Valve Looks to Release its First Console Next Year

Barely two weeks ago, we finally found some hard evidence that Valve was looking to create a video game console, but who knew that the company already has working prototypes and has been hard at work testing them? In talking to Engadget, that factoid was unveiled, and I must say, I’m impressed. Valve didn’t do the best job keeping its console plans totally locked-down, but I would have never guessed the company’s progress has been so great.

Valve’s immediate goal with its console will be to “make Steam games more fun to play in your living room”, which involves both allowing a PC gamer to kick back on the couch with a gamepad or a keyboard+mouse, and likely ease die-hard console gamers to give a mouse+keyboard a try. I am supposing Valve thinks the biggest issue with console gamers not wanting to play PC games is that it’s hard to fit a couch in a computer room.

Valve’s Big Picture mode, which we took a look at not long ago, will be the main interface for its console, and it’s currently unknown if any other interface will be available at all – but chances are, no.

Going forward, we can expect to learn a lot more about Valve’s console in likely a small amount of time, as the company plans to have its first product shipped within a year.