Topic: Valve says it's jumping into the computer hardware business

[shingi_70]

http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/3/3289689/valve-confirms-hardware-plans

Looks like the steambox may be real after all.
 http://www.theverge.com/2012/3/2/2840932/exclusive-valve-steam-box-gaming-console

Honestly this seems like a good thing as the Mac and Windows app store becomes the go to place. Valve obviously have ambitions of expanding steam and having their own hardware and OS could help.

[ShyGuy]

Good for them. PC Gaming needs a kick in the pants

[BranDonk Kong]

They pointed out that "even in basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven't really changed much in any meaningful way over the years," so...they might just be making new input devices.

[Chozo Ghost]

They pointed out that "even in basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven't really changed much in any meaningful way over the years," so...they might just be making new input devices.

It could be both. Probably best if they do both, because that way if the Steambox fails for whatever reason, they could then fall back on the input devices just like what ended up happening with that Phantom console thing years ago. Its wise to have a plan B in place in case plan A doesn't work out.

[ThePerm]

i was thinking this constantly for the last few years, keyboards need a paradigm shift.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/forums/index.php?topic=38516.msg748611#msg748611

[ShyGuy]

Keyboards are really stuck in the same old spot. What was the last big thing? The Windows Key?

[Chozo Ghost]

What if someone took the motion gimmick of the wiimote and combined it with a keyboard into some new weird hybrid thing? You remember the video at E3 of the Wii U tablet being able to snap onto the Wii Zapper? Well what if there was a PC Zapper equivalent, and then a keyboard could snap on to the back, and then a mouse could go where the nunchuck goes... but on top of all that, you can also use the motion control aspect of the PC Zapper. Imagine how such a device would revolutionize PC Gaming.

[ThePerm]

i say get rid of the number pad and the f keys, replace the number pad with a touch screen and then add several new buttons, or make the function keys legitimately function keys.  I have a few ideas really. I would get rid of keys all together, but i like the feel of keys.

[oohhboy]

Keyboards are really stuck in the same old spot. What was the last big thing? The Windows Key?

Nah, it was the Apple Command key.  :

Honestly this seems like a good thing as the Mac and Windows app store becomes the go to place. Valve obviously have ambitions of expanding steam and having their own hardware and OS could help.

For games there is no reason to ever shop in those two stores. You are far better off getting it direct from the developer, Steam for Steamplay or online stores like Good old Games. Both of those OS shops are bottom of the barrel in the places you could go.

[Oblivion]

I want Nintendo and Valve to merge. Aww yiss

[oohhboy]

Thankfully Nintendo blew off EA and Origin. Had Nintendo decided to use EA's system, I would have sworn off Nintendo forever. However Nintendo and Valve would never happen as Nintendo values it's independence too much. Nintendo as the hardware maker would also bear a disproportionate amount of the risk in such a partnership no matter how low Valve's cut of the sales would be. From Valve's position, getting any cut of the sale would be near free money for them in comparison to the amount of risk and work they would have to do to set up the store.

What Nintendo needs to do to get a proper online system is to get over their hang ups and outright paranoia about going on line.

[shingi_70]

Of course the mac and windows store will be inferior to steam. The prooblem is for the average user the windows and mac app store are enough and as those platforms get more mature they could rival steam for gaming. (Not likely)

But vavle wants to expand steam and the venture into non gaming software shows they want to grow their market past the already established gamer market.  That's where the windows and mac app stores become a problem.

Wonder if this would be a console like entity or Vavles own linux based PC. It could even be both.

[NWR_insanolord]

Keyboards are really stuck in the same old spot. What was the last big thing? The Windows Key?

Nah, it was the Apple Command key.  :

Honestly this seems like a good thing as the Mac and Windows app store becomes the go to place. Valve obviously have ambitions of expanding steam and having their own hardware and OS could help.

For games there is no reason to ever shop in those two stores. You are far better off getting it direct from the developer, Steam for Steamplay or online stores like Good old Games. Both of those OS shops are bottom of the barrel in the places you could go.

Speaking as a Mac gamer, if I'm buying a game that's not available on Steam, which is most major releases, I'd much rather deal with Apple's system than Aspyr's or Feral's. I like what Aspyr's trying to do with GameAgent, but I have a lot more confidence in Apple being around a decade from now than any of those porting houses.

[MegaByte]

Nah, it was the Apple Command key.  :

The Atari key preceded that one.

[oohhboy]

Aspyr, VP and Feral system is a bit annoying, but that's a product of their own business model. Had they they negotiated porting contracts that didn't require them to make the sales themselves, the Mac gaming scene as a whole would be much healthier. While the ports are welcome, it's not a very good system where everybody loses out in one way or another. However a lot of this is due to the apathy of the original developers.

Nah, it was the Apple Command key.  : :

The Atari key preceded that one.

I think Any key was before that. I really have no idea.  I oldest Keyboard I know is the IBM Model M.

[Chozo Ghost]

I would get rid of keys all together, but i like the feel of keys.

What if the keys were literally keys which you then put into a keyhole and turned? In my opinion this is what a keyboard should be... a board for keys.

[ShyGuy]

What about the ergonomic split keyboards?

[Chozo Ghost]

[Ian Sane]

Those of you suggesting changes to keyboards, you do realize these things aren't just made for GAMES, right?  The computer keyboard isn't a videogame controller at all.  It's just been shoehorned into that role.  You can't just experiment with new keyboard designs without taking into account the non-gaming functionality a computer is used for.

[Ceric]

The keyboard stuff is a joke.  The Keyboard is probably the oldest piece of PC tech we regularly use to this day (Considering it was original part of the Typewriter which pre-dates computer by a good degree, in fact it might be the the oldest thing besides the fan.)

Mouse has room for change but, we are all so use to it.  Voice would be awesome.

[Chozo Ghost]

Voice would be awesome.

It sounds good in theory, just like how waggle control sounded good in theory. The problem with both of them is they are horribly imprecise. You will want something to happen, but it will get registered differently and then something else completely different ends up happening. Its very frustrating. At least with a keyboard it does exactly what you tell it to. Sure, you can make typos by hitting the wrong keys, but if you do that's not the keyboard's fault.

[Ian Sane]

There is a simple problem with voice commands - it makes noise.  Have you never used your computer at night while others in the same house have gone to bed?  Do you think they want to hear you talking to your computer while they're trying to sleep?  Sometimes I'll be on my PC while my brother is in the same room watching TV.  If I had to speak commands the whole time he would constantly be telling me to shut up.  How do you do this in a computer lab at a school or at the library?  Of course the imprecise nature of it that Chozo pointed out is also a big flaw with it.

Voice, like motion control, is sci-fi tech.  It looks cool in a movie so everyone wants it without thinking how ridiculous impractical it would be to use in the real world.  They put that stuff in movies because it looks cool and is more visual stimulating then seeing someone slowly working a normal computer.

[Ceric]

You see the problem is that we already have a very refined letter input device.  We have a very refined virtual poking tool.  You have to go somewhere and anywhere we go from here is more and more niche except Mind Control and that's at least 10-30 years till something practical and reliable.

So if you want to be thinking beyond today's inputs you'll have to think about the niche.  Voice Commands are still the most promising.  Most people now how to speak and give command this way every day.  Rarely do you write a note and then hand it to someone to give them direction. 

[shingi_70]

I dunno I use voice controls on my xbox and for google now. They work pretty well.

[NWR_insanolord]

Aspyr, VP and Feral system is a bit annoying, but that's a product of their own business model. Had they they negotiated porting contracts that didn't require them to make the sales themselves, the Mac gaming scene as a whole would be much healthier. While the ports are welcome, it's not a very good system where everybody loses out in one way or another. However a lot of this is due to the apathy of the original developers.

All true, but I'm just saying the Mac App Store is preferable and has a more secure future than the DRM systems implemented by those companies, in response to your claim that there's no reason to shop there for games. Though for smaller stuff that can be had DRM free and most likely also on Steam, you're right.