Valve has announced and explained the delay of their much anticipated Steam Machines. Simply put, it’s down to the controller.
They have revealed they have now transitioned to live testing the wireless prototype controllers, and working with gamers and industry professionals to collect feedback. They realized that the subsequent iterations necessary to apply all the feedback to the controller will take them more time than they expected. As a result, they are now looking at a release window of 2015 for the release of Steam Machines.
Valve of course cites a desire to make sure this product is the best they can come out with, but perhaps they should have recognized the iteration process for gaming hardware should take much longer. Of course, as Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft explain, they make plans for their next generations of consoles as soon as they finish launching their last hardware. Microsoft alone has famously revealed that it cost them over $ 100 million to build the Xbox One controller.
So, this extended development period should be expected, and we’re calling it a delay, but if Valve had anticipated the workload necessary well in advance they would have set a later date and we wouldn’t be calling it a delay. Either way, expectations are high for Valve’s first hardware products, so they are correct in ensuring they get a quality product out over making their deadline.
Expectations are high for Steam Machines among us here, too, and we’ll make sure to keep you up to date on Valve’s foray into hardware as news comes out.