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kumkss

Posts: 4834
Location: Chile

Posted: Wed, 22nd Feb 2012 16:21 Post subject: Valve may dip into wearable computing hardware

according to this site http://www.electronista.com/articles/12/02/20/valve.software.may.leap.from.games.to.devices/

Quote:

Valve Software founder Gabe Newell in an interview Monday disclosed that his company was considering getting into hardware. While careful to couch it for Penny Arcade as contingent on what the rest of the market did, the Portal and Left 4 Dead co-creator divulged that the company might make its own wearable computing. The company had already been experimenting with the technology, Newell said, and it would get involved if there weren't signs partnerships or independent work didn't step in first.

"If we have to sell hardware we will," he said. "We have no reason to believe we’re any good at it, it’s more we think that we need to continue to have innovation and if the only way to get these kind of projects started is by us going and developing and selling the hardware directly then that’s what we’ll do."

Wearables like eyepieces were considered ideal since the technology had some possible advantages. Having a view so close to the eye made for a "hundred inch iPad" but used much less power than the tablet. Augmented reality would get a boost, although it wasn't necessarily the primary intention.

Part of why Valve had become involved at all was to avoid the classic chicken-and-egg problem of hardware development, where a large effort had to be spent on hardware with no guarantees that the hardware would follow suit. Ideally, an "incremental" model like Team Fortress 2 was ideal, where features trickled out and kept users interested.

The mention of hardware prospects is an unusual twist for Valve. It has had hardware labs for some time, but primarily to test input methods for its own games rather than to develop its own products.

BearishSun

Posts: 4484

Posted: Wed, 22nd Feb 2012 16:30 Post subject:	Quick Quote Quote

I was just thinking about this today when I saw google is making one of those "smart-glasses", which they seem to be referring to. I wonder if those things replace smartphones one day.

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Frant
King's Bounty

Posts: 24636
Location: Your Mom

Posted: Thu, 23rd Feb 2012 22:24 Post subject:	Quick Quote Quote

So Valve is slowly leaving game development and consolidating as an online service/hardware vendor? Great, means we'll see a Half Life 3 that is only playable on a Valve smartphone with sensors on your arms. Ph'nglui mglw'nafh Cthulhu R'lyeh wgah'nagl fhtagn! "The sky was the color of a TV tuned to a dead station" - Neuromancer

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BearishSun

Posts: 4484

Posted: Thu, 23rd Feb 2012 22:44 Post subject:

I think they're working on a portal and/or gravity gun.

Spoiler:

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