Steam Controller won't be ready until 2015, Valve says

Today, Valve's Eric Hope in the Steam Universe group saying that thanks to feedback from playtesting, the Steam Controller will not make it out in 2014 as it is being reworked.

in the Steam Universe group saying that thanks to feedback from playtesting, the Steam Controller will not make it out in 2014 as it is being reworked. "Realistically, we're now looking at a release window of 2015, not 2014," he wrote.

The controller is Valve's attempt to make a control device that works well for both PC and console-style games, and has already been substantially iterated since its debut outside Valvelate last year.

The controller is one facet of its Steam Machines initiative, which should see third-party manufacturers supplying game-oriented PCs using its Linux-based SteamOS sometime this year -- though now without Valve's controllers, which it has said it will supplyto them.

It is unclear from Hope's blog post if the delay in the controller will affect the overall Steam Machines initiative, though the post seems to suggest it might: "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."

Third-party PC manufacturers recently expressed concernover multiple aspects of the Steam Machines initiative, though they do still plan to support it. Valve shipped beta Steam Machinesto testers starting in December 2013, and distributed beta units to developers that attended its Steam Dev Days in January of this year.