Speaking to Eurogamer, Valve head Gabe Newell offered his thoughts on bringing Steam to Xbox Live. The company successfully integrated Steam features into the PlayStation 3 version of Portal 2 earlier this year, though the Xbox version shipped without any such functionality. According to Newell, the reason lies with the "restrictions" Microsoft places on Xbox Live.
Microsoft has to become "comfortable" enough to allow developers and publishers to implement such features, said Newell, adding that he hopes to see the companies' restrictions "relaxed." Newell made note of the (staggering) amount of free content that has been added to Team Fortress 2 over the years, stating that Microsoft's policies prevent such content on Xbox Live.
PS3 developers are "starting to benefit from Sony's more open approach," said Newell, who hopes this will prove the value of openness to Microsoft, and prove that "the barbarians won't tear down the walls of Xbox and turn it into some chaotic wasteland."
Head over to Eurogamer for more the full interview, in which Newell discusses Valve, talks about the future of Steam and reveals the release date for Half-Life 3. Just kidding about that last one.
Reader Comments (122)
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:12PM Vuvuzelas said
is that supposed to be gabe in the picture?
he should be about 500 pounds heavier
he should be about 500 pounds heavier
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:27PM Special Agent Bob said
@Apollo26
And in valve time that equals to about 6 months.
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And in valve time that equals to about 6 months.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:30PM Captain Planet Planeteer Power said
@Vuvuzelas
Because of all the money in his pockets...amirite?
Reply
Because of all the money in his pockets...amirite?
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 9:52PM Slomoshun said
@Vuvuzelas
LOL..the amount of jealousy from Gabe haters is astounding. You do know he's Valve right? Probably the best Publisher/Developer in the business.
I only wish they wouldn't extend Steam to your crappy consoles so you'll never know what you've been missing. Sadly, money talks.
Reply
LOL..the amount of jealousy from Gabe haters is astounding. You do know he's Valve right? Probably the best Publisher/Developer in the business.
I only wish they wouldn't extend Steam to your crappy consoles so you'll never know what you've been missing. Sadly, money talks.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 11:39PM JustinSaneV2 said
@Slomoshun
Valve technically isn't a publisher.
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Valve technically isn't a publisher.
Posted: Aug 26th 2011 2:21AM Courtney said
@JustinSaneV2
Valve is actually a publisher, who has a distribution agreement with EA to distribute the physical copies of their games. There's a difference between publishing and distribution.
Valve even lists itself as a publisher in the Steam database:
http://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Valve
Reply
Valve is actually a publisher, who has a distribution agreement with EA to distribute the physical copies of their games. There's a difference between publishing and distribution.
Valve even lists itself as a publisher in the Steam database:
http://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Valve
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:12PM INDIEcisivevyle said
mee dontt knoww!
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:12PM Faenix said
Steam in portal 2 was very very awesome.
I honestly hope more multiplatform games that are also on steam implement it.
I honestly hope more multiplatform games that are also on steam implement it.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:13PM Haikiba said
Meme maker pictures on articles?
Like for real?
Like for real?
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:54PM RichardMitchell said
@Haikiba
I made this all by myself, thank you very much.
Well, except for the stick man. And the background.
I added the letters though! And I totally outlined them in black. Which is super hard to do. Like the hardest.
Reply
I made this all by myself, thank you very much.
Well, except for the stick man. And the background.
I added the letters though! And I totally outlined them in black. Which is super hard to do. Like the hardest.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 9:14PM mywhitenoise said
@RichardMitchell
Please don't do it again, I just blocked all these memes from Reddit, and now they're on Joystiq!?
Reply
Please don't do it again, I just blocked all these memes from Reddit, and now they're on Joystiq!?
Posted: Aug 26th 2011 12:12AM johnvonhugendong said
@mywhitenoise
" I just blocked all these memes from Reddit"
See the first mistake that makes you a dumb ass is you went on reddit.
Reply
" I just blocked all these memes from Reddit"
See the first mistake that makes you a dumb ass is you went on reddit.
Posted: Aug 26th 2011 9:37AM mywhitenoise said
@johnvonhugendong
haha! The community on Joystiq is worse than the massive community on Reddit. That's saying a lot.
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haha! The community on Joystiq is worse than the massive community on Reddit. That's saying a lot.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:14PM ANOTHERE said
Xbox Live is already amazing as it is, Microsoft have no use for Steam.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:26PM Chareth Cutestory said
@ANOTHERE
Amazingly overpriced?
Amazingly obtuse?
Amazingly difficult to navigate?
Amazingly restrictive?
I guess Live is pretty amazing.
Reply
Amazingly overpriced?
Amazingly obtuse?
Amazingly difficult to navigate?
Amazingly restrictive?
I guess Live is pretty amazing.
Posted: Aug 26th 2011 3:58AM ChainSmoker said
@Chareth Cutestory Difficult to navigate? Yeah if your 2 years old .. I honestly found PS3 & Steam both hard to navigate through .. I own a PS3 now though and use steam occasionally for old games like SW:ToR or even Star Trek: Online now
Amazingly over priced? If you think Xbox is over priced at 200$ or whatever the price is at the moment.. I laugh at you.. PS3 costs more than this and a PC you'll be forking at least 700-1400$ for a computer to run high end games. And then you constantly have to upgrade or buy new parts when something goes wrong ..Restrictive? The only thing restrictive about Xbox 360 is facebook.. Can't do much on facebook via xbox .. I guess you can say facebook on 360 is difficult to navigate as well.. But does steam have facebook integrated? Nope .. You can only link your facebook account to steam
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Amazingly over priced? If you think Xbox is over priced at 200$ or whatever the price is at the moment.. I laugh at you.. PS3 costs more than this and a PC you'll be forking at least 700-1400$ for a computer to run high end games. And then you constantly have to upgrade or buy new parts when something goes wrong ..Restrictive? The only thing restrictive about Xbox 360 is facebook.. Can't do much on facebook via xbox .. I guess you can say facebook on 360 is difficult to navigate as well.. But does steam have facebook integrated? Nope .. You can only link your facebook account to steam
Posted: Aug 26th 2011 6:13AM jackal said
@ChainSmoker
"PC you'll be forking at least 700-1400$ for a computer to run high end games. And then you constantly have to upgrade or buy new parts when something goes wron"
The myth of the super expensive, perpetually upgraded PC has been put to rest on this site dozens of times. You clearly don't know what you're talking about in regards to the platform, so would you kindly refrain from referring to specifics about something you don't understand? I guess what I'm trying to say is...keep your troll hole shut.
Reply
"PC you'll be forking at least 700-1400$ for a computer to run high end games. And then you constantly have to upgrade or buy new parts when something goes wron"
The myth of the super expensive, perpetually upgraded PC has been put to rest on this site dozens of times. You clearly don't know what you're talking about in regards to the platform, so would you kindly refrain from referring to specifics about something you don't understand? I guess what I'm trying to say is...keep your troll hole shut.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:14PM bxgt said
While i do agree with gabe you have to hand it to microsoft, they are tight with restrictions but they keep a tight watch on there stuff. I remember being ecstatic about buying portal 2 on the ps3 then i go to redeem my free steam copy only to find out i couldn't do shit because psn was down.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:24PM Johnnynumber5 is powered by cell said
@bxgt
Well that's really a different issue all together. The servers got hacked so I don't think you can really hold that against valve.
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Well that's really a different issue all together. The servers got hacked so I don't think you can really hold that against valve.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:36PM taxmaster said
@bxgt
How was being a tight ass better in that situation? PS3 owners still got a free PC copy when PSN came back up, and Xbox gamers never got it at all. While the servers were down PS3 users were still able to play their PS3 copy offline just as any Xbox user would.
Reply
How was being a tight ass better in that situation? PS3 owners still got a free PC copy when PSN came back up, and Xbox gamers never got it at all. While the servers were down PS3 users were still able to play their PS3 copy offline just as any Xbox user would.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:53PM Kimchi Kommando said
@bxgt
What on Earth does that have to do with Steam and giving developers and their consumers a flexible network? I think you're taking a clever cheap shot at PSN to undercut the current and future success of an almost open source relationship for developers on PSN. What's even sadder is you got upvoted.
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What on Earth does that have to do with Steam and giving developers and their consumers a flexible network? I think you're taking a clever cheap shot at PSN to undercut the current and future success of an almost open source relationship for developers on PSN. What's even sadder is you got upvoted.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:56PM MystcLazrDragon said
@bxgt Ugh don't remind me about that, I dropped so many f-bombs when I tried to redeem my steam copy and get in some mutliplayer.
Reply
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:58PM Kimchi Kommando said
@bxgt
You have Megadeth as your avatar, but I think that comment is a complete opposite of what that band stand for. So you prefer a "police state" type network cause you perceive it to be safer and to send you? I'm sure you'd be the first in line to hand in your liberty for the illusion of comfort.
Reply
You have Megadeth as your avatar, but I think that comment is a complete opposite of what that band stand for. So you prefer a "police state" type network cause you perceive it to be safer and to send you? I'm sure you'd be the first in line to hand in your liberty for the illusion of comfort.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 9:04PM Kimchi Kommando said
@mahouneko
Networks get compromised daily and there have been successful attacks on banks and government networks. The PSN attack was handled poorly but ultimately contained, but that doesn't matter it will be infinite fodder for fanboys for a while.
Reply
Networks get compromised daily and there have been successful attacks on banks and government networks. The PSN attack was handled poorly but ultimately contained, but that doesn't matter it will be infinite fodder for fanboys for a while.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 9:10PM Kimchi Kommando said
@bxgt
WTF are you talking about? Those are two vastly different things. Open policy for development really means a MMO friendly environment or not forcing developers to charge for content that would otherwise be free. The other means fixing loopholes and exploits in network code. The PSN breach had absolutely NOTHING to do with Sony's open policy for products like Steam.
Reply
WTF are you talking about? Those are two vastly different things. Open policy for development really means a MMO friendly environment or not forcing developers to charge for content that would otherwise be free. The other means fixing loopholes and exploits in network code. The PSN breach had absolutely NOTHING to do with Sony's open policy for products like Steam.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 9:17PM Kimchi Kommando said
@bxgt
Microsoft's policy for Live is to funnel all content through their market place for profit and control. This is why Microsoft has shifted focus from Windows to Live because the former is losing to competition on an open market place: the internet. Where as Xbox Live is this isolated and isolated economy which they have absolute control over. If Microsoft can not control the internet and stop future Googles from competing then they have simply isolated a portion that they can.
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Microsoft's policy for Live is to funnel all content through their market place for profit and control. This is why Microsoft has shifted focus from Windows to Live because the former is losing to competition on an open market place: the internet. Where as Xbox Live is this isolated and isolated economy which they have absolute control over. If Microsoft can not control the internet and stop future Googles from competing then they have simply isolated a portion that they can.
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 8:15PM CaptainProtonX said
XBox Mother Brain: "free content....does not compute......DOES NOT COMPUTE! KILL KILL KILL!"
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 9:45PM This Little Man Says His Name Is said
@CaptainProtonX
Because there's never been a game which has released content for free...
Oh wait there's burnout paradise, AC brotherhood, TDU2, the list goes on...
Reply
Because there's never been a game which has released content for free...
Oh wait there's burnout paradise, AC brotherhood, TDU2, the list goes on...
Posted: Aug 25th 2011 10:45PM Colin said
@This Little Man Says His Name Is
...all of which were released for PS3, and therefore would have placed Microsoft at a competitive disadvantage. It's the same reason Xbox owners get Portal 2 DLC for free. Microsoft doesn't want to make Sony the more attractive choice for multiplatform.
But if a game's exclusive they don't give a shit, unless you print money from it.
Reply
...all of which were released for PS3, and therefore would have placed Microsoft at a competitive disadvantage. It's the same reason Xbox owners get Portal 2 DLC for free. Microsoft doesn't want to make Sony the more attractive choice for multiplatform.
But if a game's exclusive they don't give a shit, unless you print money from it.
Posted: Aug 26th 2011 7:46AM This Little Man Says His Name Is said
@Colin
Team Fortress 2 is part of the Orange Box on 360 and PS3. So it's available on both platforms.
Reply
Team Fortress 2 is part of the Orange Box on 360 and PS3. So it's available on both platforms.







