Gabe Newell candid on PCs in the living room next year, says Valve plans to be there
Is Valve's future in console development?
Gabe Newell, all things considered, is a pretty knowledgeable and straight forward guy (just don't ask him about Half Life 3), so if he says PCs in the living are the next big thing -- well then it's worth listening too. Speaking with Kotaku at the Spike VGAs, Newell said the biggest obstacle is how to make a PC work better in the living room. Despite the obstacles, Newell believes PC packages designed for the living room will start selling next year, and that Valve won't be far behind them.
"We'll do it but we also think other people will as well," are Gabe's exact words, which is pretty clear code that Valve isn't planning on releasing a console-level hardware platform. Instead, they want to offer an option or an alternative the a market the believe will thrive better with competition. Instead, Valve is likely working to ensure that Steam with Big Picture is the de facto software installed on every box.
"The nice thing about a PC is a lot of different people can try out different solutions, and customers can find the ones that work best for them."
Kotaku pressed further for more information on Valve's hardware plan, which I don't think was the most interesting aspect of Newell's comments, but likely the best easiest to turn into a big news story. Newell clarified that of course any hardware Valve put out would be a "very controlled environment." He substantiated this by recognizing that PCs are known for their flexibility, but in the living room people just wanted a "turnkey solution."
When I think about Valve and the next console cycle, I don't think about what sort of hardware they're going to put out. No, I think about Steam in the living room, the potential for indie-development to flourish in the console environment, and sales. Not just sales because I'm cheap, but because the introduction of true price competition in a digital environment is absolutely thrilling. Microsoft and Sony have settled on their haunches with their monopoly on console digital sales, but hopefully Big Picture changes that.
Man, I wish Gabe Newell got out of his office at Valve more often. The guy makes me excited to cover this industry every time he talks.
Source: Kotaku
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I never considered them making their own OS, it is plausible since they could just request to license the Direct X API and integrate it instead of using a full windows installation. It'd be interesting to see how MS respond considering they have the tendency to cannibalise their products to ensure that their products maintain dominance (porting Office and smartscreen to iOS as an example) of course they'll be forfeiting profit on hardware sales and software licenses for game titles which make up for a sizeable portion of their revenue... it'd definitely be interesting to see what happens
So it seems we agree on the definition of consoles and PCs, so the only question would be just how closed does a PC have to be to be considered a console (or I suppose in this case, how open would a console have to be to still be considered a PC)?
Your probably right about Linux, I suppose they might just create their own proprietary OS like Nintendo has done (don't know what Sony uses) that they can run Steam on. Otherwise they're between a rock and a hard place here since MS won't be too keen on letting their competition use their OEM. Maybe we're wrong in assuming it'll be a steam console but instead a more consumer friendly gaming PC, something like a pre built gaming rig without the hugely inflated price.
I personally doubt Valve will end up using Linux since that would forfeit Direct X support which would remove compatibility with most major PC releases to date and create complications for future game development. It looks as if valve have found a niche and want to capitalise on the fact the PC ecosystem is already developed and just offer more readily preassembled consumer hardware, using Linux & OpenGL on a x86 architecture would defeat this tactic. Not to mention that the current OpenGL game library is restricted, using it would leave them competing against the Ouya rather than the 720 and PS4. Of course thats just my 2 cents worth of speculation, anything could happen.
THM I think he means for keyboard+mouse and stuff. I've always gamed on a small screen so I'm used to it and its become a preference, its also nice for RPGs and simulations or any other game that has you messing with your system a lot.
This article describes me perfectly to be honest, I've setup my PC in my living room as my entertainment hub. I do everything on it, and if Steam can somehow synergise the experience away from mouse and keyboard to controllers (which I feel are more conducive to multiplayer gaming on the couch) and then I'll be sorted.
Exciting stuff.
It'd be interesting to see how Valve pulls this off, there are MANY complications they're going to have to face if they compete directly against consoles.
First and foremost is the fact that they have to license Windows to get support for Direct X and something tells me Microsoft won't be enthusiastic about providing OEM discounts on that front. With ~$100 or ~33% of cost relative to the 720's price invested into the OS alone, there wouldn't be much budget to play around with hardware whilst still remaining price competitive.
Hes definitely right about the "turnkey solution" typically less tech savvy people just want their PC to work without having to get their hands dirty with the technical stuff.
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