Report: Valve to unveil Linux-based PC this year

Valve is set to unveil its long-awaited and rumoured Steam Box PC this year, according to a report.

German website Golem claims that Valve’s mechanical and electrical engineer Ben Krasnow, speaking at the EHSM 2012 conference in Berlin last month, said the new PC would run on the Linux operating system rather than Windows.

Valve recently opened up its digital distribution platform Steam to sell Linux-compatible titles, although there are currently only 41 titles that have been ported to the platform.

The news that the Steam outfit will likely use Linux as the base platform for its new hardware comes as little surprise after the studio’s CEO Gabe Newell expressed his doubts over Windows 8 in July last year, labelling the new OS a “catastrophe” for everyone in the PC space.

When speaking further about Linux, he added that the only thing holding back the OS was its lack of games, and said people “don’t realise how critical games are in driving consumer purchasing behaviour”.

Last month, Newell also confirmed that Valve was working on a living room PC, and that it could be released as early as 2013, lending some credence to Golem’s report.

As well as the Steam Box, Krasnow also hinted at the upcoming reveal of a number of projects from Valve’s hardware lab.

The report went on to claim that Valve is expected to unveil more information about its hardware plans at either GDC in March or at E3 in June.