Microsoft is partnering with Valve to have its SteamVR system support Windows 10 games

By John Callaham
last updated

During Microsoft's E3 2015 press event, the company made a quick announcement stating it was partnering with Valve so that Windows 10 will work with its SteamVR system.

Microsoft stated that it "will be working closely with Valve to make Windows 10 the best platform for VR gaming." Exactly what this means is still to be revealed. In March, Valve announced its own partnership with HTC to have SteamVR work with the HTC Vive VR headset. Last week, Microsoft announced it would partner with Oculus so that every one of its Oculus Rift headsets will include an Xbox One controller. along with a way to support viewing Xbox One games on the headset via streaming to a Windows 10 PC.

John Callaham
John Callaham
29 Comments
  • Wasn't it Steam that went berserk with Windows 8? Don't remember clearly. Anyway, welcome change of heart, MS is on a roll here.
  • Valve CEO Gabe Newell once expressed his dislike of Windows 8, saying it was a 'catastrophe' for game developers due to the closed nature of its store. With the Windows 8 store failing to catch on and Windows 10 right around the corner, allowing apps to be sideloaded, his criticism has been settled.
     
  • Gaben was really just upset that PC gamers would have another place to buy games from (Windows Store) and take away a little from his Steam money machine.
  • PC gamers already do (did) have other placeS to buy games from, that's one of the great things about PC.
  • Yes you remember right and thats why they have this stupid Linux SteamOS thing and Steam Boxes and so on. They try to lock all PC gaming into 100 % Valve controlled platform. This far those ideas have been total catastrophe to everyone who have had anything to do with them but they are trying a comeback early next year. List of failures (among others?): 1. Accidentally reformatted hard drives 2. Accidentally deleted used data 3. No proper graphics drivers 4. No AAA games (or even AA...) 5. Steam boxes so far have been only a financial loss to all hardware partners 6. No developer interest to fragment PC gaming on their own cost
  • You do realize SteamOS is just a regular Linux-distro with a Steam UX, and you can install pretty much anything you want (ie. you are not locked in to using Steam)?
  • No it seems they actually have little knowledge of that which they are expressing an opinion about, well regards SteamOS anyway. There are at least 3 points of the 6 which he/she obviously hasn't got an inkling, but has a definite bias. I recognise it, I too used to bullshit when I wanted something to be so, even though it wasn't so. Personally I don't care abot streaming, I don't care about steam. I have a PC to do computing on - creative stuff like writing docs, developing software, making music etc etc and I have a Games console (which is increasingly and annoyingly becoming a marketing channel - which is stramge as that means I paid somebody to put a machine that spews out adverts at me every time I use it, but I digress...) for playing games on. TV/screens aren't particularly expensive anymore, so I presonally see no benefit for me in the setup being touted above - however I can understand that for some people this would be good. My only concern is that the extra code required to perform the above is presumably included in the OS, which means I am getting a larger OS footprint than I need or want...if it was an add-on that I could choose to download if I wanted such features I'd be happy - but it seems its a bit like all the other crap that comes with Windows 10 which I have not asked for nor will I ever use (A food app pre-installed ffs!!). I'd rather opt-in, than opt-out. I remember a time when the customer paid the provider anf the provider gave the customer what the customer wanted - now they seem to believe that the machine sat in my office is somehow theirs to do with as they wish!! At least Google had the decency to name their OS in a way that refelected what is becoming of modern computer users...Android(s)
  • I wonder how it feels like to be partnered with company who ignores you and cant do a fu*king steam app for years.
  • Ms should team up with valve to make half life 3
  • What's a 3?
  • I bet Gabe Newell $60 that he couldn't make a trilogy. He hasn't responded back....
  • He's too busy making money off of hats in TF2, Dota items and weapon skins in CS GO to bother working on anything new.
  • And dota 2 reborn. :v
  • Oh yeah baby thats the way
  • It would be amazing if they partnered up to make a universal Steam app and integrate with the XBox hub.
  • That would require steam giving them profits from their store I think... It would be awesome and make sense though on xbox I think. Or at least make more sense than PC :). I would love that! I hope they do it but I dont think they will =/. I would settle for a steam chat app though ;).
  • Or a WP app for once. I really want a steam client app.
  • That's why I said a universal app. :P
  • Whoops. Think I replied to the wrong comment, sorry.
  • I thought Valve/Gabe wants Windows to die a hot, fiery death, ergo his push for gaming on the Linux platform?
  • Then you thought wrong. He just didn't like Windows 8. Windows 10 fixes all of his complaints though...
  • No it doesn't: it exacerbates them. He only disliked Windows 8 because the Windows Store had the potential to be a Steam competitor, thereby cutting into Valve's monopoly. Microsoft failed to pull that off in Windows 8 (because, outside of Project Spark, they didn't release any AAA games in the Windows 8 Store), but Windows10 is much more of a threat to Steam, especially with the free upgrades from Windows 7 and 8 and Microsoft finally bringing AAA games to the Store (Fable Legends, Gigantic, etc.).
  • Hey guys I m off the topic.
    Unable to play videos on YouTube via internet explorer. Why is this happening??
  • Do you have Tracking Protection Lists on? Turn them off temporarily
  • You've watched one too many kitten videos and IE is all kittened out.  
  • Microsoft is doing any and every thing possible to show that they're the extreme opposite of a "locked ecosystem" now....and I like it.
  • But they are a locked 'ecosystem' still, it's just a lot bigger - maybe that's what gives the appearance that there is some freedom?
  • This was the oddest announcement at E3. The crowd reaction alone said exactly that: crickets. It was dead silent as everyone in the audience was like, "WTF? Did he just say they're partnering with Valve on VR?". It makes little sense to partner with an indirect competitor to your own platform, as well as the direct competitor of the company you just announced a partnership with days prior (Oculus Rift). I don't get why Microsoft tries to be buddy-buddy with Valve. They should be trying to break up Valve's monopoly in PC gaming revenue.
  • Microsoft often buddy up with companies before they go for their throats! I'd list some here, bit you probably have as much access to a search engine as I do lol