For some time now, there have been rumors going around about how Valve will be creating a Mac version of their esteemed gaming content delivery service and software known as Steam.  In March, Valve officially announced that they were working on a Mac version of Steam and they released a beta sometime last month.  After much anticipation and much Mac fanboy drooling, Steam for the Apple Mac operating system has finally been released to the public.  So, what is steam anyways and how does Steam for Mac measure up to the original Windows version?  How can you get your hands on Steam for Mac?  You'll learn the answers to these questions and more in this review of Steam for Mac.

What is Valve and what is Steam?

Founded in 1996, Valve Corporation gained near-instantaneous success and fame with the first title that it ever released: Half-Life (1998).  Today, Half-Life is considered a classic in the first-person-shooting game genre and it has been hailed as one of the best games of all time.  Half a decade after releasing Half-Life, Valve created and released Steam for Windows operating systems.  The main idea behind Steam was to create a platform for digital distribution, digital rights management, communications, and multiplayer functionality.  Since it was first released on September 12, 2003, Valve's Steam platform has grown into a gargantuan platform with over 1,100 available games, over 25 million active user accounts, and a near-constant and consistent flow of more than two million active players on at any time.  Today, Steam is estimated to control about 70% of the digital distribution market.  Some of the major publishers that work with Steam include 2K Games, Electronic Arts, Capcom, Activision, and Ubisoft.

What can you use Steam for?

One of the main functions of Steam is as a digital distribution platform, which basically means that you can purchase and download entire games straight from the Internet.  The games that you purchase are automatically added to your Steam account, and all you have to do is sign up on Steam to start playing the entire game with all of its features.  Steam also has a server browser that allows you to join Internet and LAN server games, communicate with your Steam and in-game contacts, and more.  Steam also helps keep your games up-to-date, by automating the process of finding and patching updates.  Steam also makes use of Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC), which is a system that is meant to keep games and servers secure from game hacks and other forms of game cheats.  The Steam Cloud was also created to allow users to save game settings and game saves on a central server, which means you can easily play Steam games on another Steam-enabled computer by simply signing in to your Steam account and accessing your settings and saves.  There are tons of other features for Steam that you have to experience to get a full grasp of how good the platform is.

Get Steam for Mac

Steam for Mac was released on May 12 and it has received rave reviews from consumers, Mac review websites, and gaming enthusiasts alike.  Nearly identical to the Windows version of the product, Steam for Mac opens up a whole new world of gaming possibilities for Mac users.  Just remember that you have to have a Mac computer that meets the game's minimum requirements for you to play the game.  Some games have cross-platform capabilities allowing Mac users to play with Windows users through Steam.  Check it out now!