Gamers who pre-ordered the Steam Controller met some devastation when they tried to pair it with their Mac computers. From an array of technical issues, the Steam Controller has no functionality with the Macs, even though Valve promised it would from the get-go.
To make up for their blunder, Valve is giving affected users the “Valve Complete Pack”, which is their entire gaming library and includes past, present, and even future releases. What a strong move for a small problem that could have been resolved with refunds.
Unexpected Issues
When it comes to using the Steam Controller on a Mac, it doesn’t register a gamepad emulation. Valve recommends that their customers with the Mac issue to opt into the Steam beta client to enable keyboard and mouse emulation. As for gamepad emulation, Valve hopes it will start working in a few weeks as they release updates.
But the problems don’t end there; they expand to the Steam Link, which is supposed to allow streaming through Valve. It’s also proven incompatible with Macs.
Making a Strong Business Choice
Clearly, Valve needed to do something to remedy this disastrous situation. When it comes to making decisions, Valve made one of the strongest by far in their field. By owning up to the software mistake of the Steam Controller and Steam Link, they showed their dedication to their consumers to a degree that not many gaming companies have. Giving away the “Valve Complete Pack” to affected users is not a move we would see from EA or Sony.
Looking at their decision from a business major perspective, it speaks a lot to how well their company is doing as a financial institution. It’s unknown how many Mac users were affected by the software issues, but Valve will surely end up losing revenue by giving away free games. But they’d probably lose a lot more customers if they didn’t do something grand.
Examining the decision from a PR perspective, Valve definitely won over the hearts and loyalties of their customers by being so bold.
Do you think Valve fully tested their prototype for compatibility on all platforms? Were they correct in giving away the “Valve Complete Pack”? Share your thoughts on this daring business move.
