Valve considering making console?

[Silent_Buddha]

If Valve, rather than stating minimum hardware specs, instead opts to specify X GPU (model and brand), Y CPU (model and brand), etc. in order to get certification then I agree fullheartedly. That would end up doing more harm than good in the PC space and ultimately slow progress for not only PC's but for the traditional home consoles as well. As the hardware technology for the graphics in home consoles is being driven by the competition amoung the 2 graphics IHVs in the PC market with input from Microsoft.

Regards,
SB

 

[patsu]

Shooting Down Rumors, Valve Says They’re Not Making a Game Console Any Time Soon
http://kotaku.com/5891697/shooting-...heyre-not-making-a-game-console-any-time-soon

"We're prepping the Steam Big Picture Mode UI and getting ready to ship that, so we're building boxes to test that on," he said, referring to a new Steam interface that will make the online gaming service easily useable for people who want to play Steam games on a PC that's connected to their TV. "We're also doing a bunch of different experiments with biometric feedback and stuff like that, which we've talked about a fair amount.

"All of that is stuff that we're working on, but it's a long way from Valve shipping any sort of hardware."

Lombardi refused to flat-out say that Valve isn't working on a console. When I posted it to him this way—"What you're saying is, there's definitely nothing coming any time soon, nothing at GDC or E3, but what you're not ruling out is the possibility that, hey, maybe some day Valve would make hardware. "-he said, "I think that's accurate."

...

 

[dobwal]

I don't really see the point in such effort. Its not like the hardware demographics in regards to PC gaming can't be determined in any useful way. Valve doesn't even need to build Steam hardware it could just give developers hardware information readily available to Valve on the gamers who use Steam.

You can't take on Apple by slapping a "Steam" sticker on a PC any better than what Steam is doing right now and thats providing a similar service on a hardware platform that relatively open outside of the OS itself which is controlled by MS.

 

[Acert93]

I do wish Valve would get behind a certification process. Even something simple, updated every 2 years. Just call it, "Meets Valve Gamer Specs 2012." Oh well.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I don't really see the point in such effort. Its not like the hardware demographics in regards to PC gaming can't be determined in any useful way. Valve doesn't even need to build Steam hardware it could just give developers hardware information readily available to Valve on the gamers who use Steam.

That's a fair observation. They can say to devs, "you can safely target this level of hardware for your games." By this point I imagine pretty much every PC gamer is going to be using Steam. A Valve box would ahve had the potential to reach a new audience, although realistically I doubt it has a hope in hell, unless massively subsidized. So just let PC gaming be its thing.

Which of course it won't be, because consoles are the target due to economics. But come 2014, all the current uber gaming rigs will start to see software that makes use of them.