Valve working on ‘Steam Box’ PC gaming console: report

The gaming industry has been rocked by a rumour that has surely grabbed the attention of the brass at Sony and Microsoft.

Multiple sources including TechSpot, PC Gamer and Geek.com are reporting that Valve, creator of the Steam community gaming platform, is working on a PC gaming console called the "Steam Box."

"The rumor, reported by The Verge last Friday, puts Valve in an interesting position to shape the next generation of console gaming," shares David Daw in a PC World story. "The hardware's presumed heavy integration with Steam would create a console store that Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Store would have a lot of trouble keeping up with."

Rumours around the Steam Box began to swirl shortly after Valve co-founder, Gabe Newell, shared his thoughts in a recent interview with The Penny Arcade Report.

Newell was quoted as saying, "if we have to sell hardware we will," which immediately galvanized interest in the company's plans for the future. A subsequent report from The Verge suggests that, according to sources, the game developer responsible for A-list titles such as Left 4 Dead and Half-Life has been secretly working on gaming hardware for the television.

"The machine would basically offer up access to Steam and all its games in console form on your TV," reports Matthew Humphries for Geek.com. "Not only that, but it would also be compatible with competing services such as EA's Origin digital games service."

As this rumour appears to have legs, many are expecting to see confirmation at this week's Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California. Details on the Steam Box' specs are few, but here's what we can share:

PC World: "The Verge speculates that Valve's console would feature upgradable hardware that used biometrics in some way along with a proprietary controller that let you swap out components depending on game type. Valve filed a patent for just such a controller last year."

Geek.com: "The hardware is based on the Alienware X51 and includes a Core i7 processor, 8GB RAM, and a Nvidia GPU solution. That combination makes it capable of playing every game Steam has to offer, as well as most, if not all future titles for a couple of years at least."

TechSpot: "The release of the Alienware X51 could be yet another hint of things to come, as the dimensions would be ideal for making the "Steam Box" according to The Verge. They believe the firm has been working on hardware specs, which might include an i7 processor, 8GB RAM and an Nvidia GPU. If it becomes a reality, it will play standard PC titles, as well as allow rival gaming services like EA's Origin to be installed and used."

TQ Cast:
- "Software would be available to any company that wants to get in the game."
- "Basic specs include: Core i7 CPU, 8GB of RAM, and an NVIDIA GPU."
- "Can run any standard PC titles."
- "Rival services such as Origin could be loaded up."
- "Hardware will give developers a clear lifecycle for their products, with changes possibly coming every three to four years."

If Valve is indeed preparing to take the gaming industry by storm, we'll let you know as soon as we hear more. Check back with The Right Click later in the week for news from the Game Developers Conference.

(Geek.com photo)