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Valve Launches Public Beta Of Steam

Posted by simoniker on from the clever-company-plus-interesting-product dept.

Thanks to several readers for pointing out that Half-Life developers Valve has launched the public Beta of Steam, their "broadband platform for the delivery and management of digital content." It currently includes free downloads of the new Counter-Strike 1.6, as well as the original Half-Life, Team Fortress Classic, Opposing Force, and more. This audacious move to build a truly popular digital delivery content system by Valve, already through an extensive closed Beta stage, also indicates Steam users should "..stay tuned for a blast of HL2 full-motion goodness."

2 of 45 comments (clear)

  1. Don't Feed the Trolls by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    Just because they mention DRM their evil and you're going to boycott them? Maybe what they mean is that they will use their technology to prevent anyone who's using stream from applying hacks and cheats and runing other people's expiriances. DRM isn't always bad.

    --MBCook

  2. Re:Don't Encourage the Naive by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    No it isn't, get a fucking clue. It isn't guns that are evil, it's the people who use them to murder. DRM wouldn't be evil either, as long as they don't have hostile intentions with it. Separate paranoia from logic in your mind, please.

    Gabe Newell and Erik Johnson have been working thier ASSES OFF on Half Life 2 (not to mention everybody else, sorry). I've been with the community for a while and all I can say is you fuckers don't know the slightest clue what you're on about.

    I know linux guys are gonna panic to get this game ported from windows.

    When you see Valve doing big business-like things, blame it on thier parent company VIVENDI UNIVERSAL before you go around bitching about them.
    Thanks for reading this