Gabe Newell Believes VR Will Be 'A Very Long Haul' For Valve

When it comes to virtual reality, Valve's easily one of the big players. Previously assisting with the HTC Vive, 2019 saw the Valve Index's release, offering a high-end PC headset while launching games like The Lab and Half-Life: Alyx. Now, Valve's president Gabe Newell's weighed in further on VR's future.

Speaking with IGN for an interview - one where he also advised Oculus Quest headsets could link with a Steam Deck - Newell advised Valve see this as a long-term commitment, believing this is a project in the early stages of development.

Read More: Gabe Newell Confirms Steam Deck Can Link Up With Oculus Quest

Gabe Newell Believes VR Will Be 'A Very Long Haul' For Valve

Advising that Valve's keeping expectations in check, Newell confirmed:

With VR our expectation is it's a very long haul, and that there are fundamentally important technologies that are being developed. And if at any point you're narrowly defining the goalposts and saying 'how's that doing against the latest CS:GO update?' You're always going to end up making bad decisions based on that.

During this interview, Newell was also asked about the critical reception for Half-Life Alyx. Saying Alyx had a "positive impact", he confirmed:

It's been super helpful in helping us think what do we do next, how do we continue to move VR forward, what are the opportunities in the space. In that sense, it's been hugely successful. Everything we saw in terms of VR adoption, it had a positive impact there. Working these tightly coupled hardware/software designs can in fact have big payoffs.

While its reassuring for Index owners that Valve remain committed to VR, this isn't new territory, either. Back in January, Newell discussed a partnership with OpenBCI, researching headsets that interfaces directly with brain signals to combat motion sickness. Whatever comes next, we're looking forward to seeing these new developments.