steam

Update (June 15, 2011, 9:55 a.m. PT): Electronic Arts sent us this statement in regard to the removal of Crysis 2 from Steam: "It's unfortunate that Steam has removed Crysis II from their service. This was not an EA decision or the result of any action by EA. Steam has imposed a set of business terms for developers hoping to sell content on that service--many of which are not imposed by other online game services. Unfortunately, Crytek has an agreement with another download service which violates the new rules from Steam and resulted in its expulsion … Read more

Last week, Electronic Arts announced its gaming service. Origin on the PC feels familiar, offering a friends list and a digital storefront for EA games, making it essentially a single-publisher competitor to Valve Software's Steam service.

On the mobile front, Origin's launch is murkier. EA launched no standalone mobile Origin app, instead integrating into only its iPhone version of Scrabble. We spoke with Electronic Arts' General Manager and Senior Vice President Chip Lange, who provided us with some insight into EA's strategy for Origin on mobile devices and consoles, and how Origin is different than similar efforts from other publishers.

Q: What can you tell us about EA's plans for Origin on the various mobile devices?

A: EA has always been a platform-agnostic company with the customer at the center. And when you think about the opportunity of creating a platform-agnostic user ID and gaming network [like Origin], those types of opportunities really don't come into play unless you have a couple of things in place.

One is the content deployed across different platforms. Then you need a back end capable of capturing, containing, and utilizing your data across those different platforms. Being able to connect those PC gameplay experiences to a similar, though not identical, game on a mobile device really opens up a number of creative opportunities for us, whether it be for a game like Scrabble or a game like Battlefield or anywhere in between.

It's easy to say that we're creating a store, and that's Origin's focus on the PC right now. On the mobile side it's different. Apple already has a great store. What we're looking to do is get the social component of mobile side activated more quickly and more easily so customers starting can start enjoying it today.… Read more

As promised, Electronic Arts' Origin gaming service went live today. You can download the 34MB app at www.origin.com. We can report that its basic features work as intended, but it also introduces many questions about the future of digital game distribution.

On the surface Origin offers few surprises. It functions as a digital storefront from which you can download PC games directly to your computer, and is essentially a more fully developed version of EA's existing EA Download mini application. At the moment Origin carries EA published games exclusively, with regular and special-offer prices matching those of … Read more

Electronic Arts is doubling down on the digital-gaming space with the launch of a new direct-to-consumer platform, called Origin.

Launching later today, Origin will allow gamers to purchase and download over 150 games directly to their PCs. So far, the content on the site is limited to games from EA "and its partners," the company said in a statement today. In the coming months, EA says that it will offer more games, including the highly anticipated Battlefield 3, FIFA 12, Madden NFL 12, and Mass Effect 3.

"Origin is a game service with two fundamental features," … Read more

Valve's megapopular virtual marketplace Steam has been known to offer deals on games on a fairly regular basis, but now the online storefront says it will run a deal every single day.

Steam--which boasts more than 30 million users and a boss on Forbes' watch list--has rolled out a "Daily Deal" promotion through which the online marketplace will slash the price of a game for 24 hours.

The deals will be clearly visible on Steam's front page, and the promotion debuts today with 75 percent off military shooter Operation Flashpoint: Dragon Rising.

Gamers looking to stay in the loop on the day's Daily Deal can follow Steam on Twitter and Facebook.

This article originally appeared on GameSpot.… Read more

Portal 2 is the follow-up to the 2007 cult-classic original that was bundled inside Valve's Orange Box collection. Since then, Portal has gone on to spawn a loyal following that has been clamoring for a sequel for years.

This week Portal 2 hits the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Steam as its own full-length game, extending the mythology of GlaDOS--the game's maniacal nemesis--Aperture Laboratories, and much more.

Jeff: We listed Portal 2 as one of our most anticipated games of 2011 for good reason. It is by far one of the most unique gaming experiences available, forcing the player to think well beyond the laws of physics. In the process of creating a brand-new gaming genre, Portal 2 also delivers some of the most clever and unique level design around, allowing for an overwhelmingly satisfying experience.

If that weren't enough, Portal 2 doubles the value by adding a fully fledged co-op campaign that is totally different than the single-player mode. The most complex puzzles are found here and the sense of accomplishment and mutual discovery while playing with a friend cannot be overstated.

We got to chat with one of Portal 2's writers, Erik Wolpaw--the 8-minute interview of which is embedded above--about the process of creating the highly anticipated sequel and how Stephen Merchant was brought on as the voice of Wheatley, one of the game's new characters.… Read more

An Australian coal-driven power station plans to install solar reflectors on its property to augment its electricity generation process.

CS Energy plans to install 44-megawatts worth of solar on about 30 hectares of its Kogan Creek Power Station property in Queensland within the first half of 2011, and have it complete by 2013, the company announced Wednesday.

The $104.7 million project has secured the backing of the Australian government, with $34 million coming from the government's Renewable Energy Demonstration Program. CS Energy is spending $70 million. The remaining funds will be drawn from a $35.4 million Queensland … Read more

Ahead of this week's Game Developers Conference, Valve Software announced a forthcoming "big picture mode" for its Steam game download service.

Valve describes big picture mode only briefly, saying the feature "will offer controller support and navigation designed for television interaction." It plans to discuss the feature in detail with game developers and publishers at the conference.

This news comes amid an arguably increased blurring of the lines between PC and console games. Valve and Sony announced in January that the PlayStation 3 version of Valve's Portal 2 will support remote saved game storage through Valve's Steamworks API. Gamers will then be able to transfer their saved games between the PS3 and Mac or PC versions of Portal 2, a practice Valve is hoping to encourage by bundling a free download code for the PC version of the game with the PS3 version.

Additionally, cloud gaming service OnLive last November launched its MicroConsole, which lets gamers play streamed PC games from Square Enix, THQ, Ubisoft, 2K Games, and others from the OnLive service on their televisions, complete with a dedicated game-pad controller.

We'll update with more information about Valve's TV gaming plans as it becomes available, and stay tuned for more news from GDC throughout the week.… Read more

In a meeting of solar energy and oil and gas drilling, California start-up GlassPoint yesterday hosted the ribbon-cutting of an oil field partially run by solar-generated steam.

The company claims it's the only operation that uses solar power for enhanced oil recovery, where steam is pumped into wells to draw more oil from existing wells. The commissioning was in Kern County, California and construction of the facility took six weeks.

Right now, oil fields use natural gas steam generators whereas GlassPoint's system uses a series of mirrors in a greenhouse to generate heat. The mirrors reflect the light … Read more