Microsoft's Mattrick doesn't see Valve as a competitor

With Valve's Steam Box only months away from customer testing, some are wondering if Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are fearful of the inclusion of another competitor. At Microsoft's TechForum, Interactive Entertainment Business president Don Mattrick gave a flat "no" when asked if Valve's upcoming console was a threat.

"The scale of products and things that are being brought to market are probably a little bit richer when I look at Sony, Nintendo, Apple, and Google," said Mattrick, according to reporting by The Verge.

Mattrick still respects Valve president Gabe Newell and the company's work in the PC space.

"I love Gabe, I was there for his lifetime achievement award so it's wonderful to see what they're creating," he said.

Mattrick also explained that Microsoft is happy with the closed, curated nature of the Xbox platform, despite reports of independent developers having issues with Microsoft's processes. Microsoft already has an app store model in place for Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, but the practice does not extend to Xbox Live. In contrast, Sony has put forth a developer-first strategy for the upcoming PlayStation 4.

"There's a certain level of technical and production competency that people have to get through because we're trying to curate great experiences," said Mattrick. "We're trying to make sure that what exists upon our service on our system is done to a quality level and has interest for people who are likely to use it."