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Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits Headquarters of Video Game Firm Valve

The best probable thing that I would like Apple and a company like Valve (in my opinion the best gaming company) is for them to finally make some REAL games that take advantage of Apples multitouch gestures! Or even be made for iOS devices! If they did something like this then suddenly Macs would actually be better for some games... immagine that PC gamers.
 
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chrmjenkins said:
He should be. It's the single greatest market segment of the PC industry that Mac is largely missing out on.

Behind price, playing games is the second biggest reason I hear from young people as to why they don't go mac.
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Gaming on the PC has gone up and down, but over the past decade, it really seems to be in decline. Often, at a store like Gamestop, the PC games will only be on a small stand in the middle of the floor, where the wall space is dedicated to the console games.

Aside from games by Blizzard, most of the gaming seems to be focused on consoles. However, it will be interesting to see in 10 years if we even bother buying physical discs for games any longer since close to everything might become download-only. The last two games I can think of that I purchased for my Mac (Doom 3 and Secret of Monkey Island) were through the Mac App Store.
 
edenwaith said:
Often, at a store like Gamestop, the PC games will only be on a small stand in the middle of the floor, where the wall space is dedicated to the console games.
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Largely this is due to digital distribution - which is far more mature and ahead on the PC market than the console market.

If I recall, the PC market (without MMOs) is outpacing the console market (and outgrew the 360 + PS3 together).
 
chrmjenkins said:
Apple doesn't collaborate with anyone but content providers. They buy the rest.

The idea of Apple buying Valve is hilarious to me, but I know Gabe would never stand for it so it's not a possibility.
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1. Valve is a games provider, and maker.

2. Games are a kind of content.

3. Steve Jobs didn't collaborate. Apple is Tim Cooks now.

Incidentally, Cook was perfect at organising and securing Apple's components, maybe now he's looking into securing content.
 
Although I wonder how this will affect Gaming retailers/resellers if they push for a massive distribution change for games.
Places like EB or gamestop.
 
Clearly it's because he's a closet gamer and wants to know when they are actually going to release Half Life 2:Episode 3.
 
In any case, whatever the reason Tim is there, it is proof that Apple acknowledges Valve.

Valve is cool because Half Life 2 is cool.

Half Life 2 and Mac were impossible to mix a couple of years ago. Half Life 2, Windows XP with DirectX and an ATi Radeon X800 XT were those married with each other.

Steam is now on OS X and Tim is seen visiting Valve. Times have changed.. for the good!! :cool:
 
lunarworks said:
Steve Jobs was a visionary, but he was extremely inflexible.

Tim Cook seems to be more open to different ideas.
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Yes but never take out of the equation the simple fact that Jobs was fighting cancer for several years, one can understand why he decided to "focus" on Apple products and not do these kinds of "visits" like Tim is doing.

About the news, I think its great that Valve and Apple are working together, for whatever it may be. I see Valve a bit (not exactly) like the Apple of gaming, in the sense that they don't do things quite the same way as the others, and most of all they really are a bunch of very talented peoples that really are comited to create quality games, more than simply selling more by releasing sequels each years (sorry for Episode 3 :p) They are not alone making great games of course, but they really are the biggest "studio" that is still independent, that have enough money to back their big projects while still remaining commited to quality over quantity.

(inb4 : yes, Left 4 Dead 2 had enough innovation and changes to justify a sequel just a year after the first one)
 
edenwaith said:
Gaming on the PC has gone up and down, but over the past decade, it really seems to be in decline. Often, at a store like Gamestop, the PC games will only be on a small stand in the middle of the floor, where the wall space is dedicated to the console games.

Aside from games by Blizzard, most of the gaming seems to be focused on consoles. However, it will be interesting to see in 10 years if we even bother buying physical discs for games any longer since close to everything might become download-only. The last two games I can think of that I purchased for my Mac (Doom 3 and Secret of Monkey Island) were through the Mac App Store.
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Yea you should check your sources there buddy. I haven't bought a PC game at a brick and mortar store in years and I doubt I'm alone. The industry is not in decline.
 
some comments are funny, ya hes going to a game developer to find out what graphic card to use to make Macs more for gaming??

srlsy?

the posts about them making iOS games are more likely
 
damir00 said:
ATV + iOS store + controller + Steam.

Mega mega hit.
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And then make it run Windows seeing as most the games on Steam use direct x and various other Windows components. :confused:
Oh and add a nice nvidia graphics card to power all the games. This Apple TV will be mega expansive.
 
Apple will probably buy them out.

The games market is hugely profitable but it's hard to simply take a slice easily. 3DO. Pippin. Dreamcast. It's easy to fail at it so you can't blame Apple for biding their time.

Still, Apple have robbed the PSP and DS market with the iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone and they are masters at online distribution models. So are Valve.

It would all make perfect sense.
 
cokeb said:
If Apple is making it I expect a game console that is overpriced and underpowered, unfortunately.

Of course, they might aim for a more casual, family friendly, market, which would mean going head to head against the Nintendo Wii U.

The next Playstation and Xbox would still be aimed at the more hardcore gaming market.

I'm just guessing.
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Overpriced and underpowered can't really be said for any of the iOS products out there. You might have some argument with the Mac line but there's certainly more to a product than the electronics.

As for the Wii U, its target market is hardcore gamers, not a follow up to the Wii strategy.
 
Also, Valve have been working with the "graphic driver team" at Apple since the launch of Steam for Mac to help them optimise the drivers with the kind of features games need. (the kind that perfectly accurate 3D doesn't necessarily need). Valve even posted a blog post (on Steam) a while ago explaining one of the contribution they helped Apple make in their driver to better suit gaming needs.
 
The iPad is a gaming console already. It just lacks external controllers. Valve must push Apple to support a standard controller interface, other than the keyboard.
 
Macist said:
Apple will probably buy them out.

The games market is hugely profitable but it's hard to simply take a slice easily. 3DO. Pippin. Dreamcast. It's easy to fail at it so you can't blame Apple for biding their time.

Still, Apple have robbed the PSP and DS market with the iPod Touch, iPad and iPhone and they are masters at online distribution models. So are Valve.

It would all make perfect sense.
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Haha buy out a company that makes and distributes largely PC only games? That would certainly be interesting. I'd cry if valve, the last real bastion of PC gaming, was bought by apple - baha!
 
You don't send the CEO of your company to talk about making iOS games. It's got to be something bigger than that.
 
qtx43 said:
The iPad is a gaming console already. It just lacks external controllers.
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Also needs a bit more GPU oomph.

But yeah - one more generation and we're almost certainly there. AirPlay to the big screen, and done.

Only real question is whether Apple supplies the controllers, or if they open up an appropriate API and leave that to the third-party market.
 
edenwaith said:
Gaming on the PC has gone up and down, but over the past decade, it really seems to be in decline. Often, at a store like Gamestop, the PC games will only be on a small stand in the middle of the floor, where the wall space is dedicated to the console games.

Aside from games by Blizzard, most of the gaming seems to be focused on consoles. However, it will be interesting to see in 10 years if we even bother buying physical discs for games any longer since close to everything might become download-only. The last two games I can think of that I purchased for my Mac (Doom 3 and Secret of Monkey Island) were through the Mac App Store.
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Gamestop's business model doesn't work with PC gaming. That doesn't mean PC gaming is necessarily hurting.

Wilder said:
1. Valve is a games provider, and maker.

2. Games are a kind of content.

3. Steve Jobs didn't collaborate. Apple is Tim Cooks now.

Incidentally, Cook was perfect at organising and securing Apple's components, maybe now he's looking into securing content.
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They own a very successful distribution method. I don't think simply wanting someone's games on your platform warrants a site visit.
 
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