Rumors, Rumors, Rumors: Apple/Valve Console?

Rumors have been around for a few months at whether Valve was looking to get in on the console race due to various reasons, including a job posting looking for hardware specialists. Those stopped for a few hours yesterday after it was discovered that Valve was looking into “wearable computing”, much like Google’s project for augmented reality glasses. While I don’t report on rumors often because they are just rumors, this was too big to pass up.

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Is that all Valve is up to, though? We know they’re busy with Counter Strike: Global Offensive, Steam, and possibly the longed for Half Life 3; is it possible that they may still be looking to cash in with a gaming console even after Gabe Newell said they weren’t? According to an article on Gamespot by Brendan Sinclair via Cult of Mac, Valve may be in talks with Apple to have some sort of console to go along with the rumored Apple TV. So there’s a rumor to go with your rumor. No this isn’t about iTV.

The Apple-focused news site followed up reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook visited the Bellevue, Washington headquarters of Valve last week with an explanation for the executive’s trip. According to Cult of Mac sources, Apple is preparing a TV set for release later this year that “will come with an Apple-branded, Kinect-like video game console.” According to the site, the system will rely on motion and touch controls, possibly through a touch screen remote that will come with the TV.

The Apple/Bandai Pippin with Mac OS and internet, didn't work out too well

Sinclair goes on to say that this wasn’t Apple’s first attempt at a console. It’s first was Pippin in the mid 90′s but was eventually pulled off the market due to bad sales mainly due to internet not being as big as it is now.

As far as the sense in all this; the looseness of Steam and iTunes, for example, are on the opposite sides of the DRM issue. Valve doesn’t make hardware, just software, but Apple can do hardware, interesting possibility there. Take that as you will, but it does seem logical that an innovative video game developer such as Valve would team up with what some would argue, the most innovative company in recent years, Apple. It sounds plausible.

Cult of Mac seems to think this is happening so I’m inclined to believe it by reading the article there. But the sources used could be wrong and Tim Cook was just visiting Valve to see what they’re doing with “wearable computing”, which is also logical.

Discuss in the comments below!