The reason SteamVR exists is because if VR is successful, then it could have been a point where customers could have jumped to another storefront. By establish

The reason SteamVR exists is because if VR is successful, then it could have been a point where customers could have jumped to another storefront. By establishing SteamVR, and attempting to make SteamVR work with any headset, valve has basically ensured that if VR does turn out to be successsful, Steam will still be the shop you use to buy the games for it. They managed to cut off a possible existential threat to their steam business model that could have come in the future.