News like this tends to crop up every few months. Well, a new job posting on the Valve website says that they are looking for an Industrial Designer.
Nothing too weird about that, right? Well, not until you read the description for the job.
Now, before everyone gets all crazy saying that Valve is making a home console or that Valve is going to do this or that, we have to take a step back and remember something. Valve has been working on various hardware pieces for quite some time now, nearly all of which have been in-house projects in some form or another. This includes their prototype wearable computer that they surely have have stashed away behind multiple sentry turrets.
Obviously, Valve would be interested in standardizing the PC hardware for many reasons. They have had prototypes built in the past with (at the time) top of the line hardware around the time the idea of the Steam Box was first made public. Standardization of the hardware would be great for any development studio as it would allow for troubleshooting and fixes to arrive much faster compared to dealing with countless hardware configurations and variables.
Again, just wait and see.
Nothing too weird about that, right? Well, not until you read the description for the job.
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.
Now, before everyone gets all crazy saying that Valve is making a home console or that Valve is going to do this or that, we have to take a step back and remember something. Valve has been working on various hardware pieces for quite some time now, nearly all of which have been in-house projects in some form or another. This includes their prototype wearable computer that they surely have have stashed away behind multiple sentry turrets.
Obviously, Valve would be interested in standardizing the PC hardware for many reasons. They have had prototypes built in the past with (at the time) top of the line hardware around the time the idea of the Steam Box was first made public. Standardization of the hardware would be great for any development studio as it would allow for troubleshooting and fixes to arrive much faster compared to dealing with countless hardware configurations and variables.
Again, just wait and see.
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