Despite the huge popularity of the mobile gaming industry, thanks to the iPad and other tablets, console gaming is still having quite a bit of success, best demonstrated by the release of the Wii U and the excitement surrounding the Xbox 720. While there hasn’t been a new entry into the console gaming wars for quite a while, well-known computer game industry developer, Valve, sees one entering the fray in the next year. 

In a recent interview, Valve cofounder Gabe Newell said his company is getting ready for a “living room friendly, PC package.”

The intent of this particular package would be to serve as a direct competitor to next-generation console gaming devices made by Sony and Microsoft (News - Alert). Newell added that this new kind of gaming PC would serve as more of a home theater type of computer. 

These machines would have a regular Windows operating system like a ton of different personal computers, but they would also easily be able to hook up to a television with an HDMI cable.

Newell also said that instead of using a point-and-click interface, these PCs would be operated using something quite a bit like a gaming controller. Valve’s Steam website has already started using an interface like the one that Newell is describing, allowing users to choose between the more traditional controls or the game controller interface. While Newell would not say explicitly that Valve would be making these computers, it seems as if the company would have some hand in it, as a lot of the tech he’s talking about is already provided by his company. 

If the Steam-powered gaming pc-console hybrid is launched, people will pay close attention to the price. Gaming PCs can generally run more than $600, while the price point for new consoles these days tends to stick around $300-$400. 

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