Quick Heads Up: Steam Now Sells Software!

Admittedly that sounds a little odd, because games are also software, but what Steam are telling us is that they're now purveying non-game programs.

  As a devout Steam lover since Half-Life 2 came out in late 2004, I'm quite happy that they've made this move, because it allows me to get some pretty cool products from within the comfort of Steamworks, which means auto updates and cloud saves. For gamers, the highlights must surely be the 3DMark products, which are offered at a discounted price. But you can also get stuff like Source Filmmaker and the venerable GameMaker: Studio. Steam/Valve are promising many more titles are coming, with an emphasis on productivity, PC performance tuning, and game design.  

  To me, this is definitely a positive thing. I wouldn't worry too much about it diluting Steam's standing as a game distribution platform, and it's quite likely to augment that aspect of the service since a wider and more appealing catalog means a larger and more amenable clientele. At any rate, you can check the Steam software page right here. ALL IMAGES COPYRIGHT VALVE CORPORATION AND USED WITH THANKS!