valve hasn't released a game since what 2012 and it was counter strike global offensive if i recall?
Artifact says hello... https://store.steampowered.com/app/583950/Artifact/
any studio has made more games than valve has done on their entire life.
their own hardware was crap, those licensed steam boxes and such were a huge failure and valve just discontinued them, steam controller is also going down the drain so for hardware i don't see how valve is anything to look up to tbh.
Your opinion on Steam Machines is relative. They were supposed to be console like entry level machines for people interested in PC gaming. If you wanted something vastly superior then you were not the target audience for Steam Machines. As for the Steam controller, it's a pretty good idea. I would have one if I wasn't so in love with the GameCube setup and my Hyperkin ProCube. I might still get one. The trackpads would be good for ecchi games.
the only thing they have it going for them is really online communication and store, while they made good games they stopped long ago, i guess marketplace makes them enough money so they don't want to make games themselves anymore, and all their hardware attemps were huge flops.
You do get that while Valve is popular, Valve is not mainstream? Have you gone into a GameStop to hear people talk about Steam? That's the only reason why their hardware efforts have failed. Valve simply needs a breakout title to really get people to think about moving away from the PS4 or at least looking away from it long enough to check out Steam and all its benefits.