The Significance of Steam and Valve's Games for Mac

[MacRumors]

Earlier today, Valve Software released teaser images which indicated that their Steam platform as well as a number of their games would be coming to the Mac.

For those unfamiliar with this currently PC-only software, Steam is a digital distribution system for PC games. Essentially, a PC game App Store. The Steam storefront allows users to purchase from over 1000 titles and download them straight to their computer. Steam also provides digital rights management, auto-updates and community features for the games installed. Besides Valve's own games, major 3rd party developers including EA, Activision, SEGA and many more distribute their games on the system. Steam has been around since 2002, but in the past few years has really gained significant momentum and market share.

Part of Steam's popularity has been on the strength of Valve's own offerings which include Half Life 2, Team Fortress 2, Portal, and Left 4 Dead. Here's an old teaser trailer for their critically acclaimed title Portal game:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TluRVBhmf8w

Based on the teaser images, it seems likely that all of these titles will also make their way to the Mac. This leads us to believe that Valve has ported their Source game engine over to the Mac, which would allow any future games based on this engine to be easily launched for the Mac. Coincidentally, Valve has been in the process of seeding information believed to be about Portal 2 over the past few days. In fact, they even changed the famous ending to the game, leaving it open to a sequel.

Now, given all this, it does not mean that other non-Valve Steam games will necessarily be coming to the Mac. It would be up to each developer to make that decision. iPhone and PC Steam developer NimbleBit, however, is already considering moving their kart racer Zero Gear to the Mac based solely on these announcements.

"The arrival of Steam on the Mac platform would make porting our PC game Zero Gear to Mac much more feasable and attractive. This could be a chance for many independent iPhone developers to test the waters of desktop game development as well.", writes Ian Marsh of Nimblebit.

It could also open the door up to existing Mac -specific developers to have a new digital distribution system to Mac gamers.


Article Link: The Significance of Steam and Valve's Games for Mac

 

[roocka]

I'll be honest

I didn't know what steam or valve was. This is great news. Maybe Apple should buy this company so that google doesn't buy it and port it to android. This is precisely the kind of company that google would buy to deliberately kill just so apple couldn't have it and dominate the gaming industry.

Apple needs to invent a way to use you iPhone like a joystick to control whAt happens on your television screen.

 

[REM314]

This is just beyond awesome. It would totally make my windows partition useless and I would get back 50 gigs!

 

[Cougarcat]

Do I dare to say it? I do: this is the most significant thing to happen to the mac since the Intel switch.

 

[billystlyes]

apple couldn't have it and dominate the gaming industry.

I don't know if I should laugh or cry. Apple will never dominate the desktop gaming industry. All this talk about Steam and Valve being the "breakthrough" is laughable at best. In fact, I don't even understand the point of this article...

 

[pittpanthersfan]

Steam also provides digital rights management

Embracing DRM as a feature or service?

I lol'd.

 

[ph0rk]

I don't know if I should laugh or cry. Apple will never dominate the desktop gaming industry. All this talk about Steam and Valve being the "breakthrough" is laughable at best. In fact, I don't even understand the point of this article...

No, at best it is really, really awesome.

 

[cmaier]

Oh thank goodness.

Now if only Civ 5 comes out same date as the PC version...

 

[str1f3]

I don't know if I should laugh or cry. Apple will never dominate the desktop gaming industry. All this talk about Steam and Valve being the "breakthrough" is laughable at best. In fact, I don't even understand the point of this article...

How about most people don't really care about playing the latest & greatest of every single game? How about they just want to be a casual player of these games like 90% of those who actually play any games?

 

[PlayRadioPlay]

Valve is currently the single best company making games. Not just because they make great games, but because they are young and they know what gamers want, compared to the dinosaurs at EA. So happy they're bringing their offerings to Mac.

 

[jav6454]

It'll mean gaming developers will now consider the Mac even more when making their games.

 

[Sambo110]

I don't know if I should laugh or cry. Apple will never dominate the desktop gaming industry. All this talk about Steam and Valve being the "breakthrough" is laughable at best. In fact, I don't even understand the point of this article...

Uh, it will make more Mac games come out. Then people who don't switch because Half Life 2 isn't on the Mac (I have read people like that), will switch, then there will be more Mac users, and even more games will come out. Rinse and repeat. This is great news for people who own Mac's and like to game.

 

[Eminemdrdre00]

Embracing DRM as a feature or service?

I lol'd.

Its not the type of DRM that punishes legit users. Its really cool! All my Steam games are tied to my Steam ID. I can go to a friends house, download Steam, login with my Steam ID & download any of the games that I've purchased through steam & play right there!

 

[Eidorian]

I feel so old now.

 

[Switz213]

I can't wait! This will influence many more ports of games, hopefully.

 

[Reaktor5]

CS and DOD Source, PLEASE!!
I was just going to fire up Boot Camp to play this weekend but I might wait. This is awesome news.

 

[nagromme]

The Mac’s share of personal computing is growing, with a mindshare especially high among younger people. That’s not likely to reverse and trend back in Windows’ favor!

So however small the Mac gaming market may be compared to Windows (and consoles) it is definitely a growing one.

Any developer willing to cash in on that gets my support

 

[Voidness]

Maybe this isn't just Steam coming to Mac, maybe Apple actually bought Valve? Apple has nearly $25 billion in cash, and I doubt Valve is more than $100 million.

This could be one of the "big, bold risks" Steve Jobs referred to.

 

[cmaier]

Maybe this isn't just Steam coming to Mac, maybe Apple actually bought Valve? Apple has nearly $25 billion in cash, and I doubt Valve is more than $100 million.

This could be one of the "big, bold risks" Steve Jobs referred to.

no

 

[*LTD*]

So will all this stuff be native OS X, or just a port?

 

[Voidness]

no

Ok, why do you say no? There were rumours in 2008 of Google planning to buy Valve, and there also were rumours of Apple planning to buy EA.

 

[ShiftyPig]

Gaming on Mac will never surpass PC. First, for the price of a base MBP/iMac, I could order a beast of a PC gaming system. Second, hardcore gamers like to build their own setups, and you can't install OS X on your own machine.

 

[Foxer]

So will all this stuff be native OS X, or just a port?

Yeah. And what about all the old library games on that list? Will they be playable? I wants me some Dark Forces!

 

[cmaier]

Ok, why do you say no? There were rumours in 2008 of Google planning to buy Valve, and there also were rumours of Apple planning to buy EA.

That's exactly why. Just baseless rumors. Nothing came of it.


Apple isn't spending its money buying anyone. It's using it to create new products and services, some of which may be a huge risk. That's what Steve Jobs was talking about.

 

[macduke]

This is incredible. I know SO many people who won't switch to Mac because of the lack of games. This could start to turn the tide. I'm really looking forward to Portal. Hopefully these will also come to iPhone? Well at least a few of them. Wow, I can't believe my eyes. Is this the day that the Mac takes off? I mean REALLY takes off?