Valve Jumps Into the Hardware Business

Rumours have been floating around the internet for some time now, that Valve Corporation, the company behind acclaimed games series such as the Half-Life, Portal and Left 4 Dead and the Steam platform, want to get into the hardware business with a so-called “Steam Box”, which sounds very much like a Steam-oriented console. Now, a job advert by Valve on Coroflot advertising for a Principal Industrial Designer, strengthens that impression considerably.

One paragraph in particular is quite telling of their intentions, since they claim to be frustrated at the current state of computer hardware and its input methods, “Valve is traditionally a software company. Open platforms like the PC and Mac are important to us, as they enable us and our partners to have a robust and direct relationship with customers. We’re 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.”

Also, they are not looking for any old junior position in the firm, since they have high-level entry requirements of their potential candidates, such as a BS/BA/BFA degree (or equivalent) in industrial design (or equivalent); 6+ years of professional experience shipping world-class, consumer electronics products and a thorough understanding of product design principles among several others. Think you have what it takes? Then click the link below.