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  • Gabe Newell: Apple is the Steam Box's Biggest Threat, Not Consoles
    by
    Akshay Masand
    Published on 01-31-2013 07:49 AM
    4 Comments Comments


    Valve co-founder and software engineer, Gabe Newell, recently stated that the Apple TV is more of a threat than console giants Sony and Microsoft when it comes to his company’s Steam Box project. In a talk at the University of Texas covered by Polygon, Newell talked about Apple’s growing presence in the living room becoming a danger to the Steam Box, which is Valve’s upcoming Linux-based gaming platform that will be offering user-generated content at affordable prices.

    As of right now, the Apple TV remains a small competitor in comparison to Sony’s PlayStation and Microsoft’s Xbox, but Newell said the market is about to change, trending towards cheaper hardware that can integrate with a user’s PC. According to him:

    The biggest challenge, I don't think is from the consoles. I think the biggest challenge is that Apple moves on the living room before the PC industry sort of gets its act together.
    The Apple TV doesn’t officially support gaming apps and lacks the hardware to run such software effectively the way a more capable processor and traditional controller would in its current state. However, a refreshed version of the set-top box is expected to be released soon with a Broadcom wireless chip that supports both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Recent reports are also pointing towards the inclusion of an A5X SoC that might dramatically boost performance. All-in-all we can’t expect the Apple TV to remain the dark horse in the industry for much longer. Newell had the following to say regarding the topic:

    I think that there's a scenario where we see sort of a dumbed down living room platform emerging — I think Apple rolls the console guys really easily. The question is can we make enough progress in the PC space to establish ourselves there, and also figure out better ways of addressing mobile before Apple takes over the living room?
    It was and still probably is quite surprising to see Newell’s take on the industry and where it’s headed along with his opinion of the current competitors.

    Source: Polygon
    This article was originally published in forum thread: Gabe Newell: Apple is the Steam Box's Biggest Threat, Not Consoles started by Akshay Masand View original post
    Categories:
    1. iOS,
    2. Apple,
    3. AppStore
    Comments 4 Comments
    1. b1997469's Avatar
      b1997469 - 01-31-2013, 08:17 AM
      No way. The Apple TV is crap compared to other units like the WDTV. The WDTV has crappy games built into it. The Apple TV doesn't have near half the stuff the WDTV has.
      If Apple were smart they would put apps into the Apple TV then it might be a problem for Steam but as Apple have locked up the Apple TV more than the iPhone its just a tiny box thats only good in America or the rest of the world only use it for Air Play.
    1. spazturtle's Avatar
      spazturtle - 01-31-2013, 08:54 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by b1997469 View Post
      No way. The Apple TV is crap compared to other units like the WDTV. The WDTV has crappy games built into it. The Apple TV doesn't have near half the stuff the WDTV has.
      If Apple were smart they would put apps into the Apple TV then it might be a problem for Steam but as Apple have locked up the Apple TV more than the iPhone its just a tiny box thats only good in America or the rest of the world only use it for Air Play.
      In business you need to look 5, 10 years ahed, in 5-10 years time do you think the apple TV still won't be running games?
    1. Lysias55's Avatar
      Lysias55 - 01-31-2013, 10:24 AM
      Quote Originally Posted by spazturtle View Post
      In business you need to look 5, 10 years ahed, in 5-10 years time do you think the apple TV still won't be running games?
      YES! Finally someone gets it. Hate when people jump to conclusions. I see Gabe's point. I hope apple takes that avenue! The Wii U is basically an iPad and Apple TV if you think about it. Apple could easily integrate this and it make them a ton of profit
    1. Devilish4eveR's Avatar
      Devilish4eveR - 01-31-2013, 01:05 PM
      Quote Originally Posted by b1997469 View Post
      No way. The Apple TV is crap compared to other units like the WDTV. The WDTV has crappy games built into it. The Apple TV doesn't have near half the stuff the WDTV has.
      If Apple were smart they would put apps into the Apple TV then it might be a problem for Steam but as Apple have locked up the Apple TV more than the iPhone its just a tiny box thats only good in America or the rest of the world only use it for Air Play.
      That's only because Apple doesn't want the Apple TV to be that much better yet... I have a feeling that they'll either be transforming this into something that most of us weren't expecting, or they have another plan to join the Apple TV and the upcoming iTV into something extraordinary... We'll find out in due time..