Gabe Newell Isn’t Just a Game Development Guy Anymore
At a New Zealand high school, Gabe Newell had a few things to say. The conversation touched on various parts of the tech space, from augmented reality (AR) to full virtual reality (VR). Notably, he cited the recent Half Life: Alyx game as a step in this direction. That venture clearly wasn’t just a one-time thing for Valve as a studio. Evidently, Newell has a lot of long-term plans when it comes to developing and sharing new technologies. So extensive, in fact, that brain-control interfaces (BCI) were on his radar.
“I think brain-computer interfaces are going to be incredibly disruptive, one of the more disruptive technology transitions we’re going to go through. So I think it’s super valuable. We’re making big investments in new headsets and games for those application categories, but also looking further down the road and saying, ‘what’s that evolve into?‘”
Gabe Newell is looking to invest in things like augmented and virtual reality, as a stepping stone to even more stunning technologies. As RoadtoVR.com states: To Newell, AR and VR aren’t end goals as such, but rather steps along the way to a future of widespread BCI, something he’s likened many times in the past to The Matrix in terms of how immersive and interactive the technology will be.
Surprising nobody, this insight was kept strictly in the realm of vague ideals. BCI is clearly something important to Newell, and Valve has already taken steps into designing innovative technologies. But what we don’t have are the specific details. No revealed products, no product proposals, nothing concrete. Still, this interest will inevitably have an impact on anything Valve develops in the future. Be it consoles, games, or something else entirely.