Valve to release details of home console soon

Move over, Microsoft and Sony: a new home console from Valve is coming.

Over the weekend, Valve launched a new web page that featured a cat, a game controller, and a countdown that may end Tuesday (Manila time).

"Last year, we shipped a software feature called Big Picture, a user-interface tailored for televisions and gamepads. This year we’ve been working on even more ways to connect the dots for customers who want Steam in the living-room," read the message.

"Soon, we’ll be adding you to our design process, so that you can help us shape the future of Steam," it added.

A separate article on TechHive.com said Valve is expected to make three announcements about what could be a Steam-based game console.

It added the part where Valve wants to add people to its design process suggests some people may get their hands on "beta hardware."

"But that’s just a guess. We don’t know much about the rumored Steam Box, a standalone console adaptation of Valve’s PC games retail service," it said.


However, it did note Valve managing director Gabe Newell had promised a Linux-based box to compete with Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation platforms.

Newell had told LinuxCon in New Orleans that "Linux and open source are the future of gaming.”

If this is true, TechHive said this could be a bold choice, as Microsoft's Windows continues to dominate the PC games market.

"Windows has long been the platform of choice for games, and the most popular Linux distribution on Steam (Ubuntu) makes up only 0.4% of users. By comparison, the highest Mac OS (10.8.4) sits at 2.15% and Windows 7 64-bit takes an enormous 51.95% share of the market," it said.

Still, TechHive said Valve's long-awaited sequel Half-Life 3 could "force early adoption of the console among its target demographic."

"The company used the same tactic with Half-Life 2 back in 2004 when it forced users to install the actual Steam service. If there were ever a time to announce the game, it’s now," it said. — VC, GMA News