Valve could be working on gaming console

[headsh0t]

Exclusive: Valve said to be working on 'Steam Box' gaming console with partners, could announce at GDC | The Verge

Recently there's been chatter that Valve — the company behind the massively popular gaming service Steam — has been considering getting into the hardware business. Specifically, there have been rumors that the company has been toying with the idea of creating a proper set-top console which could potentially pose a threat to the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Valve co-founder Gabe Newell even recently told Penny Arcade: "Well, if we have to sell hardware we will."

Who knows if this is true but if it is it looks like it's just a PC with steam on it. Which is alright for people that just want plug and play. Would definitely be a good thing for the console market though if it were successful.

[supaflyx3]

I'd love to see a valve console, it'll finally shut my console fanboy friends up :D

[Arinoth]

Nothing like working on an unnecessary console rather then HL3...

[Dr_BenD_over]

As usual, Valve working on anything but what they should be working on... Episodes are faster my ass.

[belgolas]

If this is true this is sad.

[On2wheels]

First they drop The big Picture mode, which most of us could actually use, then the mobile app which I doubt is actually useful or value added when you think about it. Now this. Competition is great in the console industry but unless you're in balls deep, forget it, you can't compete with the 2 main units. Just look at the Wii. I'm really having a love/hate relationship with Gabe N.
The only redeeming statement from that article is this, which, on second read, may make The Big Picture worth the wait:

The most interesting piece of this puzzle may be related to that statement. According to sources, the Steam Box isn't intended to just clash with current gaming consoles. Rather, Valve wants to take Apple and its forthcoming new Apple TV products head-on. Newell has clear questions about Apple's strategy, telling the The Seattle Times "On the platform side, it's sort of ominous that the world seems to be moving away from open platforms," adding that "They build a shiny sparkling thing that attracts users and then they control people's access to those things."

Still, I don't want to have to buy another console just to hook my pc up to my tv.

[headsh0t]

Valve has a job posting up for an Industrial Designer.


Principal Industrial Designer - Valve Corporation, US - Bellevue, Washington | Job Postings from Coroflot.com

Valve is traditionally a software company. Open platforms like the PC and Mac are important to us, as they enable us and our partners to have a robust and direct relationship with customers. We’re frustrated by the lack of innovation in the computer hardware space though, so we’re jumping in. Even basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven’t really changed in any meaningful way over the years. There’s a real void in the marketplace, and opportunities to create compelling user experiences are being overlooked.

[YukonTrooper]

Something tells me it's going to be more like a $500 PC with some proprietary doodads.