Valve has been credited with a lot of change in the PC gaming space since its inception, but the company isn’t stopping either. There’s still a lot going on behind the scenes at the privately owned company, and there’s a lot that we know it’s working on that has the potential to change PC gaming as we know it over the next few years.
5
Half-Life 3 might really be happening
And the series is known for shaking things up
One of the craziest things on this list that I thought I’d never, ever write is that Half-Life 3 actually appears to be in development. Valve got its mojo back for single-player games with Half-Life: Alyx, a prequel to Half-Life 2 that clearly indicates a successor to Half-Life 2: Episode 2 in its ending. Multiple Valve staffers have gone on the record to state that there the company is now evaluating how it intends to re-enter the Half-Life universe, including Valve game designer Robin Walker clearly stating that it’s a return to the universe and not the end of it.
Half-Life has always been an influential series, with the first game redefining the FPS genre as a whole and even giving birth to one of the biggest esports titles on the planet, Counter-Strike. Half-Life 2 similarly redefined it again, with an advanced physics engine, compelling narrative, and well-made characters. Plus, that game also formed the basis for all of the Source engine games, including Counter-Strike: Source, Portal, Team Fortress 2, and even Garry’s Mod, a title that birthed even more popular games made its sandbox.
Valve has always treated the Half-Life series as a way to do something fantastic and influential, and information about “HLX” datamined from other Source 2 games reveals that Half-Life 3 looks to continue that trend.
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4
Valve wants another go at Steam Machines
The stage is set
The Steam Machine first launched in 2015, and the idea was fairly simple. It’s basically a console that runs SteamOS, turning PC games into a console experience that you can play on your couch with it hooked up to your TV. It didn’t take off for a myriad of reasons, but as time went on, it felt that the biggest roadblock to the success of Steam Machines was that it was ahead of its time. Proton hadn’t been developed at this stage, and while Valve offered users the option to dual-boot Windows on the Steam Machine, everything about it was an inconvenience to users.
Fast forward nearly a decade later, and the Steam Deck running SteamOS and powered by Proton has been a hit. It’s made gaming on Linux viable as it means games built for Windows still work. While you can run Windows on the Steam Deck (just like you could run Windows on a Steam Machine) it’s no longer necessary for most games that you’d want to play on the go. That’s why “Fremont,” a rumored Valve console, is a big deal.
Fremont is the code name of a supposed Nvidia Shield-like competitor, and the evidence is pretty strong to suggest that Valve is basically giving Steam Machines another go. This time, it might just work.
3
“Deckard” is potentially a standalone VR headset from Valve
Proton and Arm? Maybe?
Valve saw decent success with the Valve Index VR headset, a high-end headset that connects to your PC and was considered the best hardware to play Half-Life: Alyx on. Since then, Valve has been working on something that’s codenamed “Deckard”, and the name has been cropping up more and more in code snippets. In 2021, “Deckard” first appeared in SteamVR files, and sources confirmed to ArsTechnica that the information was legitimate.
From what’s known at the moment, Deckard appears to be a standalone VR headset, and might even run Arm, given that those referenecs were found in the Arm binary. Plus, we know that Valve has been working on a version of Proton that works with Arm, meaning that not only is an Arm-based Steam Deck possible, but it might be the case that an Arm-based standalone VR headset (which is basically the default when it comes to standalone headsets) might be a reality.
All of this is based on speculation from very few hints given over the years, and it might even be the case that Deckard never releases. However, Valve has been pushing for changes in the gaming space with the Steam Deck, so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a VR headset that aims to change the space, too.
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2
Deadlock is a new Valve game with a unique twist on MOBAs
There’s really nothing like it
I’ve never really been an enjoyed of MOBA titles, no matter how hard I tried. I couldn’t get into League of Legends or Dota 2, but Deadlock scratches a very specific itch that I didn’t know I had. It’s like if you combined Overwatch with a MOBA, and even as someone who didn’t like Overwatch, I love Valve’s Deadlock.
The game itself still hasn’t officially been released, and to get in, you’ll need to get an invite. The catch is that everyone with the game has an infinite number of invites, so the game spread very quickly as more and more people gained access to it. It’s still in alpha and still in development, but I could see Valve managing to build yet another top esport like it has done with Dota 2 and Counter-Strike.
We’re still a long way off of Deadlock seeing a full release, but I reckon an official announcement will come in 2025 at some point. Given that tournaments are already being run in the game, it’s starting to build a cult following all by itself.
1
SteamOS is getting a wider release
You can soon install it on anything
We’ve talked a lot about the Lenovo Legion Go S at CES 2025, as it’s the first gaming handheld to release with Valve’s SteamOS while not being made by Valve themselves. It’s a “Powered by SteamOS” device that you can buy with it pre-installed, but Valve also noted that users will soon be able to install SteamOS on their own handhelds, too.
SteamOS becoming a more prominent gaming OS means that developers will be forced to account for a potentially sizeable number of Linux devices, especially if Steam Machines take off, too. It’s made for handheld gaming, unlike Windows, which makes it a better user experience in practically every way. It’s not perfect, but it’s a significantly more polished experience than Windows is when it comes to gaming on the go.
SteamOS being available across a myriad of handhelds and even your own PC might be enough to push developers to finally treat Linux like a gaming operating system, and might have implications for more anti-cheat options, better optimization, and more.
SteamOS is getting a wider release
#Valve #change #future #gaming
source: https://www.xda-developers.com/things-valve-doing-change-future-pc-gaming/
