Steam distribution platform coming to the Mac in April

With the rise of spec-light social games combined with the distinct architecture of the Mac platform, it seems as though Apple's computer gaming trajectory would follow the same casual-friendly arc of the iPhone. Valve is hoping to entice hardcore gamer Mac-owners, as the company announced that its video game distribution service, Steam, would be coming to Apple computers next month.

While Valve stated in the announcement that the Mac would be considered a "tier-1 platform" alongside the PC and Xbox 360, the company's first PC-Mac simultaneous release won't occur until Portal 2 releases this fall. The company's massive back-catalog will seemingly be the initial focus, though Valve is promising some of its top titles at launch, including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series. Those and future Steam titles will support cross-platform multi-player, allowing PC and Mac gamers to play against each other.

While Valve doesn't have much in the way of a presence at this week's Game Developer's Conference, this announcement should be a hot topic over the course of the show. We'll keep you updated as we hear more about the service before its launch next month.

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With the rise of spec-light social games combined with the distinct architecture of the Mac platform, it seems as though Apple's computer gaming trajectory would follow the same casual-friendly arc of the iPhone. Valve is hoping to entice hardcore gamer Mac-owners, as the company announced that its video game distribution service, Steam, would be coming to Apple computers next month.

While Valve stated in the announcement that the Mac would be considered a "tier-1 platform" alongside the PC and Xbox 360, the company's first PC-Mac simultaneous release won't occur until Portal 2 releases this fall. The company's massive back-catalog will seemingly be the initial focus, though Valve is promising some of its top titles at launch, including Left 4 Dead 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series. Those and future Steam titles will support cross-platform multi-player, allowing PC and Mac gamers to play against each other.

While Valve doesn't have much in the way of a presence at this week's Game Developer's Conference, this announcement should be a hot topic over the course of the show. We'll keep you updated as we hear more about the service before its launch next month.