Steam set to arrive in April

Confirming earlier reports, Valve on Monday announced that it will brings its Source gaming engine and Steam distribution service to the Mac platform sometime next month. Previous leaks indicated Portal 2 will represent the company's first simultaneous release on Mac and Windows.

"Checking in code produces a PC build and Mac build at the same time, automatically, so the two platforms are perfectly in lock-step," said Josh Weier, Portal 2 project lead. "We're always playing a native version on the Mac right alongside the PC. This makes it very easy for us and for anyone using Source to do game development for the Mac."

While Mac users wait for Portal 2, the company is also converting current Windows titles such as Left 4 Dead, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, Portal, and the Half-Life series.

"Updates for the Mac will be available simultaneously with the Windows updates," said John Cook, director of Steam development. "Furthermore, Mac and Windows players will be part of the same multiplayer universe, sharing servers, lobbies, and so forth. We fully support a heterogeneous mix of servers and clients."

Valve's first Mac games will arrive sometime in April, although the company has yet to provide a specific date. Customers who already own a Windows version will be able to play the Mac variant at no charge. Any future purchases for Windows or Mac will also be available on the other platform for free.

by MacNN Staff