Valve reportedly getting into the PC hardware business

Reports are coming out today that confirm long-held rumors that Valve has been looking at some way to enter the PC hardware business. While this doesn't point toward the much-desired "Steam Box" that was rumored a few months back, it's an exciting development nonetheless.

According to The Verge, Valve has confirmed rumors that a job posting for an industrial designer indicates that they are planning to enter the hardware business. However, they did not specify what sort of hardware they're planning to make, only offering the following quote as a sort of clue, "We're frustrated by the lack of innovation in the computer hardware space though, so we're jumping in. Even basic input, the keyboard and mouse, haven't really changed in any meaningful way over the years. There's a real void in the marketplace, and opportunities to create compelling user experiences are being overlooked."

It's not clear whether that quote indicates Valve will be leaning toward making PC accessories such as mouse/keyboard alternatives, or if they have ambitions that go beyond that. And of course, there's always the possibility that Valve is planning to start small with little projects like a gaming peripheral, then work its way up the chain to bigger productions.

We will of course be following this story with great interest, and will report back if any new developments arise.

Source : gamesradar[dot]com

Rebooted Batman to Debut in Justice League Movie?

Rumor has it that the live-action Justice League of America movie will also ostensibly serve as the reboot of Batman on the big screen.

Batman-on-Film reports that a "solid as they come" source tells them the Batman "reboot will come after the JL film, not before. Therefore, the new cinematic Batman will be introduced in the JL film as opposed to a solo film. This would ... assure the new Batman film series will be part of a 'DC Cinematic Universe.'"

The site cautions, however, that while their source is legit, they still advise readers to take the rumor "with a grain of salt" for now.

Next summer's Man of Steel is expected to be the final DC Comics movie until at least 2015, when scuttlebutt suggests the JLA film will be released.

JLA is being scripted by Will Beall. No director is currently involved, although recent reports claims the Wachowskis are high up on Warner Bros.' wish list to helm it.

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

Ben Affleck Denies Justice League Reports

Actor-director Ben Affleck has shot down recent reports that he's up for helming Warner Bros.' Justice League of America movie.

In a chat with 24 Hours Vancouver, the Oscar winner said, "I'm not working on the Justice League. One of the problems with entertainment web sites is that they need to fill pages, and that's how rumours get started."

Affleck added, "Justice League sounds really exciting, but it's not something I'm working on."

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

Dwight's Sister Cast for Office Spinoff

EW.com reports that the role of Dwight Schrute's "“pseudo-intellectual lefty” sister has been cast for the upcoming Office spin-off series, The Farm.

Check Out the Other New Farm Characters They're Casting For!

Majandra Delfino (Roswell) will play Fannie Schrute, Dwight's younger sister who ho previously left her family behind to go live in Boston. The Farm is planned for early 2013 and involves Dwight quitting Dunder Mifflin to be a beet farmer and run a bed and breakfast.

Majandra Delfino.

Source : feeds[dot]ign[dot]com

OnLive denies reports that it will lay off entire staff soon

Two reports came out today that are alleging that OnLive may be preparing to fire their entire staff. The reports come from tech site Mashable, and InXile Entertainment's Brian Fargo who both cited insiders at OnLive telling them bad things were afoot at the cloud gaming company.

The confusing part is that OnLive has issued clear denials of these claims so far. However, given that the company might be in its death throes it's hard to completely trust what they say over independent sources. Similar to the 38 Studios debacle, companies often don't like to portray any weakness until the very moment of death in case a last minute investor can be persuaded to save the day.

OnLive offered a clear, "of course not" answer when asked directly about whether the company was closing. And others at OnLive have been a little more reserved, saying that they couldn't comment, but the OnLive service won't be shut down.

All of this leaves the story still very much up in the air, and we don't yet have any idea what the resolution will be. Is somebody at OnLive trolling these journalists? Is this a weird publicity stunt? Or is OnLive very much in financial trouble? We'll likely find out very soon.

Source : gamesradar[dot]com