Valve to demo its own VR tech at Steam conference

Valve is to show off its own virtual reality technology, which could be a contender to the hotly awaited Oculus Rift, at its first developer conference in January.

Valve’s wearable computing expert Michael Abrash will hold a session at Steam Dev Days on what affordable VR technology will be in coming years. What’s more, a prototype of Valve’s VR technology is promised to be demonstrated at the show.

“This type of hardware is almost certainly going to appear in short order, and the time to starting developing for it is now. This talk will discuss what the hardware is like, and the kinds of experiences it makes possible. A few attendees will be randomly selected to try out the prototype following the talk,” notes the listing on Valve’s event site.

Also promised is a look at how Steam and VR technology could be integrated. This session will include discussions of Steam Overlay in VR, Steam store changes for VR and Valve’s VR plan for Steamworks.

Oculus Rift, the VR headset that has generated a mass revival in virtual reality, is yet to have a commercial release pinned. If Valve’s own technology is not a partnership with the Oculus creators, then it joins contenders such as Sony’s expected VR headset.

There’s plenty more on the schedule for Steam Dev Days, including the first look at Steam Machines. Valve will present a product schedule and release plans for its upcoming microconsoles, and will also reveal what it’s learned so far from user testing and a rundown of how developers are using the units.

Furthermore, the conference, which is to be a developers-only affair, has sessions of Steam Controllers, a discussion of the in-game economies in Team Fortress 2 and Dota, and a look at user-generated content and Steam Workshop.