The console wars are over. Now Valve is changing the fundamentals of PC gaming with its expanding ecosystem

Valve has a plan. This is a concise way to describe the recent announcement of a new line of gaming devices led by the Steam Machine. Let's delve into the company's chosen direction and the prospects opened by the expanding Steam ecosystem.

On November 12, Valve introduced a new lineup of gaming hardware. This includes the Steam Controller, the standalone VR headset Steam Frame, and the mini-PC Steam Machine. The latter device is a key element in the systematic development of its own gaming ecosystem, with Steam and importantly, SteamOS, at its core.

We will discuss the devices themselves and their role in Valve's business strategy a bit later. For now, let's take a trip back in time and provide the necessary historical context.

The idea to create an alternative to Windows for running PC games came to Valve's mind in the early part of the last decade. The reason was Windows 8, which Gabe Newell directly called a "catastrophe" and a "threat" to the openness of the PC as a platform.

The concerns were understandable. Firstly, because of the structure of that OS version and Microsoft's temporary course towards creating a closed ecosystem. Secondly, due to the emergence of the Microsoft Store, which some developers saw as an attempt to suppress existing app stores like Steam, seize control over game distribution, and start dictating terms.

Valve saw a solution in creating its own gaming OS and developing specialized hardware. The company embarked on a fairly bold experiment and, in 2015, launched the first line of devices led by the Steam Machine. However, the experiment failed rather quickly.