- #STEAM GAMES FOR MAC FULL VERSION#
- #STEAM GAMES FOR MAC UPDATE#
- #STEAM GAMES FOR MAC SKIN#
- #STEAM GAMES FOR MAC MAC#
Its web-based interface means no commitment, but also no sweet features.
#STEAM GAMES FOR MAC MAC#
I wrote about the launch of GamersGate’s Mac store, which I’ve used and found perfectly convenient. If a gamer on the Mac ( ahem) really wanted to do it right, anyway, there are tools in place. And that’s something which will rankle the design-conscious masses of Mac users.
So while they’re capable of making it look right, I don’t know that they have any inclination to do so. It’s an objection which could be overcome by Valve, but they’ve invested in the Steam look (it’s deliberately and irreversibly associated with Valve’s branding) and haven’t made too many concessions to Windows. And that consistency has always been one of OS X’s strengths (notwithstanding the occasional overlap, like Marble in Aperture and whatever-it’s-called in iTunes). Sure, it works, and it doesn’t look bad, but can you think of how out-of-place it might look on a Mac? GUI consistency is not just pretty, it’s functional. Steam is far from ugly, but it is a custom UI, with different spacing for buttons, and an embedded browser that until recently was IE-based, and a number of other issues. On Windows, I’m resigned to the constant interface changes: applications with hard-coded Vista-style buttons, flash-like interfaces, or ugly (but functional) open-source programs that look like they just stepped out of Windows 95.
This may sound like a superficial complaint, but no one has yet successfully overestimated the superficiality of Mac users. Steam doesn’t really fit in well with OS X “Apple does it better,” they’ll say, and they’re probably right, since Apple made the OS. One could argue that Steam is a natural fit for OS X, since digital distribution and automatic updates are so very Mac-ish, but users will also tend to reject non-Apple programs that perform Apple-like duties. They take Steam’s biggest selling point for granted to begin with.
#STEAM GAMES FOR MAC UPDATE#
Add in the faultless update system in OS X (compare with XP’s monstrous Windows Update), and it’s clear that Mac users have less to gain, and more to expect, from a digital distribution platform on their OS.
#STEAM GAMES FOR MAC FULL VERSION#
A more modern equivalent would be the ability to download, say, the Aperture 3 trial and instantly convert it to the full version by entering a license key. This has been the standard for as long as I can remember one example I’m sure many readers recall fondly is Escape Velocity, the demo for which was practically the whole game, except that once you passed the 30-day trial period, a rogue fighter ship piloted by one “Cap’n Hector” would harass you and steal your credits (the scoundrel). Unlike the majority of games and programs for Windows, Mac apps are frequently distributed whole, with a nag screen and 30-day limit or the like - shareware, essentially. Let’s take a look at what Steam is up against. It’s worth taking a bit of time to look at, since gaming is increasingly a major source of revenue and a wedge to increase market share. Of course, the idea of Steam on the Mac causes a delicate froth to appear on the lips of several kinds of fanboys - but while an excellent game-distribution client like Steam would be welcome on the Mac, it may not be the gaming renaissance people are hoping for.
At any rate, GDC is coming up and the expected announcements are Steam on OS X (definite) and possibly a peek at Portal 2, Half-Life: Episode 3, or both (speculative).
#STEAM GAMES FOR MAC SKIN#
You could be forgiven for expecting a full-site skin for 1UP, or a week-long series of “developer diaries” on IGN - that’s what every other game company out there thinks makes games sell. Valve is in the midst of a media blitz at the moment - not that you’d notice, since their idea of a media blitz is secretly launching a complex alternate reality game, or emailing single novelty screenshots to six different media outlets.
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