Valve’s Gabe Newell says Valve is actively developing prototypes of its Steam Box console. In an interview with the BBC , Newell said his team is working to prepare working models soon but isn’t sure exactly when they’ll be ready.

“ Your average gamer has a good idea of what it’d be like. It sort of has the openness and flexibility of PC, yet done in a way that makes it make sense in the living room.

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"We're working with partners trying to nail down exactly how fast we can make it,” Newell said. “We'll be giving out some prototypes to customers to get their reactions, I guess, in the next three to four months. Your average gamer has a good idea of what it’d be like. It sort of has the openness and flexibility of PC, yet done in a way that makes it make sense in the living room. There are noise issues and heat issues and being able to [deal with] that while still offering a powerful enough gaming experience is the challenge in building it."Newell first delved into the company’s Steam Box plans in detail back at CES . At the time, Newell described a tiered system designed to appeal to multiple consumers, and also explained that while Valve will make its own hardware, other manufacturers will also be invited to develop for Steam Box as a platform.For much more on Valve’s hardware philosophy, read Newell’s description of Valve’s gaming plans from DICE

Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following @garfep on Twitter or garfep on IGN.