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Newell: We Could Develop And Sell Hardware Directly

Well, anybody can try, I suppose.

Innovation is essential in any creative-based industry, and Valve boss says Gabe Newell says new hardware needs to deliver in this respect. But if the major manufacturers won't get the job done, he will.

"If we have to sell hardware we will," Newell told Penny Arcade. And although he admits they have no experience in this field, he believes it might be necessary to support the kind of projects they want to do. Said Newell:

"We have no reason to believe we're any good at it, it's more we think that we need to continue to have innovation and if the only way to get these kind of projects started is by us going and developing and selling the hardware directly then that's what we'll do."

He added that Valve would want to "bring its own development style" and specifically, "openness" to the hardware design process. Basically, Newell says it's about taking the philosophy of Team Fortress; i.e., an "incremental approach in software design," and applying that to hardware.

"The sort of old method of, you know, let's go make a giant pile of inventory and hope that some set of applications emerge to justify this giant hardware investment doesn't seem to be the - very consistent with what we've seen to be the fastest ways to move stuff forward, so we're trying to come up with an alternative to that that gives us the ability to iterate more rapidly."

Newell went on to talk about pricing (he says free-to-play makes more sense than a set fee to enter a virtual world), and his desire to see more MMOs on consoles. He's certainly welcome to try out new hardware, if it comes to that, but as usual, it just sounds like Valve wants consoles to be PCs. Their insistence that all gamers would prefer that sounds vaguely familiar to past statements...but that's okay.

Provided we get Half-Life 3 and Portal 3, you can do what you want.

Tags: next-gen consoles, new consoles, valve, new hardware

2/24/2012 10:14:42 AM Ben Dutka

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Comments (37 posts)

Highlander
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 11:15:29 AM
Reply

So, Gabe is back on his egomaniac train again? Valve is so awesome that they think they can jump into the console hardware game as well? My god, this man's ego knows no bounds.

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friction
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 11:22:33 AM

It can't hurt.

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Highlander
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 12:19:06 PM

Yeah, actually, it can.

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Underdog15
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 12:26:18 PM

Yeah, it's a bad idea. Most people don't keep up with gaming news. Once again, Gabe thinks more of himself than is actually there.

Agree with this comment 5 up, 3 down Disagree with this comment

LimitedVertigo
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 2:25:38 PM

What is wrong with believing in yourself?

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Underdog15
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 3:12:37 PM

Nothing, LV. There's a few things I believe in myself about, and I can do a kick a$$ job of most things I do. And I brag about it, too. Sometimes just to make people, who say they don't care, mad as I watch them react... obviously caring. Heck, some people over in the forums bring facts about my awesomeness up months after I mention said facts! lol. Some call it pride or self-righteousness. Whatever. (I call it "healthy moxy") I'm sure you're the same way with your own things. You want to be the best, you have to have a certain degree of cockiness. (As long as you know your limits) So in that respect, I agree.

But I also have realistic expectations. I'm not gonna win the lottery and no one is going to give me my dream job on a silver platter... no matter how incredibly awesome I am. And there are lots of things I would call another professional for advice about or make referrals or recommendations to folks to go somewhere I think they can get better service... Because I know what I'm good at, and I stick to that without trying to branch into areas I'm not good at. The result is that people only see me with record setting statistics at my work. And it... you know... GETS me to real places. And it's because I got that moxy -WHILE- knowing what I'm not capable of. Gabe lacks that second part. Basic rule of thumb (Gabe could learn from): Don't act like you know sh!t you don't know sh!t about.

Valve is only mildly awesome, and trying to take hardware into their own hands isn't going to win them the lottery and it isn't going to deliver them legions of fans on a silver platter. Trying to branch out beyond what they are good at is a bad idea. They need to realize that any awesomeness they possess does not automatically transfer itself into areas they haven't tried before. Let Sony do what they rock at, and then get Valve to do what they rock at. Valve needs to keep their mouth shut about not reaching their ambitions until they -ACTUALLY- max something.... ANYTHING.... out.

That's my beef with the ambitiousness we see here.
Last edited by Underdog15 on 2/24/2012 3:16:24 PM

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___________
Saturday, February 25, 2012 @ 1:30:42 AM

my god where the hell did you get that from!?
this is EXACTLY the problem with gaming journalism these days, they just slap quotes out of context and you end up with this.
the whole interview was about upcoming hardware where gabe saw it going, and what they would like to see.
then after he gave his answer the first question was and if you dont get that, would you make your own hardware.
nothing egotistical about that!
please do me a favour, check who your aiming at before you fire your guns.
your going to shoot some toes off!

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Underdog15
Monday, February 27, 2012 @ 2:33:16 PM

Yeah... we all read it. He made yet another comment about wanting more powerful hardware and said if no one else gives it to him, he'll do it himself if he has to.

Most of us recognize that and see the irony there... because he hasn't maxed a damned thing ever.

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coverton341
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 11:40:00 AM
Reply

Just make Half-Life 3 already.

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Jawknee
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 11:44:38 AM

This.

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Mr_Sterg
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 2:33:09 PM

...on a valve console. I'm sure it would sell like crazy.

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Nlayer
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 11:59:31 AM
Reply

Perhaps "Half-Life 3" will end up being a console itself! Haha.

It'll be interesting to see what Valve will do. But recently I've been sticking closer and closer to just the Playstation brand. Mostly because I don't have enough time to get into everything anymore. :(

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FatherSun
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 3:41:53 PM

Maybe they will make Half a console. Or worse.. Valve makes a console that only survives for Half its expected life..

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Beamboom
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 12:14:17 PM
Reply

I definitely share his view on wanting to see more mmos on consoles though. Heck, just *one* really good one would make me a happy pappy.

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 12:34:26 PM

Why? You have a PC, don't you?

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Axe99
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 3:32:18 PM

@ Ben - aye, but PC MMOs tend to have clunky and overly convoluted control mechanisms that are hardly necessary for the depth of 'action' that generally takes place in MMOs. You have a shortcut list of 40 items most of which are just doing different tastes of a same thing.

The core experience of an MMO (ie, the social questing together and taking on challenges together stuff) would work well on console, and potentially cut out the busywork that often turns me off the genre.

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leatherface
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 12:25:42 PM
Reply

His idea of a new console would be duct taping a george foreman grill to a PC. Then he can have MMO's and BBQ's.
Last edited by leatherface on 2/24/2012 12:26:56 PM

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Fane1024
Sunday, February 26, 2012 @ 2:05:46 AM

Ahhh, the fat jokes that were absent from the last article on Gabe make their triumphant return.

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Underdog15
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 12:27:36 PM
Reply

Sorry Gabe. You're games are good. But you would fail at console making. Even if it's well designed, that doesn't mean it'll be a success or that you can support it with other 3rd party software.

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CaptRon
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 12:33:07 PM
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Not once in that whole article did he mention making a console... He is talking about hardware, which I'm sure he means the video card market. I think Gabe could care less about consoles, and I'm getting to that point too. They are just slowing up progress. And I've been a Sony fan for years.

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 12:36:00 PM

I didn't say he wanted to make a new console, either. The word used was hardware.

He said he wants more MMOs on consoles. And the bottom line is that he wants consoles to be PCs, because he's a PC elitist and has been...well, forever.

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Geobaldi
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 9:09:51 PM

Consoles really aren't that far from being called PC's now. Just add an operating system and they basically are PC's just on a smaller scale. That's why I still say that before long consoles will be a thing of the past at some point.

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Russell Burrows
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 1:02:44 PM
Reply

In other words what Valve wants to try is to let AMD or Intel or some other lab rat make the hardware and take the risks.
Not going to happen! Sega Dreamcast.............

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WorldEndsWithMe
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 1:02:58 PM
Reply

try making some modern software first

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Underdog15
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 1:51:58 PM

zing!

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Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 2:03:38 PM

HA.

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Russell Burrows
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 2:55:59 PM
Reply

Yeah!
AMD: yeah we can make it and by the way can you give us a twenty something list of launch games?

Valve: twenty? twenty!! but, but we may have two or maybe one launch game thats a retread.

Pissed off! AMD CEO:
One lousy Valve game is all they have??

And it will go downhill from there.................

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gray_eagle
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 3:24:13 PM
Reply

scary thought, valve teams up with microsoft to make the next gen xbox console.

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Axe99
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 3:33:24 PM

Would be an interesting combination - MS who are very much pro-closed architecture, with Valve who are the opposite! If Valve can sweet-talk MS into being more open, power to them :).

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Russell Burrows
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 6:23:05 PM
Reply

A Microsoft/Valve console where only new games will run??

Sorry consumers but your used games will not run on this MS console??

Nah!!



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Douchebaguette
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 6:37:28 PM
Reply

Imagine a Valve console...

What would they call it?

'THE STEAMROLLER'

Lol.

Provided that they convince an experienced hardware manufacturer (such as Samsung, Philips or Panasonic) to take care of the hardware department they could make a great console.

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Underdog15
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 6:50:44 PM

lol. Provided they.... get someone else to do it... they could make a great console. At least, that's what you're saying.

I love it.

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dbyzforce
Friday, February 24, 2012 @ 10:19:05 PM

Maybe have full out Steam service, merged or coexisting on the PS4! Look what Valve offer partial Steam integration with Portal 2 on PS3. Imagine a full out partnership. Might give Sony the edge over MS and Nintendo!! Only a suggestion though...
Last edited by dbyzforce on 2/24/2012 10:20:54 PM

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BikerSaint
Saturday, February 25, 2012 @ 1:13:31 AM
Reply

I'm not so sure that I'd want my new Valve gaming console in the shape of a outdoor faucet handle

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___________
Saturday, February 25, 2012 @ 1:33:08 AM
Reply

oh lord no!
the last thing valve need is more distractions!
the only thing valve should be worrying about is a new engine, and a new half life game whatever it is.
be it half life 2 epp 3, or half life 3 i dont give a sh*t just bring back gordon freeman!
we need to teach the industry again not all shooters have to be military games!
and that shooters can have amazing stories.
they seem to have forgotten.

Last edited by ___________ on 2/25/2012 1:33:48 AM

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Coffeya
Saturday, February 25, 2012 @ 7:07:38 PM
Reply

Speaking of penny arcade, it took them forever to ship out the asura's wrath comic/art book.

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Fane1024
Sunday, February 26, 2012 @ 2:09:57 AM
Reply

Heck, Microsoft aren't "any good at it", but that doesn't stop THEM from making hardware. Or software, for that matter.

Can Valve really do worse?

;P

On a serious note, Valve didn't know anything about running a content delivery system before Steam.

Last edited by Fane1024 on 2/26/2012 2:12:09 AM

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