Valve is Officially Entering the Hardware Market
Thanks to a job posting on their own website that’s scouting for an Industrial Designer, it has been confirmed that famed software developer Valve is making a move toward crafting computer hardware – presumably a dedicated gaming platform (a “Steam Box” of sorts) – despite dismissing initial rumors.
From the horse’s mouth (i.e. the Industrial Designer listing):
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.
Valve goes on to say that they believe there is “a real void in the marketplace, and opportunities to create compelling user experiences are being overlooked." The company wishes to examine even the most traditional aspects of computer gaming, like the standard keyboard and mouse setup, and try to change them for the better.
Innovation sums up Valve’s mission statement in a word, so it’s hard not to go weak in the knees at the prospect of their own hardware. Save for an almost complete lack of expertise in hardware manufacturing, Valve is exactly the type of brain trust you’d want behind a project like this.
If innovation happens to be your game, as well, feel free to peruse Valve’s job postings.