Valve: Nintendo Wii More Valuable Than PS3/Xbox 360
Microsoft made a mistake with DirectX 10
Speaking at Games Convention in Leipzig, Valve's founder Gabe Newell said that the Wii is a more important piece of hardware than the PS3 or Xbox 360.
To be exact†, Newell said:
Newell also said that Microsoft's decision to only support Vista with its DirectX 10 graphics API, at the exclusion of XP, is a mistake††. According to an online survey by Valve, only one in fifty Steam users has a DirectX 10-compatible graphics card. This, he claims, is causing developers to shy away from making use of DX10. As neither the PS3 or 360 make use of Shader Model 4.0 graphics tool for DX10, only a few developers are using it, Newell says. Bear in mind that DirectX 10 is not available on Windows operating systems earlier than Vista.
Speaking about Valve's own development choices with regards to DX10, however, Newell didn't paint an altogether dark picture. “Right now with the flexibility of DX9, we can take advantage of DX10 hardware functionality through DX9", he said. "There are far more customers with DX10 hardware running on Windows XP than Windows Vista. If you’re going to try to take advantage of that hardware, your customers are telling you, make sure it works on DX9 API.”
Valve's Half Life 2: Episode 2 is set for release on October 12th.
†Source: Game Informer
††Source: heise online
To be exact†, Newell said:
“I think the Wii represents more of a challenge because of its input. You can think of the Xbox 360 as pretty much a PC and a PlayStation as kind of a PC...
“You can’t think of it as graphics, CPU, texture bandwith scaling, you have to think of it as more fundamentally, and I think it’s more valuable. I think it’s more interesting than just graphics chip – CPU combination. It’s the machine I have at home. The fact that we don’t have anything in development on it even though it represents big opportunities as a whole, it’s an obvious hole in our strategy.”
“You can’t think of it as graphics, CPU, texture bandwith scaling, you have to think of it as more fundamentally, and I think it’s more valuable. I think it’s more interesting than just graphics chip – CPU combination. It’s the machine I have at home. The fact that we don’t have anything in development on it even though it represents big opportunities as a whole, it’s an obvious hole in our strategy.”
Newell also said that Microsoft's decision to only support Vista with its DirectX 10 graphics API, at the exclusion of XP, is a mistake††. According to an online survey by Valve, only one in fifty Steam users has a DirectX 10-compatible graphics card. This, he claims, is causing developers to shy away from making use of DX10. As neither the PS3 or 360 make use of Shader Model 4.0 graphics tool for DX10, only a few developers are using it, Newell says. Bear in mind that DirectX 10 is not available on Windows operating systems earlier than Vista.
Speaking about Valve's own development choices with regards to DX10, however, Newell didn't paint an altogether dark picture. “Right now with the flexibility of DX9, we can take advantage of DX10 hardware functionality through DX9", he said. "There are far more customers with DX10 hardware running on Windows XP than Windows Vista. If you’re going to try to take advantage of that hardware, your customers are telling you, make sure it works on DX9 API.”
Valve's Half Life 2: Episode 2 is set for release on October 12th.
†Source: Game Informer
††Source: heise online
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Comments
Dreadknux 28 Aug 2007 10:58
1/5
it’s an obvious hole in our strategy.
Unfortunately many developers are saying this but we're not hearing much about their commitment to rectify that. The Wii could turn to be a machine that had great promise but was never really tapped of its potential before long. Developers have to put their money where their mouth is. I'm aware it will take at least a year or two for a developer to start on a Wii game from scratch now, but a little reassurance for the 'hardcore' gamers waiting for something on the system couldn't hurt.
The Wii might be more valuable in terms of development, but consumer wise it's looking like Microsoft have the ball - at least if you take into account this year's remaining line up.
Joji 28 Aug 2007 12:20
2/5
You are right, Svend. This is the kind of thing we like to hear, but they don't back Wii up with any games as proof. I still don't see why Wii development is such a problem for many to adjust to, when Wii is on level or above, Xbox tech. Wii is also cheaper to develop for, so where are the majority of western games?
Its pretty simple really. Do you want to make real money, or just make pocket money? Wii is where the real money it, but I feel too many developers are on a tech high (PC etc), that they do want to compromise and come down from that cloud.
The Wii audience awaits. If even Valve can't compromise themselves a little to create something cool for Wii, its their loss. Western Wii development is looking like a real joke, because many fail to be creative with the canvas provided.
Its pretty simple really. Do you want to make real money, or just make pocket money? Wii is where the real money it, but I feel too many developers are on a tech high (PC etc), that they do want to compromise and come down from that cloud.
The Wii audience awaits. If even Valve can't compromise themselves a little to create something cool for Wii, its their loss. Western Wii development is looking like a real joke, because many fail to be creative with the canvas provided.
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Joji 28 Aug 2007 12:20
3/5
You are right, Svend. This is the kind of thing we like to hear, but they don't back Wii up with any games as proof. I still don't see why Wii development is such a problem for many to adjust to, when Wii is on level or above, Xbox tech. Wii is also cheaper to develop for, so where are the majority of western games?
Its pretty simple really. Do you want to make real money, or just make pocket money? Wii is where the real money it, but I feel too many developers are on a tech high (PC etc), that they do want to compromise and come down from that cloud.
The Wii audience awaits. If even Valve can't compromise themselves a little to create something cool for Wii, its their loss. Western Wii development is looking like a real joke, because many fail to be creative with the canvas provided.
Its pretty simple really. Do you want to make real money, or just make pocket money? Wii is where the real money it, but I feel too many developers are on a tech high (PC etc), that they do want to compromise and come down from that cloud.
The Wii audience awaits. If even Valve can't compromise themselves a little to create something cool for Wii, its their loss. Western Wii development is looking like a real joke, because many fail to be creative with the canvas provided.
deleted 29 Aug 2007 01:10
4/5
reminds me of when DX9 came out it was very hard to obtain a DX9 card, now the other way DX10 are avalible but very expensive and the fact only vista makes use of DX10 does exclude alot of people, but if games such as bioshcok can exist on dx9 and dx10 for xp and vista as well as console then really it shouldnt be a problem, MS put a barrier on PC gaming which im sure they regret (even just a little), Now its devs chance to show what they can do.
Hypnotoad 29 Aug 2007 02:02
5/5
Newell wrote:
You can’t think of it as graphics, CPU, texture bandwith scaling, you have to think of it as more fundamentally, and I think it’s more valuable. I think it’s more interesting than just graphics chip – CPU combination. It’s the machine I have at home. The fact that we don’t have anything in development on it even though it represents big opportunities as a whole, it’s an obvious hole in our strategy.
From a man who made his millions via advanced CPU ai / physics calcs and incredible gfx via nextgen-gen GPUs (not ever possible on Wii), that's the most two-faced hypocritical statement I've heard in a very long time. Nice one , Gabe.