Gabe Newell, co-founder and CEO of Valve, the creator of renowned titles such as Half-Life, DOTA 2, and Counter-Strike, has consistently explored the potential for deeper connections between the human brain and computers. This initiative began over ten years ago when Valve enlisted the help of in-house psychologists to study biological responses to gaming. The company even considered the use of earlobe sensors in its initial VR headset design and showcased concepts of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) at the Game Developers Conference (GDC) in 2019.
In a significant pivot, Newell decided to launch a separate venture. He established Starfish Neuroscience, a brain-computer interface startup, which has now announced its intention to develop its first brain chip later this year.
The inaugural blog post from Starfish, brought to light by Valve analyst Brad Lynch, clarifies that the project does not involve a full implant at this stage. Instead, the company is developing a custom electrophysiology chip that can monitor brain activity — similar to Neuralink’s capability to interface with computers — and potentially offer stimulation for therapeutic purposes. However, Starfish has not yet constructed the accompanying systems required for implantation.
Starfish neuroengineer Nate Cermak indicated in a statement, “We anticipate our first chips arriving in late 2025 and we are interested in finding collaborators for whom such a chip would open new and exciting avenues.” This suggests potential future partnerships with other companies working on wireless power or the eventual implementation of the chip into human subjects.
The objective is to design a smaller and less intrusive implant compared to existing solutions, which can allow access to multiple regions of the brain simultaneously, rather than just one area, and does not rely on a battery. Starfish claims that the chip operates at a mere 1.1 milliwatts during standard recording and can utilize wireless power transmission for operation.
The current specifications for the chip are as follows:
- Low power: 1.1 mW total power consumption during normal recording
- Physically small: 2 x 4mm (0.3mm pitch BGA)
- Capable of both recording (spikes and LFP) & stimulation (biphasic pulses)
- 32 electrode sites, with 16 simultaneous recording channels at 18.75kHz
- 1 current source for stimulation on arbitrary pairs of electrodes
- Onboard impedance monitoring and stimulation voltage transient measurement
- Digital onboard data processing and spike detection enables operation through low-bandwidth wireless interfaces.
- Fabricated using TSMC 55nm process technology
In contrast, Neuralink’s N1 chip features 1,024 electrodes distributed across 64 implanted threads, consumes approximately 6 milliwatts of power, and requires periodic wireless recharging. The complete implant is substantially larger, measuring around 23mm wide and 8mm thick. Neuralink has purportedly implanted the device in three individuals, though reports of complications, such as certain threads detaching from the first patient’s brain, have emerged. Nonetheless, that patient remains functional and has been engaged in interviews.
Starfish argues that the ability to connect with multiple brain areas at once may be crucial for addressing neurological disorders like Parkinson’s disease. Cermak notes that “there is increasing evidence that a number of neurological disorders involve circuit-level dysfunction, in which the interactions between brain regions may be misregulated.”
Furthermore, Starfish’s updated website indicates that the company is also developing a “precision hyperthermia device” for tumor destruction through localized heat and a robotically guided transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) system aimed at treating conditions such as bipolar disorder and depression.
As speculation arises regarding the potential intersection of this technology and the gaming industry, one can look back at Valve’s presentation from GDC 2019 discussing the possibilities of brain-computer interfaces.
