Valve Reveals VR Headset as Next Hardware Project

[Silversurfer]

5:00 PM - September 10, 2012

After being entrenched in the same videogame console generation for close to seven years now, it's clear that the games industry is in need of innovation. You might point to motion control gaming as asign that creativity hasn't been drained from the industry entirely, but the Nintendo Wii is six-years-old now and well past its prime.

Innovation seems to be trending towards wearable computing. From Google's Project Glass to the John Carmack-endorsed Oculus Rift, virtual reality headsets may just be on the horizon for the next generation. Valve, beloved PC developer, is apparently jumping on board the VR headset train.

Recently, there have been whisperings of the possibility of Valve developing a new console. A recent job posting on Valve's site for an industrial designer, which stated, "We’re [Valve] frustrated by the lack of innovation in the computer hardware space though, so we’re jumping in. Even basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven’t really changed in any meaningful way over the years. There’s a real void in the marketplace, and opportunities to create compelling user experiences are being overlooked," added some weight to these rumors. However, a recent NY Times article indicated that Valve's interest in an industerial designer may not be for a"Steam box", but instead, a VR headset.

The company showed an early prototype to the Times. Valve's Michael Abrash heads up Valve's VR endeavor, although you shouldn't take that as an official affirmation that Valve will be unveiling a complete VR headset in a few years. According to Abrash, the company may end up not producing the headset, but would gladly share its designs with other companies.

Though EA's Chief Operating Officer Peter Moore poo-poos the ideaof wearable computing becoming part of the mainstream, claiming "It’s appealing to them [Gabe Newell and Sergey Brin] because they live in that outer fringe of I.Q. and money," with Oculus Rift's successful Kickstarter and Valve's entry into VR development, VR gaming doesn't seem so far away.

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Valve Reveals VR Headset as Next Hardware Project
http://m.tomshardware.com/news/Valve-VR ... or=RSS-181

[Silversurfer]

Looks like things are looking up in this VR gaming area, not to soon.

[Krenzo]

I see nothing there indicating that Valve is making a VR headset. The other thread with the picture of the headset explains that it's a commercially available model from another company.

[brantlew]

Yeah, I think the information is badly represented. And honestly, it seems strange that they would be trying to offer a competing product when they have seemingly embraced the Rift so much. Much better to let Oculus do all the hardware R&D and support them through partnership as much as possible with software/SDK input and potentially motion controllers.

[Namielus]

My honest opinion, they were missing a good HMD, working at it. Then saw Palmer's work, and felt their focus would be better spent helping him and developing other related tech.

[cybereality]

The blog post is bogus. It offers no new information, only vague conjecture based on an already dubious article.

[Silversurfer]

The blog post is bogus. It offers no new information, only vague conjecture based on an already dubious article.

In the New York Times article which also revealed the Big Picture beta and Valve's VR goggles, two unnamed sources – wanting to remain anonymous – admitted that gaming giant Electronic Arts has pursued Valve Software for years. The publisher would have valued Valve at well over $1 billion USD had talks progressed to that point, sources close to the discussions claimed.

Gordon Stoll of Valve tests a headset that the company thinks will help open new ground in video games.http://www.tomshardware.com/news/Gabe-N ... or=RSS-181

@Cybereality The New York Times isn't so dubious

[Zloth]

Errr, where did "GodOFSpandex" come from??? That's not the caption!

The article does make it sound like Valve is actually making the thing, not just making Steam work on one. Maybe not producing it but at least prototyping it.

[cybereality]

@Cybereality The New York Times isn't so dubious

In this case, it is. They are claiming that Valve made the headset but the one pictured is a commercial product made by NVIS (their logo is right on the front).

@Zloth: There is a word filter (very trigger happy, I might add) that replaces certain words with 'GodOFSpandex'. I don't know why that is though...

[PalmerTech]

That NYT article is absurd. That NVIS HMD in the picture is not even running their Left 4 Dead demo, they show that on an SX111. No idea why they would use a picture that does not even match the HMD they were writing about their experience in, maybe they wanted it to look crazier with the giant camera rig and all?

Calling it dubious is definitely fair.

[rmcclelland]

When ever the New York Times writes about a subject in which I am knowledgeable, I find the article to be misleading and missing key details/information.

Which basically calls in to doubt my belief in all their articles, news as a whole, and the world view generated by reading major news sources.

[Okta]

@Cybereality The New York Times isn't so dubious

Comedy gold right there.

Wow, i didnt think anyone thought like that any more