Valve has announced that it will delay the launch of its Steam Machine hardware range and the companion Steam Controller until 2015. On the company’s Steam blog, product designer Eric Hope, posting under his screen name of Axiom, said that the shift would allow Valve to improve the Steam Controller: “We’re now using wireless prototype controllers to conduct live playtests, with everyone from industry professionals to die-hard gamers to casual gamers. It’s generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we’ll be able to make the controller a lot better. Of course, it’s also keeping us pretty busy making all those improvements.”
A project Valve is involved with has been delayed? Say it ain’t so. Okay, maybe we should’ve expected this from a company so notorious for delays that “releasing things on Valve Time” has become a running joke in the games community. Valve announced Tuesday that its Steam Controller and (presumably) all incarnations of upcoming Steam Machines are hereby delayed until 2015, rather than releasing at the tail end of this year. “Obviously we’re just as eager as you are to get a Steam Machine in your hands. But our number one priority is making sure that when you do, you’ll be getting the best gaming experience possible. We hope you’ll be patient with us while we get there,” wrote Valve employee Eric Hope on the Steam Universe forum. “Realistically, we’re now looking at a release window of 2015, not 2014.”