The Valve co-founder prognosticated Apple’s living room-dominating future at the Washington Technology Industry Association’s TechNW conference game panel, reports the Seattle Times. Newell’s concept of a “platform” may differ from the conventional definition, as he sees the four platforms on which we play comprised of “the Internet, mobile, desktop and the living room.”
Newell said that, despite having no secret knowledge of a new Apple product, he suspects the iPod and iPad maker “will launch a living room product that redefines people’s expectations really strongly and the notion of a separate console platform will disappear.” That product may “disrupt” the living room platform and challenge the console’s hold on the living room.
Apple has been making slow, console-like inroads into the living room with its Apple TV product, which connects to its iPhone and iPad, in some cases using those portable platforms as controllers.
Seemingly worrisome to Newell is Apple’s (and Xbox Live’s) closed platform approach, which he describes as an “ominous” trend.
TechNW: Best and worst of times for games, Valve vs. Apple [Seattle Times]
Akra
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:38 PMSo Basically, OnLive?
Ryan Bismark
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:39 PMNot even nearly the same thing.
Snacuum
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:49 PMIncredibly very much the same thing, since anything else will be a stand-alone game playing device, a console. Which is a computer, that plays video games.
bazuden
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:40 PMI think they’ll need a decent controller system before Apple can take over the living room, cos at the moment the touch controls on the iPhone suck balls.
N0NEoftheAB0VE
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 9:46 PM+1
jim smith
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 10:47 PMtrue. I have no desire for anything other than a control pad to play games on.
Pariah
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 11:00 PMinb4 wii U-style iphone cradle addon.
Ryan Bismark
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:42 PMSomething like what Newell’s describing is so long overdue. Apple is the right company to do it too.
Stu
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:00 PMI hate apple fanboys
Adam
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:09 PMI’unno.
I ain’t a Apple fanboy, but it would be interesting to see what happens.
My iPod jailbroken is the best device out there in the world.
Ryan Bismark
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:40 PMEven if I was an Apple fanboy, who gives a shit about your allegiance to a corporate entity? Bigotry is the most effective way to combat progress.
Chazz
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:42 PMDumbing down technology, taking away as much control from the end user as possible and charging more for it is progress?
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:50 PMThe things about technology that you care about are not what 99% of the rest of the world cares about.
Ron
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 7:18 PMMight I add the nintendo wii into this line up. Why was it so popular and why couldn’t apple do this. Apple will have majority of the share in the console space.
AerintheADEQUATE
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 5:52 AMWell Chazz is talking about actual “Progress”… everyone else seems to be throwing “Popularity” up in the air and pretending it’s the same thing.
Ryan Bismark
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:57 PMIf you want that level of complexity, awesome. Install Linux on your home machine, run everything from commandline, install two video cards – whatever gives you the tech buzz you’re looking for.
Like markd says: most people don’t care for complexity or customisability. These people just want to do stuff on their device. And guess what? *They* are the new majority.
Chazz
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:10 PMAnd that’s the problem. Progress is supposed to be a good thing is it not? How is paying more for less a good thing?
Chazz
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:21 PMI should add that having control over what you do with your devices does not instantly mean it’s too complicated or too much for people who want simplicity and ease of use.
Look at android phones like the Samsung Galaxy and such. Simple, straight-forward and easy to use but the option to do whatever you want, how you want is still there.
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:10 PMThere it is! that question “how is paying more for less a good thing?” perfectly highlights how you do not understand what people are actually valuing and that it is very different from what you value.
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:30 PMThere will always be a market for the tech loving people that want to fiddle with things, but fortunately now computing as a whole is becoming about everyone else, the majority, not an entire industry run by and catering for a niche.
People dont want “control over their devices”. By people I mean 99% of people, not you. 99% of people dont want control over how the fuel pump in their car works either, they just want to get in and drive.
Chazz
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:24 PMYou clearly missed it so I’ll post it again;
Look at android phones like the Samsung Galaxy and such. Simple, straight-forward and easy to use straight out of the box but the option to do whatever you want, how you want is still there if that’s how you like it. Same goes for the tablets. That’s why I don’t understand people who use Apple products. Back the companies that provide choice, not the companies that treat you like idiot children…
mattroe
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:27 PMTerrible analogy. A more accurate analogy would be saying that Apple would like to combine the accelerator and brake pedals into one. Taking away functionality, putting in some old hardware, slapping a fancy logo and overcharging for no reason is Apple’s secret to success, and it’s depressing that it works.
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:55 PMOkay, to serve your car analogy properly re: the combined pedals:
Image most people had no interest in cars. 99% of people either didnt care about or plain detested driving. Ideally, we’d get in a car, and it would drive itself to where we wanted to go. Thats what I and most people want with our computers and phones. You are different.
Stu
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:45 PMWhen there is a lack of competition, There becomes a lack of innovation.
Haplo
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 7:17 PMAnd yet the “apple car” would not have the option for you to take control over the wheel ~if you so choose~. You are forced to be driven, with no other option. The “android car” still does the hands-free driving, but you ~can~ take control of the wheel and drive if you want.
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:55 PMSo do I, I suspect they share quite a few similarities with the way you think.
James Mac
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:42 PMSee, I envision a present where Gabe Newell has killed PC retail… and Digital Distribution competition.
TheJokerDies
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:12 PMLOL Gabe fanboy. He hasn’t killed off retail, nor the competition. Keep dreaming.
James Mac
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:27 PMThere was no way in which that was a positive statement about Gabe.
I really, really don’t like him.
TheLastQuestion
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:44 PMApple could probably throw millions of dollars at console development right now and not even bat an eyelid.
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:48 PM“Apple will control the entertainment in your living room, making “the notion of a separate console platform” disappear.” That first line is editorial – no-one will ever ‘control’ the entertainment in your living room, but I would expect Apple to continue to evolve appletv into something that would dethrone my ps3 from being the main device that runs my television.
Chazz
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:52 PMAs much as I love Gabe I hope that he turns out to be TOTALLY wrong on this.
Matt
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:04 PMOh don’t worry, Gabe has been always known for his wild accusations and mood swings.
Remember how he disliked the PlayStation 3 and said how it was closed like a Mac or GameCube? And now he supports it!
Chazz
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:09 PMTrue dat. Let’s hope this is another instance of it. Otherwise;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhnN54tHjkI
Mic
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:05 PMBecause a guy can’t change his mind after a company changes it’s practises and betters it’s dev-kits over 3-4 years?
Alinos
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:57 PMIt’ll be awesome
Apple will release there thing it will cost 4 times as much as anything like it surely should.
Millions will buy it.
PC gaming will forever be cheaper :D
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:31 PMI’ll never understand this obsession with price
Chazz
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:36 PMYou’re right. People focussing on value for money is just downright weird!
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:52 PMEveryone likes value for money Chazz, people who are into computers tend to value different things to most people.
Chazz
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:05 PMLike what exactly?
James Mac
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:26 PMGoat porn.
The Cracks
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:44 PMYou win the internets.
James Mac
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:02 PMI’d like to thank the academy.
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:14 PMCustomisation, cheap prices, raw performance.
mattroe
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:57 PMThere’s literally no reason for Macs to be more expensive. They soulder old processors to the motherboard so you can’t upgrade, chuck in an old graphics card and charge hundreds of dollars extra.
Matt
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:57 PMSo does that mean no more Steam support for Mac?
Gladice
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 2:58 PMI find this more worrisome than the threat of global warming. I need to sort out my priorities.
Bryce
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 3:13 PMI find the idea that people can be taken and run through brutal, pointless tests for science more worrying them the above.
RB
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:11 PMSo simply because Apple enters the console territory, they will revolutionize the platform and all the current competitors will not bother with their own innovation and just stop making devices in that market space, making Apple the ONLY choice?…
Umm… Sure… Cos that makes perfect sense…
Oh wait a sec, I see what will happen… Apple will secure all the ‘console like’ patents and just sue anyone that tries to compete with them, which in turn will kill competition driven innovation #]
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:21 PMI’m not sure how forcing people to make something other than a replica of your product would be killing any innovation..then again if they are the kind of people that need to be sued to stop them doing it then they probably aren’t very innovative in the first place :P
Ash
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:14 PMLess thinking, more HL2:EP3 please :P
PHuZZy
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:29 PMSounds more like the new stuff that’s already happening in the next XBox upgrade.
Prashy
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 4:39 PMI hope this doesn’t happen, I like my Playstation.
markd
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 5:37 PMSeems pretty logical to me, in the future games/apps/media will just live across multiple devices in the one eco system, and there will be multiple eco systems.
iPhone/iPad > AppleTV + TV
Sony handheld > Playstation console + TV
Nintendo handheld > Nintendo console + TV
Microsoft phone > Xbox console + TV
Android phone > Google something + TV
The notion is not of multiple platforms disappearing, its the notion of content (games) being exclusively run on a console device disappearing.
thxultra
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:01 PMOne word – 3DO
Franz
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:31 PMNice to see the experts at least TRYING to catch up when it comes to understanding the future.
Apple and Google will fight each other in the market for systems the manage the whole house, not some minor 1 or 2 room setup that controls a few things, this guy will figure that out soon.
Glen
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:44 PMValve sees many futures. Not all will come to pass.
James
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 6:52 PMoh god no..
Apple just stay with what your doing with the phones and stuff, k.
Ad
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 8:25 PMThe day that happens is the day I kick off Project Mayhem.
Joshy206
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 8:28 PM• He also sees a future in which Episode 3 comes out
• I highly doubt Apple will dominate the market as much as we thought it would now that Jobs is gone
• I also think that he is also killing the console. And I don’t think that’s a good thing.
jim smith
Wednesday, October 12, 2011 at 10:45 PMas long as Sony still keeps making awesome games I don’t care what I play them on.
Underworld
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 12:33 AMHELL NO. Please apple, just stick with phones. The day that happens and there’s no more playstation, is the day I quit gaming. Wouldn’t be the same.
Shinkada
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 1:26 AMApple is the antithesis to progress. The iPod was a straight rip off of other MP3 players, which wouldn’t be a bad thing except it was twice the price, had half as a much space, and imposed mandatory media-overseer software to transfer your files.
The iPhone was even worse because people were ready to copy it. I love the Samsung Galaxy because it’s the first phone I’ve had since the iPhone came out to support drag and drop. Let me repeat that. I LOVE A PHONE BECAUSE IT LETS ME DO SOMETHING I WAS DOING TEN YEARS AGO.
Apple has mutilated the progress of technology and the sooner their fad ends the sooner we can go back to actually making things better, instead of just making them sleeker, whiter, and featuring more tight-jeaned ads aimed at hipsters.
AerintheADEQUATE
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 6:03 AMShhh, don’t you realize that you’re upsetting the “We value things differently because if you don’t agree that shiny white plastic and a uni-button is worth extra hundreds of dollars then you are a super nerd who is obviously out of touch with the rest of us uninformed masses and therefore must be marginalized”-folks…
But I guess that’s not such a bad thing. It’s usually bad news if that crowd likes you, in my experience.
bigkid
Thursday, October 13, 2011 at 1:24 PMWith Steve Jobs not around, I’d think otherwise.