Rumor: Is This A Look At Valve’s Rumored CONSOLE? Looks…Boxy.

So. Like the ancient proverb says, when it leaks info, it pours. Not only is Valve maybe-probably-definitely working on a console, but we may have our first look at it.

Kotaku:

I was shown the image earlier this evening by an eager tipster of unknown identity who said they wanted to share more details. They urged a quick reply, and when none came as quickly as hoped, they followed-up with the following about Coomer…

This is all from the tipster:

There’s this one Valve veteran who was definitively too chatty in the past. His name is Greg Coomer (http://www.valvesoftware.com/company/people.html), he’s a product designer and leading the SteamBox-team, which is pretty unspectacular in size with just 5-10 people working on it. Now, Greg sometimes tweets interesting stuff:

(in a non-chronological order)

Date: 22 Oct 2011
Link:  https://twitter.com/#!/gregcoomer/status/127560965821693952
Tweet: “What I’m working on: http://t.co/jDLQnxvl”
Note: Read the article and especially Gabe’s statements. It’s obviously about a possible Valve console.

Date: 14 Oct 2011
Link:  https://twitter.com/#!/gregcoomer/status/124651468501434371
Tweet: “Building a mini-ITX form factor PC is hard. Even things like wiring the power supply are not standard or straightforward.”
Note: Well …

Date: 3 Nov 2011
Link:  https://twitter.com/#!/gregcoomer/media/slideshow?url=pic.twitter.com%2FuVdGOtZq

Tweet: “Built this tiny PC. i7 quad core, 8GB ram, Zotac Z-68 mobo w/ onnboard Nvidia mobile gfx. Runs Portal 2 FAST.”
Note: This is the demo unit they used to demo the Big-Picture-Mode to possible hardware partners at CES 2012. This specification DOES NOT necessarily reflect what’s going to be used as the “baseline” specification for the final product(s). (contrary to Joshes’ story)That’s just a snippet of all the information I’ve gathered about this project. However, I think these tweets pretty much confirm that Valve is actually working on a console (-like PC).

You may take screenshots of the tweets — just in case they get pulled.

While I was following up and trying to verify this information, the tipster  spilled those same details onto the 4Chan message board.

There’s plenty of reason to be skeptical here.  The October 22 “What I’m working on” Tweet links to a  Seattle Times  interview  with Valve boss Gabe Newell that includes speculation about Valve making hardware, but it is more generally about Newell’s wariness of Apple’s closed system. There are many things Coomer could have been working on that involved Newell’s Apple concerns, though I should also note that  The Verge  said that Apple’s closed system was a motivating factor for making this rumored hardware.

The Coomer Tweets neither support nor refute  The Verge‘s many other details about a configurable controller or an incorporation of biometric feedback into the gaming experience.

Speculation is fun. Don’t hate. Check out the pic.