Valve sued for patent infringement
The Immersion Corporation is taking legal action against Valve for allegedly violating some of their patents for rumble or haptic technology with the Steam Deck and other hardware. This is not the first time Valve has faced legal trouble. For example, in April 2021, Wolfire Games filed an antitrust lawsuit against Valve.
Steam Deck - A success despite legal issues
Despite these legal challenges, Valve released its portable gaming PC in February 2022 and sold one million units by October of that year. Almost 42% of Steam Deck owners even prefer it over other platforms. The device has proven to be extremely versatile, with many people modifying it to suit their preferences and even the Ukrainian military using it to remotely control gun turrets.
The Lawsuit by Immersion Corporation
Immersion develops haptic technologies for mobile devices, gaming, and the automotive industry, among others, and has filed various patents for its work. Now, the company claims that Valve has infringed on some of these rumble technology patents with the Steam Deck, Valve Index VR headset, SteamVR software, and a range of games such as Half-Life: Alyx.
What Does Immersion Demand?
The lawsuit was filed on May 15 in a federal court in Washington state and lists seven patents that were allegedly infringed upon. Immersion is seeking a preliminary injunction to prevent Valve from "implementing, operating, maintaining, testing, and using" its technology, as well as damages and licensing fees. At this time, Valve has not officially responded to the lawsuit.
Similar Cases
Immersion's work in haptic technology is so ubiquitous that a number of prominent technology companies either license its work or have filed similar patent lawsuits against them, which are mostly settled out of court. The Verge noted that both Sony and Microsoft have dealt with lawsuits from Immersion in the past and now have to pay licensing fees. Google, Apple, and Meta have also had to deal with the company's lawyers at some point.
What's Next for Valve and the Steam Deck?
If the track record says anything, Valve will likely settle the lawsuit unless it is clear and evident that the Steam Deck did not accidentally infringe on Immersion's patents. However, that's probably not all the company is thinking about: Asus will be releasing its competing portable PC on June 13. Although Valve congratulated Asus on its upcoming ROG Ally device, it remains to be seen whether the newcomer in the handheld space will have a noticeable impact on the popularity of the Steam Deck.
