A job listing on Valve’s website confirms the developer is serious about developing its own hardware.
The listing for an industrial engineer cites frustration for the “lack of innovation in the computer hardware space” as the reason for the move.
“Even basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven’t really changed in any meaningful way over the years,” the post continues. “There’s a real void in the marketplace, and opportunities to create compelling user experiences are being overlooked.”
The candidate is required to have “6+ years of professional experience shipping world-class, high-tech hardware products,” and “confidence with 2D and 3D design visualization tools.”
Speculation about Valve entering the hardware market has been running rampant since March, after co-founder Gabe Newell said the company would be open to development if necessary. Reports of a Steam Box console in development soon after only perpetuated the rumors further. Valve repeatedly denied the reports.
The move into hardware is only the latest step of growth for the developer as they have recently expanded support for their digital distribution platform Steam to include Ubuntu and will start selling non-game software in their store later this week.
It is unclear if the company is looking to enter the hardware market with a full-on console or with smaller products like the cited keyboard and mouse.