AppleInsider reports that Apple CEO Tim Cook paid a visit today to the the headquarters of Valve, the video game firm behind the Steam digital distribution platform and a number of popular PC and Mac games. While the purpose of Cook's visit is unknown, his presence at the company's headquarters in Bellevue, Washington suggests that it may have been of some importance potentially relating to collaboration between the two companies.
Just over two years ago, Valve made a splash by leaking a set of teaser images to MacRumors and other Apple and gaming sites revealing that it would be bringing its Steam game distribution platform and a number of its own titles to the Mac platform. Steam for Mac launched in May 2010 with over 60 titles, and Valve now offers over a dozen of its own games for Mac through the store.
Earlier this year, Valve released a Steam companion app for iOS, allowing users to browse the Steam marketplace and even purchase games for later download and play on a PC or Mac.
It is unclear just what Apple and Valve might come up with in terms of an expanded collaboration if one is in the works, including whether it would extend in some form to iOS or remain limited to gaming on the Mac platform. Valve has been rumored to be working on its own hardware offerings related to Steam services, and the company has just posted job openings related to hardware engineering for such projects.
Either a Source port on iOS or AppleTV is my guess.
Most likely a joint project for Portal 3 where GladOs will have the downloaded memories/ego of Steve Jobs. Valve will create the game and Apple will create the actual machine.
If we hit that bull's eye, the rest of the dominoes will fall like a house of cards. Checkmate.
Most likely a joint project for Portal 3 where GladOs will have the downloaded memories/ego of Steve Jobs. Valve will create the game and Apple will create the actual machine.
Next Keynote will actually be presented by Jobs himself…as GLaDOS. His constant use of the word "mere mortals" was no joke.
thats too easy, apple is way more ambitious that that. i am thinking full blown steam clone/takeover
It would be incredibly bold if Apple bought Valve. I can't even imagine. It would disrupt the entire industry. Gabe Newell would become a multi-billionaire.
It would be incredibly bold if Apple bought Valve. I can't even imagine. It would disrupt the entire industry. Gabe Newell would become a multi-billionaire.
I would sell out.
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Probably just lobbying Valve to put more effort into Steam for OSX. The current showing is pretty bad. I doubt Apple cares about Steam on iOS, they have the iOS content delivery thing worked out fairly well already.
("just" is a relative term here - getting Steam's Mac catalogue near the PC catalogue would be an enormous deal. If gamers could just buy an iMac and play something other than Blizzard/Source/Casual games on there it would really shake the market as gaming is the only market that Windows has pretty much locked down right now)
A way more far-fetched idea is that it may have something to do with the rumoured Apple TV. Valve have been trying to gain foothold in the living room after all.
Last edited by Steven P Jobs; 04-16-2012 at 05:26 PM.
Probably just lobbying Valve to put more effort into Steam for OSX. The current showing is pretty bad. I doubt Apple cares about Steam on iOS, they have the iOS content delivery thing worked out fairly well already.
("just" is a relative term here - getting Steam's Mac catalogue near the PC catalogue would be an enormous deal. If gamers could just buy an iMac and play something other than Blizzard/Source/Casual games on there it would really shake the market as gaming is the only market that Windows has pretty much locked down right now)
A way more far-fetched idea is that it may have something to do with the rumoured Apple TV. Valve have been trying to gain foothold in the living room after all.
Getting Steam's catalog on Mac has nothing to do with Valve. Steam is already out on OSX and all of Valve's games are already available.
I've often wondered why Valve bothered spending millions porting Source, and even more maintaining cross-platform compatibility for just a few million potential unit sales. It always seemed like more work than it was worth. There just aren't enough gamers on OS X.
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Originally Posted by taggart6
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