Valve Founder’s Neural Interface Company Set to Launch First Brain Chip This Year

Alright, so picture this—Gabe Newell, the guy who brought us all those epic Valve games, is now dabbling in brain chips. Yeah, you heard that right. It’s like something straight out of a sci-fi flick. Anyway, his company, Starfish Neuroscience, just dropped some big news. They’re working on this new chip for brain-computer interfaces. And according to them, it’s gonna be pretty slick and coming out sooner than you’d expect.

Now, I’m not a scientist or anything, but apparently, they’re teaming up with imec to make this custom chip. What’s cool—or weird, maybe—is that it’s supposed to be super low-power and can do the whole wireless thing. The idea is these tiny implants can do tricks like read and send signals, maybe help with, I don’t know, complex brain stuff. Sounds a bit like magic, right?

Here’s the thing, though: they want to make these chips so tiny that they’re almost like, invisible. Imagine, a brain implant that’s just 2 by 4 millimeters! I didn’t even know we measured stuff that small. And, side note, why did I imagine a brain chip spec sheet? Seriously.

They’ve got some fancy features: mini power usage, capable of recording and stimulating—I mean, who even knew brains could be this high-tech? And they have 32 electrode sites. No clue what an electrode site is, but it sounds impressive.

Anyway, they’re on the lookout for partners now, especially folks who are into wireless gadgets or medical implants. They’re setting their sights on getting things rolling by 2025. Sounds ambitious, huh?

But here’s where it gets a bit trippy. Gabe’s hinted we might be closer to a Matrix-style reality than we think. As if getting tangled with neurons isn’t already mind-bending. And turns out, your brain’s picky—some parts are easier to tweak than others. Who knew your immune system had a say in feeling cold?

Then there’s this moment from 2019, before Mike Ambinder left Valve. He was talking about how these brain doohickeys could level up games. Imagine understanding what makes players tick in real-time. Crazy, but kinda cool.

So, are we about to live in a real-life cyberpunk world? Maybe. Who knows. But, it’s thanks to people like Brad Lynch that we even get wind of these updates. So, yeah, keep your eyes peeled, I guess.