Steam has an iOS/Android app now, in beta for select press and soon to be selected members. What at first looks like a glrofied mobile storefront actually appears to serve as a functional app, and as someone who is logged in on my PC practically 24/7, having a home-away-from home for maintaining chats and interacting with friends online is an essential app to have on a smartphone.
More exciting than all that is the app’s functionality as everything but a platform for your mobile device– allowing purchases to be made through it (which is only going to encourage more fire sale instabuys than ever). This leads to the immediate assumption of what this little Valve icon could mean on a mobile platform; mobile platform support for Steam apps.
Granted that’s total speculation on my part, but I can’t see why anything would stop them now, given the fact that they’ve provided the app everything but a way to access a library of games to play on mobile or tablet devices.
VALVE ANNOUNCES MOBILE STEAM APP
January 26, 2012 — Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike, Half-Life, Left 4 Dead, Portal, and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the beta release of the Steam application for iOS and Android devices.
With the Steam app, gamers around the world may chat with Steam friends, browse community groups and user profiles, view screenshots and user-generated content for their favorite games, read the latest gaming news, stay up to date on unbeatable Steam sales, and more.
“The Steam app comes from many direct requests from our customers,” said Gabe Newell, co-founder and president of Valve. “Seeing which of your friends are online and playing a game, sending quick messages, looking at screenshots for an upcoming game, or catching a sale – these are all features customers have requested. Mobile is changing way people interact, play games and consume media, and the Steam app is part of our commitment to meet customer demands and expand the service functionality of Steam to make it richer and more accessible for everyone.”
Those who wish to join the beta just need to download the Steam app (free of charge) and log in to their Steam account via the mobile app to express interest in the beta. Gamers will be added to the Closed Beta as the service ramps up.
Steam is a leading platform for the delivery and management of PC and Mac games with over 40 million accounts around the world and over 1,800 titles offered.
For more information, please visit http://store.steampowered.com/mobile