Valve Delays Steam Machines to 2015

Despite promises of a Valve-created console competitor by the end of this year, the developer has announced that fans should more realistically expect a release sometime next year instead.

In a post to the Steam blog, the company explained that the delay was due in part to the Steam controller, which it was hinted might release sometime this Fall, and is still undergoing refinement and improvement based on live play tests. As the controllers and their haptic trackpads are necessary to give players the finetuned control needed for many PC games and therefore the Steam Machine, these adjustments have forced them to push back the deadline.

Valve intends for the Steam Machine to compete with traditional consoles and take Steam into the living room--a bold move for a company focused almost entirely on the PC experience.  The ability of most PCs to handle higher quality graphics and more intense system requirements than consoles makes them a serious potential contender against systems like PlayStation and Xbox, which have traditionally dominated the local co-op and living room arenas.  It's unsurprising, then, that Valve is interested in taking the time to make sure it's "the best gaming experience possible."

 While Valve's announcement did not directly reference a delay for Steam controllers, it seems safe to assume that they too will be hitting shelves after their initially predicted Fall 2014.