Has Valve Forgotten What PC Gaming is About?

[The Brown Hornet]

I think we all can agree that Valve in it's early days seemed to have a good grasp on what PC gaming was all about...creating great PC games! Isn't that what Half Life, L4D, TF, DOTA, CS series were...great games? Yet for some reason it all stopped at 2. For years gamers have asked a question, a question that has now become a meme, can Valve count to 3? Can Valve, a company that has completely won over the PC gaming community give it's subscribers what they actually want, new and innovative in-house developed games and software?

Instead Valve has focused on the opposite of PC gaming and strayed away from the main method by which PC gamers interact with software, mouse and keyboard. Valve in it's ambitions has essentially become console oriented. In the last decade nearly every innovation from Valve has been geared towards drawing us away from our PC and into the living room. Though what we desire are innovative software titles what Valve introduces instead are Steam Machines, tiny PC's disguised as consoles designed to compete with the likes of Xbox and PlayStation for set top attention.

To go along with the console oriented steam machine Valve introduces the Steam Controller, a Frankenstein-like hybrid of ideas and control concepts that some gamers ultimately managed to utilize and comprehend. What Valve didn't stop to ask is does Steam subscribers really want to play PC games with their thumbs? Valve seems to think so because their most recent innovation is again, not any great gaming software but yet another attempt to "console-ify" PC gaming with the introduction of Steam Deck. This time it's eyes are set on Nintendo Switch whose games are actually designed to be played with thumbs!

Lastly Valve did create Half Life Alex but again that's aimed at competing with the console friendly VR market. So it's apparent the mouse and keyboard player, those who originally made Valve and Steam what it is are no longer the target audience. If they were there would be more Valve developed titles for mouse and keyboard rather than another thumb controlled hardware device.

[Aachen]

You have a rather narrow view of PC gaming.

[my new friend]

Originally posted by The Brown Hornet:

Has Valve Forgotten What PC Gaming is About?
I think we all can agree that Valve in it's early days seemed to have a good grasp on what PC gaming was all about...creating great PC games! Isn't that what Half Life, L4D, TF, DOTA, CS series were...great games? Yet for some reason it all stopped at 2. For years gamers have asked a question, a question that has now become a meme, can Valve count to 3? Can Valve, a company that has completely won over the PC gaming community give it's subscribers what they actually want, new and innovative in-house developed games and software?

Instead Valve has focused on the opposite of PC gaming and strayed away from the main method by which PC gamers interact with software, mouse and keyboard! Valve in it's ambitions has essentially become console oriented. In the last decade nearly every innovation from Valve has been geared towards drawing us away from our PC and into the living room. Though what we desire are innovative software titles what Valve introduces instead are Steam Machines, tiny PC's disguised as consoles designed to compete with the likes of Xbox and PlayStation for set top attention.

To go along with the console oriented steam machine Valve introduces the Steam Controller, a Frankenstein-like hybrid of ideas and control concepts that some gamers ultimately managed to utilize and comprehend. What Valve didn't stop to ask is does Steam subscribers really want to play PC games with their thumbs? Valve seems to think so because their most recent innovation is again, not any great gaming software but yet another attempt to "console-ify" PC gaming with the introduction of Steam Deck. This time it's eyes are set on Nintendo Switch whose games are actually designed to be played with thumbs!

Lastly Valve did create Half Life Alex but again that's aimed at competing with the console friendly VR market. So it's apparent the mouse and keyboard player, those who originally made Valve and Steam what it is are no longer the target audience. If they were there would be more Valve developed titles for mouse and keyboard rather than another thumb controlled hardware devices.

Do you know that a lot of people on PC like to use controllers? Have you ever seen Vanguard or Warzone and seen the lobbies full of PC players playing on controllers?
Not to mention all those Elden Ring players on controllers with their $5,000 PC.
PC gaming is about the ability to choose how we want to play our games and not be forced into only using M&KB.

[DESTROYER]

Originally posted by Aachen:

You have a rather narrow view of PC gaming.

[nullable]

Long winded performance art. Apparently not aware that brevity is the soul of wit.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by Aachen:

You have a rather narrow view of PC gaming.

Agreed.

Just about any gamer I know has a controller connected to their PC. And while I personally have no use for the Steam Deck, it certainly is a great idea as gaming on the go has become much more popular. Going on a holiday for 2 weeks? Need to do a 1 hour commute? Bring the Deck along and have some fun playing your games.

All these things expand "pc gaming".

Plus it's quite odd that OP is arguing in another thread about "pc gaming" being an open platform and choices, then makes this thread showing they don't actually support such openness and choices.

[The Brown Hornet]

Originally posted by Aachen:

You have a rather narrow view of PC gaming.

I know there is and always has been a difference between PC and console gaming. Has that changed? Valve seems more concerned with console gaming to me

[Haruspex]

"PC gaming = mouse and keyboard" is entirely untrue.

PC gaming is openness, freedom, choice, power and performance. (And scalability for when your hardware isn't so powerful.) The freedom to play the games I want to play on the hardware I want to play it on, using the input method I want to use. That can be a mouse and keyboard, a controller, a steering wheel, VR motion controllers, an arcade stick, and IR head tracker, or even a damn Wii remote.

Valve knows this. They provide tools to help you use the control method you want even when a game isn't explicitly designed for it. They created Proton so you can play the games you want to play on the OS of your choice, even when the game was made for a different one.

The idea that Valve should just clam up and make Half Life 3 is entitled, narrow minded, and selfish.

[DESTROYER]

Nah, that's just you keep thinking PC gaming means this one particular thing when all it means is that you play games on PC, same with console gaming.

[The Brown Hornet]

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Originally posted by Aachen:

You have a rather narrow view of PC gaming.

Agreed.

Just about any gamer I know has a controller connected to their PC. And while I personally have no use for the Steam Deck, it certainly is a great idea as gaming on the go has become much more popular. Going on a holiday for 2 weeks? Need to do a 1 hour commute? Bring the Deck along and have some fun playing your games.

All these things expand "pc gaming".

Plus it's quite odd that OP is arguing in another thread about "pc gaming" being an open platform and choices, then makes this thread showing they don't actually support such openness and choices.

I'm arguing that Valve the company has not actually provided what its members, supporters, and subscribers actually want...newly developed titles and sequels. I don't recall the Steam community demanding Steam Machines, controllers, or even the Deck. Half Life 3, L4D3 ... yeah I've heard that being mentioned by the community, have you?

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by 8bitbeard:

"PC gaming = mouse and keyboard" is entirely untrue.

Agreed. 20 years ago I had a controller, joystick and steering wheel (all Logitech, btw) connected to my PC.

[Crazy Tiger]

Originally posted by The Brown Hornet:

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Agreed.

Just about any gamer I know has a controller connected to their PC. And while I personally have no use for the Steam Deck, it certainly is a great idea as gaming on the go has become much more popular. Going on a holiday for 2 weeks? Need to do a 1 hour commute? Bring the Deck along and have some fun playing your games.

All these things expand "pc gaming".

Plus it's quite odd that OP is arguing in another thread about "pc gaming" being an open platform and choices, then makes this thread showing they don't actually support such openness and choices.

I'm arguing that Valve the company has not actually provided what its members, supporters, and subscribers actually want...newly developed titles and sequels. I don't recall the Steam community demanding Steam Machines, controllers, or even the Deck. Half Life 3, L4D3 ... yeah I've heard that being mentioned by the community, have you?

People have been asking for handhelds and console competitors, yes. And seeing how the Steam controller was actually quite popular and the Steam Deck also is wanted (looking at all the threads posted from people whose order got shipped, not just on Steam), it seems more people want it than you think.

Personally I'm not interested in HL3 or L4D3. Valve as a game developer is highly overrated, I prefer they focus on improving Steam and continue their work on Proton and the like. You know, more options for people.

Other people like other things. You somehow seem to think that what you want is what the general public wants. I wouldn't bet on that, to be honest.

[Haruspex]

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Other people like other things. You somehow seem to think that what you want is what the general public wants. I wouldn't bet on that, to be honest.

Yeah, at this stage, does anyone really believe that a Half Life 3 could ever possibly live up to the expectations people have for it? I highly doubt it, and this is probably why we don't have it. Things like Proton and Steam Deck are what get me excited these days.

[The Brown Hornet]

Originally posted by DESTROYER:

Nah, that's just you keep thinking PC gaming means this one particular thing when all it means is that you play games on PC, same with console gaming.

You are addressing the evidence rather than the argument. I'm not anti-plug ins, we should be able to use whatever plug-ins we want on our PC's. I'm arguing why is Valve focused on plug ins and hardware when it's subscribers have clearly asked for software, for years!

[my new friend]

Originally posted by The Brown Hornet:

Originally posted by DESTROYER:

Nah, that's just you keep thinking PC gaming means this one particular thing when all it means is that you play games on PC, same with console gaming.

You are addressing the evidence rather than the argument. I'm not anti-plug ins, we should be able to use whatever plug-ins we want on our PC's. I'm arguing why is Valve focused on plug ins and hardware when it's subscribers have clearly asked for software, for years!

On the main forums, not really, no. In the groups associated with said software, all the time.

[The Brown Hornet]

Originally posted by Crazy Tiger:

Originally posted by The Brown Hornet:

I'm arguing that Valve the company has not actually provided what its members, supporters, and subscribers actually want...newly developed titles and sequels. I don't recall the Steam community demanding Steam Machines, controllers, or even the Deck. Half Life 3, L4D3 ... yeah I've heard that being mentioned by the community, have you?

People have been asking for handhelds and console competitors, yes. And seeing how the Steam controller was actually quite popular and the Steam Deck also is wanted (looking at all the threads posted from people whose order got shipped, not just on Steam), it seems more people want it than you think.

Personally I'm not interested in HL3 or L4D3. Valve as a game developer is highly overrated, I prefer they focus on improving Steam and continue their work on Proton and the like. You know, more options for people.

Other people like other things. You somehow seem to think that what you want is what the general public wants. I wouldn't bet on that, to be honest.

I think a lot of people are fooled into thinking they want it. It's new and shiny, the latest thing, maybe they'll find in a few months that it wlasn't really necessary or they don't use it nearly as much as they thought they would. That's what I see on the horizon. At the end of the day it can only be played with thumbs therefore narrowing tremendously what games you can actually play.