Steam

I don't know if many of you use it, it's not like it's new, but it is a pretty good site/app for games. A lot of people seem to hate it, but i have found it to be a great program for my gaming needs on my laptop.

For those of you who don't already know, Steam is a gaming app/site that you can use to download and install games from, onto your computer with out the need of running to a store and buying it. It's a pretty simple process once you have everything set up. You just browse the games and select once you want and buy it. Once you have bought a game it shows up in your games tab and you install it. A few simple clicks, and your on your way to playing a game. I use my bank card and have never have had a problem. The nice thing is, the games you buy are easily re-installed on a newer system buy downloading the Steam client, and reinstalling the games. All your games info is stored on your steam account. So there is no need to worry about lost or broken disc, or lost cd-keys.

Here is the link for more info
http://store.steampowered.com/

I agree, it's a pretty slick portal. I've not yet actually bought anything through it, but use it for looking at upcoming games and free demos and since many of my friends use it and the game overlay works even in non-steam games, it's nice for keeping in touch.

I use Steam all the time, it has some great bargains near holiday times BioShock was only a few quid in December!

Some new games also authenticate via Steam, so you need to install it to get your game working. IIRC, Modern Warfare 2 did this quite recently.

I administrated an internet cafe on and off over 7 years.
I found that steam even on a small network of 30-40 computers was rather unstable.
At least 5 PC's a month would have a severe issue (Couldn't run steam at all).

Once the STEAM Cybercafe program & server were implemented, the client software started screwing up even more. Often times the cybercafe server was down, meaning none of the clients could play - at least, if i'd allowed it to be used and implmented, it'd be affecting our business. I wasn't stupid enuogh to make 30-40 unstable, dodgy client softwares rely on an even dodgier server.

For about a year before STEAM CyberCafe shut down, the STEAM Cybercafe sevrer was absolutely required and that's what eventually killed the project.

VALVe simply can't code for shit. They proved that in 1996 when they programmed Half Life with an inbuilt command to see through walls - in multiplayer games.

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience using Steam. I for one have had no problems, and enjoy the Valve game series including CS 1.6, CSS, TF & TF2, and the Half Life games. Sometimes when it comes to online gaming, it just depends on what server you are playing on.

Have not had any issues with Steam since the beta. In fact, Steam was one of the few games that gave me no headaches when migrating to Vista. It's a great platform, although I did have my doubts about it when they first introduced it.

Steam is legendary. All the demos and Metacritic scores help you make a good decision on whether to buy a game, and as Ian says, the bargains are great. Left 4 Dead 2 at only £15!

Only problem I have ever had with Steam is Modern Warfare 2 multi player - but I think that's more due to rubbish servers than Steam.

I love steam, it's the best videogame platform for PC (and mac) by far.

I use Steam too.Has great suggestions.

Steam = PC Gaming. It's great that there is one application where my friends are online whenever their PC's are running. It's also great that my games are all at one place. (y)