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Valve announces new Software section for Steam, games to get some company September 5th
We've had some indication that Valve would soon be expanding its Steam offerings beyond games thanks to a new batch of categories that briefly turned up in its Android app last month, and the company has now made the move official. While not discussing the mobile app specifically, Valve has confirmed that the first set of non-game titles will be hitting Steam on September 5th, offering a variety of (as yet unnamed) applications that the company says "range from creativity to productivity." As you'd expect, those will all be able to be installed and updated through Steam, and you'll be able to save your work in the Steam Cloud and access it on any computer. Valve also says that titles will continue to be added in an "ongoing fashion" after the initial batch, and developers will be able to submit their own applications through the Steam Greenlight system.
Deus Ex: Human Revolution available for pre-order on Steam
Square Enix has officially announced that the PC version of Deus Ex: Human Revolution will be available through Steam, complete with all of the extras and discounts that are pretty standard on the service nowadays. That includes Steamworks features like auto-updates, achievements and Steam Cloud integration for saves. The Augmented Edition will also be available, with a digital art book, special trailers and downloads. The standard edition is available for pre-order at $44.99 (10 percent off the usual price) with the Augmented Edition at $53.99 (normally $59.99). That's dandy, but how much do we have to pay to get the game installed on one of those implants in our brains?
Call of Duty: Black Ops' Steamworks support, specs announced
Though it was sort of announced by Treyarch in a post on the Call of Duty forums, Valve has now officially confirmed that Call of Duty: Black Ops will use Valve's Steamworks for auto-updating and achievements. It'll also use the Steam Cloud for storage of profile and configuration settings. The game is available for pre-order now on Steam. If you're wondering whether your computer will even allow you to play it, Treyarch also announced the minimum specs. You've got 12GB free, right?
Portal 2 heading to PlayStation 3 with Steam Cloud support
Wait, what? Yep, we're just as confused as you are, but Gabe Newell himself announced Portal 2 heading to PS3 with some form of Steam Cloud support in-tow. Weirder? He claims the "best version" will arrive on Sony's console. We've got about a million questions to ask and we'll be putting them to Valve this week, so keep an eye out. Oh, and also, there's a really fantastic trailer that we'll be grabbing for you as soon as possible. Sorry about the tease, but we felt you should know. Update: Valve has sent along a press release confirming Steamworks integration in the PS3 version -- the only console version featuring that functionality, actually -- providing the game with "auto updates, community features, downloadable content, and more."
Steam for Mac adds Half-Life 2 with cross-platform Steam Cloud support
The Mac Steam release list is a bit thin in terms of quantity this week, but the additions are pretty substantial. As promised, Half-Life 2 is now available for Mac and -- as we dearly, dearly hoped -- Episode One and Episode Two are also available. All three Half-Life 2 games feature cross-platform Steam Cloud support, meaning that players' games are saved on Steam's servers and can be opened from any computer, PC or Mac. Additionally, Half-Life 2 and Episode One have been updated with over 40 new achievements. All three titles are currently 30 percent off: HL2 for 7 bucks; and Eps. 1 & 2 for $5.59 apiece. The complete Orange Box collection (with cross-platform Steam Cloud support across all games) is also currently discounted ($21), with the Team Fortress 2 for Mac release promised soon. Finally, EVE Online: Tyrannis will launch for both PC and Mac later today, making it Steam's first game to launch simultaneously on both platforms.
Torchlight gets big Steam update, half-price weekend
Valve knows you, conservative Steam user. You've been holding out for a discount on the already low-priced Torchlight from Runic Games, using the game's lack of Achievements and Steam Cloud support as an excuse to do so, haven't you? Haven't you?! It's alright (and we're sorry for yelling)! But we had to get your attention to tell you that Steam's benevolent overlords are already thinking a few steps ahead, adding the aforementioned Cheevos and Cloud support in an update last night as well as dropping the game's price by 50% for the duration of the weekend. For $9.99, you can venture into the land of Torchlight and click to your heart's content -- there's even a demo if you're so inclined. The deal last's until Monday, so let's hope you're an expedient Steam user as well as a conservative one. %Gallery-72098%
PC Modern Warfare 2 gets Steamworks, Steam Cloud, Steam Achievements
It'll likely be of no consolation for PC players irked by Infinity Ward's decision to forgo dedicated servers for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to learn that the game will connect to Steam's servers for automatic updates. Nor will the fact that, as a result of IW and Valve's team-up, MW2 will include 50 Steam Achievements to unlock, or that it will use the new Steam Cloud functionality so they can access their full profile and settings no matter what PC they're playing on.Let's face it -- they're just too steamed.If you're still planning to break the picket line and buy the PC version of MW2 (be careful, scab!), you'd probably like to know that the game is now available for pre-order via Steam. It's a lot safer than going anywhere near a real store given the number of people who sternly oppose your purchase.
Valve emits Steam Cloud syncing service Nov. 6
Announced in May, Valve's Steam Cloud service will be up-and-running in time for the arrival of the Left 4 Dead demo – at least for those who've pre-ordered the game – on Thursday, Nov. 6. Steam Cloud will store player's settings for individual games server-side, so that they can start playing with their preferences (keyboard, mouse, etc.) intact from any PC with the Steam client installed.Left 4 Dead will be the first game to ship with Steam Cloud support built-in; Valve plans to patch older titles to play nice with the service, and is sharing its code with Steam publisher and developer partners at no cost. The service is similar in some ways to Apple's MobileMe "cloud" based email, contacts, and calendar syncing ... hopefully, Valve's creation will actually work as advertised.
