Steam Soon To Grace GameStop, EB Games & GAME UK Retail Stores

Retail stores like GameStop and EB Games haven’t cared about the PC for quite some time. Even finding adapters for console-bound hardware (like the Xbox 360/One controller) can prove an exercise in patience. Of course, none of this should come as a surprise; even consoles are quickly shifting over to a pure digital environment, and it could be for that reason that such stores as GameStop have finally decided to welcome PC gaming into their arms again.

Well, kind of. Soon, GameStop, EB Games, and GAME UK will be launching dedicated sections for Steam-related wares. That includes the Steam Controller, Steam Link, and of course, Steam Machines. Because actual games are needed to take advantage of any of that, there will also be Steam gift cards of various denominations available.

Flickr Credit: Mike Mozart

With this design, this isn’t quite the reintroduction of a PC gaming section, but it comes close enough. We’d hope that the section would be spiced up with posters and what not of some of the hottest PC games, and perhaps even have demo stations. Regular Joe consumer is going to need to know exactly why he should consider a Steam Machine and its related peripherals, after all.

In Valve’s favor, the participating retailers seem hopeful that these sections will prove a success. Bob Puzon, senior VP of merchandising at GameStop says, “With millions of gamers already enjoying the Steam desktop experience, we anticipate a strong demand for the upcoming Steam Hardware products and are looking forward to serving as the exclusive non-digital retail launch partner.”

I admit, I didn’t quite see this move coming, but it’s a great development to see. It’s also timely; the official launch of Steam Machines happens next month, along with the Controller and Link peripherals. Valve needs good exposure for its platform to take off, and this sounds like a good way to get it.