently working on 3 full VR games.

 

[Neptonic]

"R&D company Valve" is how they should be addressed now.

 

[HariKari]

"R&D company Valve" is how they should be addressed now.

"Controllers of the revenue firehose that is Steam"

Really disappointed with them at the moment but if they wake up from the money coma and start doing things for the sake of being artistic again, all is forgiven.

If that was in the cards, people wouldn't be jumping ship though...

 

[Maxinas]

How the hell do they still have 300+ people working at Valve? They don't even make games anymore.

 

[TheBowen]

They are one of the most prolific development studios in the AAA space, and as can be found on the OP they are currently working on 3 full VR games.

VR. Great 🙄

Replaying half life 2 and portal 2 made me realize how much i miss valve single player games, even though i do enjoy dota 2 and CSGO. Its been waaay too long.

 

[Micael]

VR. Great 🙄

Replaying half life 2 and portal 2 made me realize how much i miss valve single player games, even though i do enjoy dota 2 and CSGO. Its been waaay too long.

They are working on a SP game, although no idea if it is VR or not (I would assume so).
For what is worth though I suspect one day the "VR. Great" from you will be literal instead of sarcastic.

 

[AntraxSuicide]

How the hell do they still have 300+ people working at Valve? They don't even make games anymore.

Maybe a bunch of them are in customer service.

Spoiler

BAHAHA

 

[Mrbob]

How the hell do they still have 300+ people working at Valve? They don't even make games anymore.

200 people on Dota2 updates, 100 on Counterstrike updates and the rest on Steam/ controller/VR.

 

[MUnited83]

Well you can't really blame anyone for thinking otherwise considering they have not released, announced, or discussed making a solid, tangible, contained game since arguably 2012 or 13.

Thankfully, they have developed a shitlord of new content for the games they already have, as well as extremely useful software solutions that benefit the PC as a whole as a platform.
I'll take that instead of a over-hyped sequel that is never going to live up to expectations.

How the hell do they still have 300+ people working at Valve? They don't even make games anymore.

They still spend a lot in game development, it just happens to be in games that are already released. Long time support is a great thing.
Also, software development is more than just games.

(Also, they are making several VR games right now)

VR. Great 🙄

Replaying half life 2 and portal 2 made me realize how much i miss valve single player games, even though i do enjoy dota 2 and CSGO. Its been waaay too long.

Ah yes, the "Vr doesn't count HURR DURRRRRRR" crowd, always nice to see ya.

 

[gabbo]

(Also, they are making several VR games right now)

Ah yes, the "Vr doesn't count HURR DURRRRRRR" crowd, always nice to see ya.

They can make vr all they want so long as those games arent vr-only. Their vr install base wouldnt justify it and their fanbase without vr is much bigger. But maybe i misunderstand how vr works and of course it's workable without vr day one.

 

[Arulan]

They can make vr all they want so long as those games arent vr-only. Their vr install base wouldnt justify it and their fanbase without vr is much bigger. But maybe i misunderstand how vr works and of course it's workable without vr day one.

Making a great VR game means making several design decisions that don't work outside of VR. I very much doubt Valve's three VR games will work outside of it for this reason.

The reason for making these games isn't to make money. The install base is irrelevant.

 

[whalleywhat]

What about Valve not making HL?

yo

 

[Micael]

In the end even if one doesn't like VR, we should be grateful that valve is helping to push VR, if VR succeeds it is going to help bring a whole lot of people into gaming, which only makes the entire gaming market stronger, including "traditional games".
Also I suspect the number of people that have actually tried the HTC Vive and didn't like are in a very small minority.

They can make vr all they want so long as those games arent vr-only. Their vr install base wouldnt justify it and their fanbase without vr is much bigger. But maybe i misunderstand how vr works and of course it's workable without vr day one.

Yeah that doesn't really work, and hopefully they aren't doing it, good VR experiences are built from the ground up as VR, which isn't to say you can't have some mixed stuff, but it isn't anywhere near the same level of immersion.

I don't think valve cares all that much if their VR games turn a profit or not, it is all about the long term for them, and putting out high quality VR experiences that truly help make a case for VR, and more importantly show different ways of making good VR games, is in their long term interest (and of the gaming industry as a whole).

I also don't think they care about what is going to please the biggest amount of their fanbase when deciding what to do next, if they did thing based only on their pre existing fanbase, they would be working on half life 5 or 6 right now, instead of having created TF2, CS:GO, dota 2 (Which btw are all bigger than half life), portal, l4d, the steam controller, steam (if you like any indie game you should be thankful for this), steam link, several VR advancements, several advancements in ease of publishing, several pieces of very useful middleware, pushing linux, and other stuff that was never in the biggest interest of their half life fanbase back when they started in this industry..

 

[MUnited83]

They can make vr all they want so long as those games arent vr-only. Their vr install base wouldnt justify it and their fanbase without vr is much bigger. But maybe i misunderstand how vr works and of course it's workable without vr day one.

Fuck no. Don't hinder down the games that are being specifically made for VR by trying to cram non-VR into it. That's holding VR back.

Your kind of shitposting is like saying "next-gen consoles only lol" because you want a certain game running on your PS2

 

[Compsiox]

Valve is literally the best. I'm so glad maintaining the culture is more important than expanding to them.

It's so refreshing to hear.

 

[gabbo]

Fuck no. Don't hinder down the games that are being specifically made for VR by trying to cram non-VR into it. That's holding VR back.

Your kind of shitposting is like saying "next-gen consoles only lol" because you want a certain game running on your PS2

PC is still PC even with a headset attached to it, so no it's not like asking for new games on a PS2. I'd take a later release for nonVR, I just don't want to see them making their mainstay franchises VR-only, which I what I'd worry about. They can make all the new IP they want for VR. Maybe that fairy RPG will return? Or the space pirate game?

 

[Savitar]

Valve is lucky it came up with Stream before any real alternatives arose.

Extremely lucky.

 

[MUnited83]

PC is still PC even with a headset attached to it, so no it's not like asking for new games on a PS2. I'd take a later release for nonVR, I just don't want to see them making their mainstay franchises VR-only, which I what I'd worry about. They can make all the new IP they want for VR. Maybe that fairy RPG will return? Or the space pirate game?

It's absolutely like asking for new games on a PS2. In fact it's even worse. To truly take full advantage of the VR médium, you need to design it from the ground up for VR. No two ways about it.

Valve is lucky it came up with Stream before any real alternatives arose.

Extremely lucky.

They are lucky.... That they did it almost one decade before other people did?
I don't think you know what the word "luck" means.
I don't think you are aware that the current alternatives wouldn't exist today if it wasn't for Steam either.

 

[Kuro]

I have no doubt in my mind that AAA PC gaming would be dead without the invention of Steam.

 

[TheBowen]

Ah yes, the "Vr doesn't count HURR DURRRRRRR" crowd, always nice to see ya.

Never said it didnt count, so dunno where the insult of my opinion came from HUUURRR DUUUR.

Just saying that having them make a VR game, which could potentially be extremely short and not be a fully fleshed game with a small team, which is exclusive to a device that costs £700 with basically fuck all games on it vs say making a third game in one of the many franchises that people have been begging for years for, isnt exactly getting me out of my seat in excitement

Its not exactly hard to see why people would be dissapointed in valves direction in terms of software.

 

[Savitar]

They are lucky.... That they did it almost one decade before other people did?
I don't think you know what the word "luck" means.
I don't think you are aware that the current alternatives wouldn't exist today if it wasn't for Steam either.

They are.

It would have taken longer but someone else would have come along, things are going digital, goes without saying games will too, they have been.

Maybe GoG would be the big dog, or someone else. If there had been a large enough vacuum someone would have filled it. Just like how Netflix came along and changed the game and now more and more options are popping up.

So yes, Valve is fortunate. They were the first, that fact is their saving grace. God knows people don't stick with them due to their customer support.