Valve boss Gabe Newell has called his company's assumptions over Xbox Live "such a train wreck".

Speaking to our colleagues at PC Gamer in its recently-published interview, Newell said one of Valve's failures over the years was to assume that Microsoft would improve Xbox Live so it could update its games regularly for free.

When asked if its mistake on Xbox Live was to assume Microsoft would let Valve update its games more often, Newell said:

"We thought that there would be something that would emerge, because we figured it was a sort of untenable... Oh yeah, we understand that these are the rules now, but it's such a train wreck that something will have to change.

"That's why we're really happy with the current situation with the PS3," he said. "We're solving it now in a way that is going to work for our customers, rather than assuming something is going to emerge later that will allow us to fix this."

Valve's Erik Johnson echoed Newell's comments: "The lack of updates on the 360, for TF2, is also a total failure," he said. "Those are the ones that sting the worst because... it got all the way through to customers. It's like a bug. If you fix a bug before it ever ships, it's pretty cheap. If you ship it and then fix it, it's really expensive. Those ones are really bad."

i like the new Gabe

What does he mean? Game updates are allowed on PSN but not on Xbox?

I think that frequent updates to fix bugs, glitches, etc... are possible on PSN because it more open that Live is and for that it makes it almost impossible to keep their games on 360 up to par with their PC counterparts.

Steamworks on PS3 will solve that issue since whenever the PC gets updates the PS3 will as well, meanwhile the 360 versions will lag behind since MS will not allow it.

He sure changed his tone pretty quickly.

I never thought I´d get to see Gabe apparently "siding" more with the PS3...I mean, back in 2007 he said the system was a 'total disaster' (back then, I personally can´t blame him for thinking that, as the system was struggling too much), and now it´s all kisses with Sony...apparently, at least.

It's nice that he could take time out from being morbidly obese to tell us something we already know.

Microsoft doesn't allow very much. I mean, look at Modding on unreal tournament on the 360 and PS3. This is why Activision loves Microsoft...they keep a tight knit ship.

holy $h!t!!! Gabe sure turned himself around...him and KB must be good buds!!! lol

Dear Gabe,

Has any told you how sliming that new attitude you've been wearing makes you look?  Really, it fits you in all the right places.  It's almost too sexy!

Love,

PS3Fanboys.