Valve's Gabe Newell is backing new brain chip startup with medical focus

The big picture: A new frontier in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is emerging from an unexpected source: Gabe Newell, co-founder and CEO of Valve, the company behind Half-Life, Counter-Strike, and Steam. His latest venture, Starfish Technologies, isn't focused on gaming – at least not yet. Instead, the startup is developing medical applications, with plans to debut its first BCI chips later this year.

As Starfish Technologies approaches the launch of its first chips, the intersection of neuroscience, medicine, and technology is poised for change. While the dream of controlling video games with the mind remains a relatively low priority, the immediate promise of brain-computer interface tech lies in its potential to transform the treatment of neurological disorders.

Starfish has been quietly developing its technology for several years and recently outlined its vision for the future of brain interfaces. It aims to create "minimally invasive, distributed neural interfaces" capable of simultaneously ...