Valve Introduces Experimental “Steam Labs” Project
Valve is diving into the world of machine learning and interactive features for their world-renown online video game retailer. Announcing Steam Labs, the company is actively developing several experimental projects that can improve the current capabilities of their property. From “micro trailers” to an artificial intelligence-driven interactive curator, automated “shows” and more.
“Every year, we create dozens of experiments around discoverability, video, machine learning, and more. You know who we thought might enjoy seeing them? Everyone,” says the Steam Labs page. “For the first time, you can try, share, and break them, then share your feedback with the developers who create them.”
Now, why exactly is Valve introducing various experimental projects for Steam? In short, they want feedback on new ideas they’ve had mulling around the company. “We’re always trying new things with Steam, but often only share them with the world when they’re ready to be made a part of the platform,” they further explained. “Steam Labs allows us to share these ideas earlier and improve them with your feedback before making them official.”
With that said, here are a few of the features they’re currently developing:
- Micro Trailers are lovingly-generated six-second game trailers, arranged on a page so you can digest them all at a glance. Check out our new micro trailer collections for adventure games, RPGs, builders, and more.
- The Interactive Recommender looks at your top-played games and uses machine learning to recommend other titles it thinks you’ll love. Find old classics by directing it toward popular titles released in the past ten years, or discover that diamond-in-the-rough by zeroing in on niche games launched in the past six months.
- The Automated Show is a half-hour video featuring the latest Steam launches. Leave it on a second monitor while you work, or glue your eyeballs to it and let hundreds of games wash over you.
For more information on Steam Labs, you can get the full break down on how it works, their methods with utilizing an actively learning neural network model, and more – check out their blog post here.
Any thoughts on Valve’s experimental features for Steam? Is this something you see yourself using as they continue its development? Let us know what you think in the comments section below or start a conversation on Don’t Feed the Gamers Facebook page. To stay up to date on gaming and entertainment news as it happens, follow us on Twitter! Here are some of our latest:
Hoi Duong2131 Posts
Hoi is an elusive figure at DFTG, whose favorite past-times include chillin' in the Fade, reading manga, watching anime, collecting novelty items, and gaming.
