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Apple CEO Tim Cook Visits Headquarters of Video Game Firm Valve

The wii u..
I don't know...looking at the enclosure it looks like it will be sporting low power chips...
I expect a GPU to be almost as good as the 360/ps3
The CPU should should be much better... I think that's where the 1.5x claim comes in... Expect more ram as well...
The wii u will be great, at first! The Mario and Zelda games will look great!
It will get real 360/ps3 ports!

But then the new Xbox and ps will come out.... they will not port those games to the wii u... The wii u will again just rely on first party games, only this time I'm not sure it will have that casual market or the wow/cool factor the wii did...
 
New hardware and open GL

It would be awesome if Valve was turning to Apple to have them build the hardware and handle the system software for there new gaming hardware. I also hope that they are working with Apple to help improve the open GL implementation in OS X and work on improving the performance of the graphics drivers. Have read quite a few post on the steam forums from valve developers saying that the graphics drivers in Mac OS X could use some optimization, and if I understand correctly the latest version of OS X mountain lion only supports open GL 3.0 but I'm not 100 percent sure about that. Either way good to see apple taking gaming more seriously! :D
 
For what it's worth: I asked a couple of my friends who work at Valve about it and they both said he wasn't there today. I think this is a hoax.
 
this is going to rub some salt in the wound of Apple Haters lol :apple:

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tesseract4d said:
For what it's worth: I asked a couple of my friends who work at Valve about it and they both said he wasn't there today. I think this is a hoax.
Click to expand...

I am not saying you are lying but you saying you have friends at valve is much less convincing than this article lol

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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.
Click to expand...

also the number one excuse in a platform argument. Never ending get out of jail free card for Apple Haters
 
Tim Cook probably went to invite Gabe to present at an apple keynote ... maybe to talk about graphic enhancements for the new macbook pros (that are about to be released) and how great steam games look on the new hardware. Win win for both companies ...
 
Valve are over-due to announce Half-Life 3 so Tim Cook may have been given a preview in person for a possible Apple Keynote unveiling; remember that other AAA games like Halo and Quake 3 were unveiled at prior Apple Keynotes and this would be bigger than both.

In regards to Steam and OS X, there seems to be a conflict of interest between the two companies. The Mac App Store often features games that also appear on Steam so the meeting may have been for more co-operation in that area, so that select games purchased on the App Store can be Steam-compatible or maybe even Steam abandoning the Mac Steam client and releasing all their Mac games through the App Store; it's a smaller market than PC games after all and Valve games on consoles do fine without native Steam clients.

As for the Valve job posting for a hardware developer, my take on it is that the following quote from it is very telling:

"We're not talking about me-too mice and gamepads here - help us invent whole new gaming experiences."

This suggests a peripheral to complement Valve's games and those of developers on their platform. Given that Valve's business is centred on the PC and dedicated consoles have saturated the market (how many more players can the market support?) my guess is that Valve are working on a Wii U-like controller for the PC and Mac. This would explain the experience in ARM/X86 system design required for the job because such a device would need on-board processing for all that will appear on its screen, such as interactive maps, on-screen buttons, to-do lists, etc. Such a controller will allow Valve to bring some much-needed standardisation to their platform (as it is, everyone plays Valve games with their own combination of mouse, keyboard and gamepad) and also further distinguish their games (and those of partners) from the rest.
 
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Sol said:
Valve are over-due to announce Half-Life 3 so Tim Cook may have been given a preview in person for a possible Apple Keynote unveiling; remember that other AAA games like Halo and Quake 3 were unveiled at prior Apple Keynotes and this would be bigger than both.

In regards to Steam and OS X, there seems to be a conflict of interest between the two companies. The Mac App Store often features games that also appear on Steam so the meeting may have been for more co-operation in that area, so that select games purchased on the App Store can be Steam-compatible or maybe even Steam abandoning the Mac Steam client and releasing all their Mac games through the App Store; it's a smaller market than PC games after all and Valve games on consoles do fine without native Steam clients.

As for the Valve job posting for a hardware developer, my take on it is that the following quote from it is very telling:

"We're not talking about me-too mice and gamepads here - help us invent whole new gaming experiences."

This suggests a peripheral to complement Valve's games and those of developers on their platform. Given that Valve's business is centred on the PC and dedicated consoles have saturated the market (how many more players can the market support?) my guess is that Valve are working on a Wii U-like controller for the PC and Mac. This would explain the experience in ARM/X86 system design required for the job because such a device would need on-board processing for all that will appear on its screen, such as interactive maps, on-screen buttons, to-do lists, etc. Such a controller will allow Valve to bring some much-needed standardisation to their platform (as it is, everyone plays Valve games with their own combination of mouse, keyboard and gamepad) and also further distinguish their games (and those of partners) from the rest.
Click to expand...

That's quite an interesting assessment.
It does make sense though to align keynote presentation with the upcoming Macbook launches. Apple does seem to be aligning themselves with the general consumer market with the iOS, and now Mac lineup, and it would make sense to stake their presence in the gaming market.
 
Getting Valve on board with Apple's gaming goals would be a huge step in a more serious gaming for Apple products. And while I'm sure some long time Valve fans will be upset if Valve starts moving some of its focus towards iOS devices, I think the shifts in the market of gaming away from PCs and to a lesser extent home consoles towards smartphones and tablets, is putting pressure on Valve to evolve or die(and when I say die, I really mean staginate with limited growth when compared to the rest of the market)

Focusing on OS X gaming might be a nice boost for a niche in Apple's computer market, but Valve exploring gaming on Post PC devices(like iPhone, iPod touch and iPad) would likely result in a much more profitable venture for both Apple and Valve. And the very least, any Valve working on iOS devices is likely to make more a splash then Valve give OS X a bit more attention(as that path is in line with their focus on PC gaming, as it's their traditional strong hold)

Either way this along with the rumors about Valve looking to expand into the hardware business certainly seems to point to a company that is looking to expand their present business.

I'd love to see Valve games on Apple hardware. Both companies bring something unique to the markets they are in. And while their methods can be quite different at times, I see both of them as trailblazers in their respective fields.

If these meetings are about OS X gaming, one side effect that could benefit more then just gamers, is if Apple is looking to get more Valve support on OS X, they might need to put better graphic hardware in their machines, and with Intel's graphic solutions being used for so many of Apple's products, I would love to see more dedicated graphics solutions in some of Apple's lower end hardware. (I'm looking at your Mac mini, as a desktop that starts at $599, there really should be dedicated graphic cards in all the models. And the fact you can't get both a quad CPU and a decent graphic card is a shame. Although that issue might solve itself with Ivy Bridge coming soon)
 
re original article

good to know mr cook is getting out of the office and in the field

you go tim
 
tigress666 said:
Is this a joke? Wii U's target market better not be hardcore gamers. It's already rumored to be not as powerful as the current consoles! It's going to completely fail if it is aimed at hardcore gamers (already I've seen some articles about how some game companies are going to be ignoring it).

Besides, Nintendo always seems to aim more towards the kiddy and casual market. At least since the playstation it seems most hardcore type games went to the playstation or xbox.

They have a long way to go if they want to gain a reputation amongst hard core gamers. I'm not even that hard core of a gamer (Though I prefer games that Sony and MS get rather than the stupid stuff I see on Nintendo) and I know they aren't known for the hard core games! And that with the Wii they really were successful more with casual games/party games/kid games.
Click to expand...

Oh, not the old "Nintendo is for 6-year olds" BS again. In reality, the people calling themselves hardcore gamers are just 14-19 year olds who think they're so mature because mommy and daddy finally allow them to play the latest generic FPS with blood and body parts flying in slow motion (so-called hardcore games), while the people who really are mature gamers are the ones who have grown past the juvenile fascination with blood and gore and appreciate great game design and gameplay, something which Nintendo is unmatched at. Most importantly, a mature gamer wouldn't be shy to call video and computer games what it always really is; child's play.

The Wii U is an attempt to cater to both casual and so-called hardcore gamers, why would one exclude the other?
I call BS on your claim that the Wii U isn't going to be more powerful than the PS3 and 360. Considering how Nintendo has positioned it, that would make absolutely no sense.

Heavenly said:
Tim Cook should throw money at Gabe Newell until he announces progress on Half-Life: ep. 3
Click to expand...

Yeah, 'cause Newell is certainly desperate for money :rolleyes:

--------------------------------------


patohi said:
The wii u..
I don't know...looking at the enclosure it looks like it will be sporting low power chips...
I expect a GPU to be almost as good as the 360/ps3
The CPU should should be much better... I think that's where the 1.5x claim comes in... Expect more ram as well...
The wii u will be great, at first! The Mario and Zelda games will look great!
It will get real 360/ps3 ports!

But then the new Xbox and ps will come out.... they will not port those games to the wii u... The wii u will again just rely on first party games, only this time I'm not sure it will have that casual market or the wow/cool factor the wii did...
Click to expand...

Almost as good...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcnsG11MRE8

:rolleyes:
 
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patohi said:
That video is a load of crappo.... He is saying that a 80watt GPU is going into a Nintendo system????? Lol!!!!!! Even if It had a die shrink to 32nm it would be too much.... A 150watt Nintendo system!!! Lol!!!! I'm sorry but you just don't know what your talking about :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Why not? The first versions of both the PS3 and 360 consumed more than that, and Nintendo is positioning the Wii U as a high-performing system by todays standards.
Granted, I've been out of the loop of all the technical stuff for close to ten years but I rely on official statements and people who actually do know this stuff. Do you have any argument other than the "Nintendo don't make high-performing systems" (evidently incorrect) that refutes what he says in the video?
 
Let me predict how this went.

Tim Cook: "We would like to distribute Portal 2 in the mac app store."
Valve: -hysterical laughter-

Seriously, I loathe Steam.
 
mentaluproar said:
Let me predict how this went.

Tim Cook: "We would like to distribute Portal 2 in the mac app store."
Valve: -hysterical laughter-

Seriously, I loathe Steam.
Click to expand...

People: "We would like you to open OSX to any x86 platform capable of running it.
Apple: -hysterical laughter-

I hate those people who won't put that popular thing on the thing I like. They're such bastards.
 
inket said:
*Hoping Tim Cook is more serious about gaming on Mac than Jobs*
Click to expand...

With the extra power required to run retina displays, now would be a great time to bring top class graphics and top class gaming to the mac :D

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drdidg said:
Maybe Tim is teaching Valve employees how to count to 3. :D
Click to expand...

Was that a public speaking joke? Or is there too much of public speaking and communications running through my head?
 
Lennholm said:
Why not? The first versions of both the PS3 and 360 consumed more than that, and Nintendo is positioning the Wii U as a high-performing system by todays standards.
Granted, I've been out of the loop of all the technical stuff for close to ten years but I rely on official statements and people who actually do know this stuff. Do you have any argument other than the "Nintendo don't make high-performing systems" (evidently incorrect) that refutes what he says in the video?
Click to expand...

Look what I said in my first comment... I said the GPU should be about as powerful.... That rumor about the wii u, they said that there was not as many shaders...... I'm guessing stream processors would be reduced.... It would be an r700 chip with a low clock and not too many steam processors... That would reduce the power needed.... The CPU will be much better then the Xbox and ps3.... Also I hope they give it a lot of ram/mem!!! Like 500mb for graphics(256bit lets hope) and 500mb for the system, that would bring some nice hi res textures to the system... 2x what the ps3 or Xbox could do.... The GPU isn't everything..
 
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Konrad9 said:
Except Valve is hiring people so they can build it themselves?
Click to expand...

But hardware isn't the only part of the puzzle Apple could bring to the project. Although would think steam would like to get a supply chain guru like Tim cook involved.

They could be interested in largely Apple sponsored open source projects like LLVM or webkit. Trying to get a commercial license on those. Or trying to get iTunes or AirPlay support. There would seem to be a lot of scope for joint venture between the two, that would be positive for both. Including Apple trying to get back to being the game developers platform of choice.
 
Wow this news is crazy.
A couple of guesses:
1) ValvE considering working with Apple to develop their hardware console.
2) Apple wants to buy Steam so that they can get a foothold into the PC software distribution industry (why would steam though which is entertainment software based)?
3) Apple and ValvE are having a legal dispute and Cook is intervening before legal troubles start.
4) It was one of the above but nothing will come of it because they couldn't agree.


What I wish they would discuss:
1) Here is how you fix your crappy OS X drivers and make OS X run software faster than Windows.
 
sean6800 said:
It would be awesome if Valve was turning to Apple to have them build the hardware and handle the system software for there new gaming hardware. I also hope that they are working with Apple to help improve the open GL implementation in OS X and work on improving the performance of the graphics drivers. Have read quite a few post on the steam forums from valve developers saying that the graphics drivers in Mac OS X could use some optimization, and if I understand correctly the latest version of OS X mountain lion only supports open GL 3.0 but I'm not 100 percent sure about that. Either way good to see apple taking gaming more seriously! :D
Click to expand...

It makes more sense that the baseline OpenGL support would be OpenGL 3.3. The transition of 3.3/4.0 ARB was designed to work together. It also gives a good break between systems that have GPGPUs that meet the minimum OpenGL 3.3 support.

OS X 10.7 was released with OpenGL 3.2 support.
 
Renzatic said:
Valve isn't a publicly traded company, and currently makes tons of money. Apple can't just walk in and buy them out unless Gabe Newell says "OH ALRITE! I GUESS I CAN RETIRE EARLY NOW" or something similar.

I don't think you have anything to worry about.
Click to expand...
You don't need to be a publicly traded company to get bought.
Additionally, if Apple does buy Valve, it wouldn't make any sense for them to shut them down.
 
CJM said:
Valve are building wearable computers, not a new console.
Click to expand...

We now know Valve are working on wearable computing. That does not mean they are not also working on a console.

Apple and Valve collaborating on a games console would get the attention of both the casual and hardcore gamer. And with games consoles also using multimedia capabilities as selling points, Apple would be a good partner through the integration of iTunes and the App Store.
 
Valve is an excellent company, who like Apple usually takes their time with products in order to deliver a good user experience. Here's to hoping whatever they're doing, it's big!
 
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