Valve Software has been one of the most influential gaming masterminds to arise in the last 20 years, with titles like “Half Life,” “Portal,” and “Team Fortress.”  Not only do they make some of the most highly rated games of all time, they also have one of the most used and respected video game distributing programs, “Steam,” well-known for its large assortments of cheap games that you can play with your friends.  And in 2014, Steam is going to hit a whole new level.

Beginning on the week of September 20, 2013, Valve revealed three announcements to further the capabilities of “Steam.”  First was the “Steam OS” [AKA Steam Operating System].  The “Steam OS” is meant to rival that of Windows or MAC’s operating systems as a mostly gaming centered system.  The second announcement was the “Steam Machine.”  This will be a more family oriented device, since “Steam” itself is geared for the individual person with a computer.  The machine itself is going to run the “Steam OS.”  As expected, it is meant to rival the major gaming consoles currently on the market.

The third announcement is the “Steam Controller.”  As expected, this controller is meant to work with the new “Steam Box,” but once it releases it will also work on all versions of “Steam” currently on computers.  Valve also plans to make it completely hack-able and customizable, meaning that people can change the controller in certain ways, as well as customize the buttons for each of your games to what you want it to be.

As of right now, the “Steam Machine” and “Steam Controller” are set to be released in 2014, while the “Steam OS” is currently undergoing Beta testing and will be released soon for free download on all PC’s by Valve.  The future in gaming is getting ever so brighter as new ways to play emerge.