VALVE ENTERS THE VR BATTLEGROUND

Valve, the developer behind Half-Life and the owners of the PC download service Steam, has teamed up with HTC to create a virtual reality headset, Vive. The headset will rival Facebook’s Oculus Rift and is out this year.

… AND WANTS TO TAKE ON PS4 AND XBOX ONE, TOO

Valve also detailed its plans to take on Xbox and PlayStation in the living room. The firm’s long-in-gestation Steam Machines will launch in November and be more affordable and powerful. The Steam controller – designed as an alternative to the mouse and keyboard – will debut alongside them at a cost of £33-£40.

PLAYSTATION TO RELEASE PROJECT MORPHEUS NEXT YEAR

Virtual reality headsets dominated GDC, but one of the sleekest and most impressive devices was Sony’s Project Morpheus, which is nearly complete and launches in the first half of 2016. Sony also announced that 20.2m PS4s have been sold, making it the world’s most popular games console.

IT’S NEVER BEEN EASIER (AND CHEAPER) TO MAKE GAMES

Unreal Engine, Source and Unity are powerful game engines that developers use to create high-end titles such as Gears of War and Half-Life. The latest versions of these technologies are being given away for free so budding creators have the tools needed to build the next gaming classic.

UBISOFT TO FIX THE ‘LAZY EYE’

Ubisoft announced Dig Rush, a game designed to treat Amblyopia – also known as “lazy eye” – caused by decreased vision in one eye. In Dig Rush, gamers must use both eyes binocularly with stereoscopic glasses. Once approved by medical bodies, the therapy will be available worldwide.