Valve Software’s Steam service, which is popular for its games, has now entered the mobile world with iOS and Android apps. These apps on the Android Market and iTunes store, currently in beta, are not for game play, rather the users can only participate in the Steam community activity through their mobile phones. Users can chat with their Steam friends, browse different groups and stay in touch with the latest gaming news.
Steam, so far, has only been a PC application which has worked as a distribution channel for the games created by Valve itself or some third party games. Apart from games, Steam also comes with support for Clans (player’s groups) and Friends list where users can chat.
There seems to be a possibility that Steam will eventually offer mobile games through the Android and iOS apps.
“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,” Newell added.
Both the Android and iOS versions of Steam are available for free. To participate, the users would have to express interest because the project is in closed beta right now.