Steam on smartphone is preparing a small revolution

news material Steam on smartphone is preparing a small revolution

Valve is not a development studio that can be described as prolific when it comes to its catalog of video games. It takes little more than one hand to count the games that have come out of this company in the last 10 years: the latest is none other than Half-Life: Alyxwhich delighted the owners of a virtual reality helmet, but which left unsatisfied those who are still waiting to see Halft-Life 3 land on their bike.

It must be said that Valve can count on Steam to ensure very substantial income. Launched in 2003, this platform for selling dematerialized games on PC, Mac and Linux generates a turnover of several billion dollars each year. To capitalize on this success, Valve has no shortage of ideasthe latest being the Steam Deck. But the studio is also working on slightly less lucrative projects, which still help make Steam attractive to players.

A new version of the Steam mobile app in sight

For a little over 10 years, Valve offers Steam mobile applications to owners of iOS and Android terminals. These applications provide access to some useful features, such as viewing the player’s game library, access to instant messaging or even Steam Guard two-factor identification. However, the studio hasn’t really expanded its mobile services in recent years.

However, the situation should change in the coming months. In effect, on August 24, Valve posted a message on the platform, which went somewhat unnoticed. The blog post in question announces the arrival of a “limited beta of new Steam mobile app”.

“The application has a new infrastructure and a new look (the one from 2015 was starting to get old). In addition to the features already present (browse the store, generate Steam Guard codes, confirm trades), the application now offers login with a QR code, support for multiple accounts, a revamped library and improved notifications », explains the studio.

Valve didn’t do much publicity around this announcement.and for good reason: the studio is currently looking for a limited number of users to participate in the closed beta test of the iOS version of its new application. “As per Apple’s guidelines, only 10,000 people will be able to participate and the installation of TestFlight will be mandatory”he explains.

As for the application available in beta for Androidthere do not seem to be any restrictions and we were able to install it with a few simple manipulations. Everything is explained on this pageaccessible in English.

Valve explains that it is still refining the development of the two versions of its new applicationthis is why community feedback is important at this stage. Also, if you decide to participate in the beta of the new Steam application, it is a good idea to join the dedicated group and post messages if you encounter bugs, or if you have suggestions for improvement.