ashecitism
Member
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
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.
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.
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.