When we previously visited Valve, two years ago, it was to talk about Half-Life: Alyx and what seemed like a total shift of focus for the company towards VR. But at the end of a conversation with hardware engineer Jeremy Selan, who had worked on Valve’s Index headset, we were left with this tease: “We have really exciting things on our trajectory to help expand the places you can play your Steam games that are not VR-related. We’re not talking about those today, but there are more things coming.” We now know, of course, exactly what he meant. Indeed, we have one of those things in our hands.
At first glance, Steam Deck seems to sit right at the opposite end of the spectrum to Valve’s VR efforts. Where that technology wants to seal you in with your games, Deck is a handheld device that invites you to take games out into the world. And while the former offers a specific set of experiences crafted exclusively for its capabilities, this project is all about giving players access to as many games as possible – the 60,000plus games in the Steam catalogue, just for starters.
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the {{IssueName}} edition of {{MagazineName}}.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
NO MORE ROOM IN HELL 2
You're not alone in the dark
WINDBLOWN
Life after Dead Cells
COLLECTED WORKS - JOSH SAWYER
Journeying to the Forgotten Realms, Infinity and beyond with the RPG veteran
SCREENBOUND
Going deep in a mind-bending hybrid of perspectives
Trigger Happy
Shoot first, ask questions later
Grand strategist
Paradox's Mattias Lilja addresses the publisher's recent difficulties - and the plan to right the ship
Diablo IV
A progress report on the games we just can't quit
Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection
In Capcom's diabolical tribute, evil goes far deeper than the demons on the screen
SERENITY FORGE
How a near-death experience lit a fire in the Colorado-based developer and publisher
THE MAKING OF...ALIEN: ISOLATION
How a strategy-led studio built a survival horror masterpiece in Ridley Scott's image