Gaming legend Gabe Newell talked about the company’s plans in an interview with Kotaku at the Video Game Awards. While we heard previously Valve was thinking of releasing an open source set of console specs for others to play around with (like the Android of gaming), now it seems the company is set on doing it all itself, with a console and software ready to go out of the box. Sony and Microsoft, be worried.
The PC will be designed for the living room, according to Newell. He expects a surge in living room PCs next year, and Valve will be at the forefront.
It’s likely to an Apple-style affair, too. Newell said the PC would offer a carefully managed ecosystem that was unlike any other. He said “our hardware will be a very controlled environment.” He went on, “The nice thing about a PC is a lot of different people can try out different solutions. Customers can find the ones that work for them.”
Newell didn’t say Valve would make its own operating system, but did mention that Steam’s Big Picture would feature. Big Picture optimises the resolution of games for HD TVs instead of PC monitors. So Valve most definitely has its sights set on your lounge.
He also said Valve was working on its next-generation engine, which should work with next-generation consoles. “Hopefully that’s gonna give us some interesting opportunities on the game side,” he said.