At this week’s WTIA TechNW conference in Washington, DC, Valve Software chief Gabe Newell reckons Apple will soon become a major player in the console biz by launching a product that will own the living room, reports “Reg Hardware” (http://macte.ch/nROXQ).

The head of the company games such as Half Life and Counter-Strike, as well as the digital distribution network Steam, was discussing whether the console business has run its course, the article adds. “I suspect Apple will launch a living room product that redefines people’s expectations really strongly, and the notion of a separate console platform will disappear,” Newell said.