Gabe Newell teases Steam Box news

Valve head Gabe Newell has teased an announcement for next week that may be in reference to the Linux-powered "Steam Box" that was first revealed at the Consumer Electronics Show in January.

"Next week we're going to be rolling out more information about how we get there and what are the hardware opportunities we see for bringing Linux into the living room," Newell said (via Ars Technica).

Newell's comments came during the LinuxCon keynote address in New Orleans this week.

"It feels a little bit funny coming here and telling you guys that Linux and open source are the future of gaming," Newell said. "It's sort of like going to Rome and teaching Catholicism to the pope."

Valve is currently looking into biometric sensors for Steam Box controllers as a way of monitoring player activity and sensation. The Left 4 Dead franchise has been used as an example of how understanding heart rates could make a more immersive horror game.

"You need to actually be able to directly measure how aroused the player is--what their heart rate is, things like that--in order to continue to offer them a new experience each time they play," Newell said in March.