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For better or worse, Valve has officially decided to jump into the PC hardware business. We know as much because a job listing on Valve's website in search for an Industrial Designer spells it out in no uncertain terms, though details of the hardware project remain a secret. All we know for sure is that Valve is "frustrated by the lack of innovation in the computer hardware space," and to rectify that, the software developer is "jumping in."
"Even basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven't really changed in any meaningful way over the years," Valve explains in its job posting. "There's a real void in the marketplace, and opportunities to create compelling user experiences are being overlooked."
It sounds as though Valve is looking for a qualified individual to take the bull by the horns and crash the PC party, and perhaps trample the console community in the process. It wasn't that long ago when word got out about a so-called Steam Box device, essentially a PC console with high end specs. Valve downplayed the rumor, though Gabe Newell made it clear that his company is willing to sell hardware.
In fact, Valve's interest in hardware has been an ongoing thing this year. In April, it came to light that Vavle was looking to hire hardware designers to perfect a "wearable computing" prototype.
Adding a layer of intrigue to all this is the fact that Newell is vehemently opposed to Windows 8. Newell fears the walled garden approach Microsoft is taking with its next generation operating system, calling the platform a "catasrophe for everyone in the PC space." As such, Valve has been hedging its bets on Linux by developing a Steam port to the open source platform, once that could easily end up in a Steam Box.
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yammerpickle2
September 06, 2012 at 10:01pm
Valve is not perfect, but it at least tries to support its customer base and offer some great gaming deals. One of the classic arguments that developers have used is there is no "standard" PC while there is a standard for a console. Well if Valve can bring the power and flexibility of a PC to a "basic minimum standard" inexpensive package that still allows for upgrades the console will be in trouble. By the way I have a PS3, and a Wii, and you know my wife and I both do 100% of our work and 99% of our gaming and other activities on our PCs. I'm not saying tablets, consoles, or smart phones don't have their place, but I like the precision of my laser mouse. Did I mention 120 Hz monitor, all settings at max for graphic quality, and 7.1 24 bit surround sound. Something today's consoles, tablets, and smart phones can't even remotely dream about. My time is valuable so I'd rather have a few great PC titles to play than a bunch of cookie cutter average games.
joeyjr
September 07, 2012 at 4:15pm
Thank you, glad to see you get it. Wonder when the rest will see it too.
MarioJP
September 06, 2012 at 9:41am
Android devices are just unstable. IT works and then it freezes and keep doing battery pulls. The thing is no matter how far this smartphones have become they are still limited compared to an x86 technology. But that is not the problem. the thing we gamer have to worry about is what kind of tricks like companies like EA are going to pull.
EA announced not long ago that their future catalog of their games are going F2P!!. This can't be the future >0
joeyjr
September 04, 2012 at 5:23pm
I support having a standard for PC gaming that could move away from microsofts grip. The PC is better suited for gaming in HD or even 3D for better games like Skyrim and Crysis 3, but, lower level games can also be played with them as well. Also, you can use a controller to play any game on the PC if you like if it will let you. Having the choice of input devices for what game you want to play works best for me. Consolds have held back PC game developement, in my opinion, because of the lower hardware requirements and lower cost to code.I am hopefull that Valve is sucessful in bringing new inovation to the PC. My 3 1/2 year old PC is better than a brand new consold, I can watch or record TV, play any PC game,use the net, and do my work on it. The HD 4890 has lost support in april 2012 so for 200-250 dollars it will have to be upgraded. All the neg. comments toward the PC are weak and you can shove them up you consold.
InfinityBlaze
September 04, 2012 at 12:11pm
Valve, I'm waiting for my real life TF2 hats, but this will do.
Mortal_M
September 04, 2012 at 7:46pm
While you wait for your silly hats the rest of the world is waiting for Half Life 3 ( or HL2 ep3)
Peanut Fox
September 04, 2012 at 10:51am
I'm not sure why Valve would want to do this other than their earnings have flatlined for some time and they're not seeing financial growth, and this would be a way for them to reach another audience.
While I question weather Valve will be successful in the console space, I've seen Microsoft come from nowhere and carve out a sizable market over Sony. I've seen at one time what I thought was a gimmick in the Nintendo DS move on to become the best selling handheld, even in the face of the graphically superior PSP devices. I've seen the Wii, a gaming device which does a poor job at being an actual gaming device become the best selling console of this generation. Looking at things from that perspective I don't see why they can't become a major player, and the only thing holding them back will be marketing, and exclusives.
I think it would be a much safer venture for Valve to piggy pack on the PS4 and become its digital distribution platform. I doubt Sony would be willing to give up so much, but that's got to be a much safer affair rather than getting into the hardware business.
Warrior247
September 04, 2012 at 9:29am
Valve has wanted to make a PC-console thinga-ma-jig for some time now and this is old news. Other sites already reported this. Why do they think that they can take the dying PC market on it's back, resurrect it, and sell you the same crap that you already have or can get is beyond me! The ONLY way that this makes sense, is if Valve creates this "closed?" PC-console thingy and charge royalty fees to developers like the big three console makers. Unless there is some kinda incentive, I don't see this thing living a long life if at all. The PC Itself will eat into some sales from this thing and confuse PC gamers, and the new next gen console will wipe the floor with it. Razer's Razer Blade is not worth the money and neither will this thingy-ma-jiggy! Just like with OnLive, this thing will be DEAD-ON-ARRIVAL!!!
tekknyne
September 04, 2012 at 1:03pm
So you can't conceptualize a new and redefined gaming PC/console ready for the masses? Go figure.
You know, it's funny. Gabe is basically trashing on the PC in general, saying it hasn't changed in a few decades. Instead of contributing something useful or expanding on the top, you just criticize the whole idea and jock your silly tablet, further reinforcing the mac fanboy stereotype. Do you own an apple product? My intuition tells me you do.
Warrior247
September 04, 2012 at 2:40pm
Nope! I can't conceptualize the offspring of a console screwed PC! I just know it'll be ugly, have defects, and probably won't live long! But since Valve's current girlfriend the PC, has been the ugliest chick in the room for quite a while now, they're willing to cheat. Yes, they've obviously lost confidence in the PC gaming market and see their business threatened. This is a serious leap of off the cliff, I hope they're parachute opens...actually, no I don't! Yes, I have an iPad 3 and it's earned more money with me than my 580! As a matter of fact, I'm in a van riding home typing this! The PC can't hope to match that. The PC hasn't changed because it can't.
Strangelove_424
September 04, 2012 at 10:28pm
Your ability to make money with an object, using basic communication tools to deal with clients, has no impact over its efficacy in the larger world. The "ugliest chick in the room" is still the only one trying to cure medical diseases, still the only one engineering all the products you buy, still the only one programming the software you use, and still the only one providing 60FPS at whatever resolution you can afford to play on. She might be ugly, but she works hard. There's a reason the PC can't change: it's already everything to all people. The only option for "change" left (as these consoles/tablets have proven) is to isolate the package, make it a single-purpose appliance, and dumb it down. I'll take the hard working ugly girl any day of the week.
The Corrupted One
September 04, 2012 at 7:43am
So gaming rigs...
WITH HATS!?
I want to see them making different sorts of rigs, like a competitor to the Razer Fiona, a gaming all in one etc. Valve should put their creativity toward it, not just brand a couple towers and call it a day.
wolfing
September 04, 2012 at 7:10am
Not sure what could happen in the future. PCs nowadays are not as necessary as they used to be. Outside 'serious gaming', there really is no need for them as everybody use their smart phones or tablets for their requirements (Facebook, Twitter, and the occasional document for school). In my sister's house (family of 5) they each have a tablet and their phone. Long ago they got rid of their desktop PC, and their 2 laptops are gathering dust.
So for 'serious gamers', will Valve's offering be attractive enough to make the big companies (EA, Activision, etc) code their games for new hardware and all this implies?
Time will tell.
wolfing
September 04, 2012 at 10:28am
Well the point I was trying to make (and guess I failed miserably) was not that PCs are doomed, but that Valve's new hardware could take the place of Windows PCs in a lot of households, but only those of serious gamers. For non-serious gamers, they have been pretty much replaced already by tablets/phones. And obviously for business PC will be king for still a long time.
xeones
September 04, 2012 at 10:14am
This is the wrong place to make the comment "PC's are not as necessary nowadays" LOL. I mean, we know too much about computers here. Or "PC on life support" C'mon really?
You know, I'm planning to buy a tablet myself, I'm hoping it will all but replace my LAPTOP. There's no way I could use it when I need to get some serious work done, never mind some serious gaming.
So sales are down right now. Not surprising given all the new tablets and devices coming out, and a new version of windows around the corner. Never mind the slumping global economy.
PCWonder
September 04, 2012 at 8:31am
The company I work for has over 20,000 employees and every one of them uses a computer (desktop or laptop). There is no way we could do our jobs on a tablet or phone. This is one company and there are many more in the same boat. We will always use a computer as would hundreds of thousands of other companies out there.
A small number of people in your world have switched to tablets and phones, this doesn't count as a wide demographic to base your statement "outside serious gaming" on. I would bet several of your small demographic likely even use a PC at their workplace even if they are in retail (many point of sales are pc's not a cash register any more).
The PC won't die because it is so heavily tied into our lives. Tablets and phones have simply given people a convenience of surfing the web without having to sit at their desk or having a big laptop on their lap. I would love to see someone manipulate a large spreadsheet on a tablet, or write a document, or program a game, or etc etc etc.
As for gaming, well today's consoles are made from obsolete hardware where the PC get's hardware updates all the time. I would wager devs would rather develop a game for the PC but because the market for consoles is larger they gravitate that way. Besides. other than Angry Birds type games who wants to play serious games on a tablet?
Warrior247
September 04, 2012 at 9:27am
Why everytime a PC gamer tries to defend the now on life support PC, they ALWAYS point to "work"! That, is the problem. "Work" PCs can't do much else, let alone game. Some only have the programs on them to allow that work and nothing more. Most are severely restricted in terms of access and are kept outdated on purpose! Certain outdated browser programs won't let you visit certain sites. Work PCs ain't sh!t. Consoles out game PCs everyday, all day. More games, better games, waaaay more availability, ect! Pads and phones game and give you unprecedented access that a PC can't hope to match. Smart TVs now surf the web, and stream media. YOU DON'T NEED A PC AT HOME ANYMORE except to print off something and for...work purposes!
don2041
September 04, 2012 at 4:23pm
You need to Read your last sentence very carefully then add gaming to it, then go fuck yourself, hipoctite
Warrior247
September 04, 2012 at 6:29pm
You don't need a PC to game, and game well! Now, go fuck yourself, then read your last sentence very carefully and learn to use spell check and the edit function.
I Jedi
September 04, 2012 at 6:37pm
You are either the biggest troll to wander in here since the Macbook fanboy cried here, or you honestly have a pretty skewed perspective on PC gaming. Others have made the case for PC gaming, and all you've done is rebuttal with baseless claims and assertions. If you like consoles, good for you. Microsoft will always need someone to participate in their closed system.
/thread
PCWonder
September 04, 2012 at 10:32am
"Consoles out game PCs everyday, all day"
This makes you sound like an XBox fanboi or something. It's common knowledge that games always look and play better on a PC over five year old console hardware. Just because a console has more titles than a PC doesn't mean they are better. I guess if you like Rachet and Clank or some equally mundane game then consoles are the way to go. If you want good games the PC always delivers.
"Pads and phones game and give you unprecedented access that a PC can't hope to match"
Explain this to me in a way it doesn't make you look like a fool. Access to what? Angry Birds? Plants Vs Zombies? Bejeweled? Can your iPad do flash? Can you watch a movie on your phone without getting a headache after a half hour? The statement above is absolutely ridiculous considering a tablet and phone is nothing but a SMALLER version of a PC. As to a Smart TV, well just because it's smart it doesn't make it better.
Warrior247
September 04, 2012 at 12:28pm
The console reigns supreme in the world of gaming and is the undisputed, undefeated, king of all media! From gaming, social media, streaming music, movies, multi-player fun for the whole family all for what, $149-$199?!!! A console has waaaay more value per dollar than a PC ever could! They're still selling PS2s! Anybody have a 12yr old PC or a 7yr old PC that can still function as designed? I'll answer for you...NOPE!!! The PC is done! It's
Iike Blockbuster vs Netflix were only those that have not evolved are clinging to a dying standard, then that standard itself dies out! Why do you think that Valve is doing what they're doing? They see the writing on the wall and they're not about to be tossed overboard with a PC locked around their ankle! I'm typing this on a Pad right now with no Internet access anywhere around me whatsoever! Everything that I need to do from work to gaming is right here in my hand. Hell no, no way a PC can hope to match that? The quality of PC games is shoddy at best. BF3 and Skyrim put the nail in the coffin of the PC for me! Neither game worked properly when released, and Skyrim PC was a technical and graphical mess. The PC version STILL doesn't have all of it's content available, the 360 version does! It's a joke. Console ports make up over 90% of the PC's library now. With all of the ports, puzzle games, and browser games, my 580 isn't making any money back at all. How we use technology is changing and the PC can't keep up. It's design and use for a lot of things has been usurped by other devices that can do it just as well if not better! To prove the point even more, the mere fact that the very PC gamers that hate on consoles, Pads and phones actually own one or plan to purchase one and will use it in the exact manner that everybody else does. So this whole anti everything not a PC is hypocritical BS!
MarioJP
September 06, 2012 at 9:33am
A lot of mixed nonsense. The PC is not going anywhere. I don't know where you bringing this up, but just because consoles have ton of games does not mean these games are not s*%t.
If anything console model may not be around much longer. Look at the vita sales and ps3 sales its going the way just like when Facebook went public lol. Every year Sony is losing money. The thing you're forgetting is the PC platform is open. Gabe is worried about a little competition that is all.
The thing is just because you and the masses only use such devices to go on Facebook does not mean the rest of the world does.
Let also not forget that gaming is going to F2P model in the future in all platforms. That be the day i will throw in the towel for gaming in general.
_Redshift_
September 04, 2012 at 4:05pm
What kind of P.O.S. computer are you using that Skyrim and BF3 look better on consoles? How can the PC not keep up with changing technology? Consoles use PC components that are outdated, PC's can be upgraded whenever new components are released, in what way do consoles keep up with technology better than a PC? You can't upgrade tablets or phones either! The reason consoles can still play games 7 or 12 years after being released is because console games are downgraded versions of their PC counterparts that are designed to run on a consoles slow, outdated hardware. Consoles are basically just slow PC's with 5 year old hardware. A PC will always be the best and only choice for any serious PC gamer.
tekknyne
September 04, 2012 at 12:53pm
You typed that whole thing out on a tablet? I feel bad for your thumbs in a couple years when you turn 16. Those limbs will be total shit by the time you hit 20.
Also, Skyrim on PC looked absolutely stunning. You pretty much said everything when you said that your 580 is collecting dust. It makes total sense: when my mom used to buy me things, I didn't appreciate them fully either.
henoch
September 04, 2012 at 10:03am
HA HA HA HA HA !!!!!
Consoles outplay PC's any day ????? HA HA !! What are you on??
You got more games and genres of games on PC that all consoles COMBINED.
I'm not gonna even say anything about performance because it's pointless.
Pc is my entertainment and work center everyday, I don't need anything else at the moment.
I'm sure it will evolve in future but for now I can't see life without my desktop.
I Jedi
September 04, 2012 at 9:56am
So you're making a generalized statement about all "work" PC/laptops without proof that most are outdated "for a reason."
Also,
You lost all credibility when you said...
"Consoles out game PCs everyday"
Enjoy: http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/11/117774/2388502-double_facepalm.jpg
Because apparently, what PC gaming lacks, is a lot of "good" (subjective) games to play. Never mind the thousands of titles on Steam, the ever expanding catalog on Origin, or even major titles like Battlefield, Assassin's Creed, Mass Effect, Splinter Cell, etc, also being released for the PC. God forbid PC gaming should be shunned because several major franchises, such as Halo and Gears of War, aren't entirely available for the PC.
If you prefer consoles over PC, good for you. I'll just stick with my obviously p.o.s. PC gaming that I enjoy more.
Warrior247
September 04, 2012 at 12:47pm
Steam sucks, no decent sports games on PC, the quality of games are horrible right outta the box, huge, hot, heavy, need internet access to play games, heavy DRM, rampant piracy, blah blah blah, blah blah blah, blah blah blah. Keep it.
_Redshift_
September 04, 2012 at 4:14pm
Steam sucks because it doesn't have any good sports games? Seriously? Its not like there are thousands of other games on steam, no, you judge Steam because it does not have one type of game. What does huge, hot, and heavy even mean? PC gamers will keep Steam and all of the games that look and perform so much better on a PC than on a console, and you can have your consoles, tablets, and phones that will never perform better than a desktop PC.
I Jedi
September 04, 2012 at 1:47pm
That is how you feel and see PC gaming, not I. Why are you even here if you don't like PCs in general?
Warrior247
September 04, 2012 at 3:36pm
Like I said before, I like technology, I don't see myself as a "PC" gamer, just as a gamer. It's funny that everybody here likes to bash the console, pads, phones, ect, but won't acknowledge the weakness of the PC and PC gaming! Especially since it seems that the emergence of all of these other technologies are doing what the PC is doing and doing it just as well if not better! Valve is sees exactly what I see as their actions speak louder than words.
ohsnaps1104
September 05, 2012 at 1:31am
I may be a little late and I'm not here to bash consoles, they do have some amazing games. I'm here to state that PC's are clearly far superior. While consoles today are stuck a resolutions of 1920x1080 and lower, my PC can handle over 2560x1440, meaning that I can see more of what goes on on-screen and the image is crispier. Pc's also support Anti-aliasing (the process of removing jaggies), while consoles do not!
_Redshift_
September 04, 2012 at 3:52pm
I wonder why everybody reading Maximum PC bashes tablets, phones and consoles? Maybe because its a PC magazine?
I Jedi
September 04, 2012 at 7:38am
Where does this argument hold any water? You're taking a few people, who apparently don't even use technology beyond output purposes, and saying that the entire PC industry is therefore doomed. You offer no concrete evidence to support your entire assertion that PCs are not "necessary" now. I just want to know what person is going to have the patience to type out a 10k word page document for their business on a tiny keyboard attached to a smartphone since apparently laptops are also "gathering dust."
I honestly can't tell if I'm being taken for a walk, or you're being serious about what you've said.
:P
mls067
September 04, 2012 at 8:23am
I have to agree with jedi here. I still have plenty of people bringing their home computers/laptops to me for repair. On my side of it, not everyone likes tablets..even the non-gamers.
