14 DAY TRIAL // Over the weekend a strong rumor appeared that video game developer Valve was working on a new set-top box device called a Steam Box, designed to expand the range of PC-based gamers and to compete directly with Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.
A patent for a controller that Valve has been working on for the last three years also suggests that development work on the Steam Box is pretty advanced.
The patent was filed in 2009 by Mike Ambinder, Steven Bond and Scott Dalton, who are all employees of the company, and Valve Corporation is listed as the assignee, and refers to a Video Game Controller that seems pretty standard but includes swappable components.
This basically means that players will be able to switch around the placement of some of the controls and even add new peripherals, like a trackball, in order to respond to the requirements of some gaming experiences.
The controller that Valve is working on is being referred to as being smart, which means that it can automatically re-configure based on the swapped components.
It will also include biometric feedback, which might mean that some of the player’s physical characteristics will be tracked and will be used to determine how gaming experiences play.
The Steam Box would be designed to be simple to set up and use and will be built around the Steam digital distribution platform, although sources talking about it suggest that Valve would allow rival services to run on it.
It seems that Valve has already met with potential partners at the CES event and that they are planning to create a machine that includes an Intel top-of-the-line processor, an Nvidia graphics card and 8 GB of RAM.
Gabe Newell, the leader of Valve, has recently said in an interview that his company might be forced to sell hardware in the coming years.