Valve's Lawrence Yang Talks the Steam Machine Verification Program

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According to an interview Game Developer had with Valve's Lawrence Yang, getting your game Steam Machine verified will be an easier task than achieving Steam Deck verification.

While not diving too much into specifics, Yang did mention a couple of things of note, namely that games which have already achieved Steam Deck verification can also be considered Steam Machine verified, meaning the Steam Machine will launch with over 7,000 verified titles, and that the Steam Machine verification program will have "fewer constraints" than the Steam Deck, likely related to those pesky UI issues some games have on the Steam Deck. I'm just hoping this doesn't mean we'll get a "Great on Machine" store section on Steam, it sounds weird!

Of course, the Steam Machine could have far greater reach than the Steam Deck, with games like Returnal and Starfield likely becoming playable due to the additional power, as well as VR games gaining support, which currently earn a de facto "Unsupported" badge on Steam Deck.

We also had confirmation that the Steam Frame will be getting its own verification program with new criteria. Arguably, even more important than the Steam Machine due to its unique hardware that gamers will be less familiar with.

While we do have some issues with the Steam Deck's verification program and its inaccuracies, it's easy to see the benefits of such a system, and in most cases, it does give players a good indication of what they can expect from a game, so for those who aren't so tech-savvy, it's an invaluable guide. In short, we're pleased to see Valve continuing the system for their future hardware.

There's also a brief mention of the new Steam Controller's "Puck". Essentially, a dock that will both charge and pair with your Steam Controller. When asked why Valve had decided to go with this method instead of using a traditional Bluetooth connection, Yang explained that they wanted to ensure a quality connection with minimal latency. Bluetooth can be a fickle technology, and when it comes to PCs with varying components, I can for sure see a weak or cheap Bluetooth receiver causing issues with a Steam Controller, so it makes sense.

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