Valve releases free version of ‘Counter-Strike: Global Offensive’

If you’re still on the fence about whether you’re willing to spend US$14.99 (approx. CA$20) on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, you can get the game for free. This version of the game will let you compete offline against bots and or watch matches through GOTV, the games spectating client. It is available on Steam for Linux, Mac, and Windows. 

If you do decide to buy the game, this will get you “access to online content and features, including multiplayer gameplay, official matchmaking, in-game inventories, skill groups, XP, ranks, and other online features.” This new CS:GO update also brings with it Panorama user interface as the game’s default view and a tweaked user interface to improve support for low-end machines. 

Source: Polygon

Active Shooter simulator game on Steam is insensitive to victims of mass shootings

Updated on Tuesday, May 29, 2018 at 9:27PM by Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

It is May 2018 and there have already been 23 school shootings in American schools, that's one school shooting a week.

What's more alarming than the frequency of these shootings is the thought that these horrific acts are the new normal, that they are inevitable, and that they are bound to happen again.

This is why Active Shooter, a first-person simulator video game is a bad idea.

The game puts players in point of view of either an active shooter killing students and cops in a school or a SWAT operative, is a terrible and deeply insensitive idea. While the game's developers Revived Games and distributor Valve/ Steam can trivialize this as another first-person shooter, or a 'Dynamic SWAT simulator', it's clearly an expoitative and deeply insensitive game.

Click to read more ...

Apple not completely closing door to bringing Steam Link to its platform

Apple recently banned the new Steam Link app because of “business conflicts” and it has just recently explained what these reasons seem to be. And it doesn’t look like they’ve completely closed the door on bringing the app back on its platform. Apple is said to be working with Steam to fix the issues it has with the app and hopefully an updated version of the app shows up on the platform soon. Steam Link lets users stream PC games to mobile devices. Android already has the app up on its platform.

Apple fans were apparently not happy with the development that they reached out Apple’s marketing guy Phil Schiller about this. In an email sent to multiple users, Schiller explained that he wanted Valve’s games and services to be on its platform but “the review team found that Valve’s Steam iOS app, as currently submitted violates a number of guidelines around user-generated content, in-app purchases, content codes, etc. We’ve discussed these issues with Valve and will continue to work with them to help bring the Steam experience to iOS and AppleTV in a way that complies with the store’s guidelines.” As BGR points out, it sounds like one of the main concerns is that it allows Valve to sell user content without shelling out for the App Store tax, which is a big source of income for the company.

You can soon play Steam games on Android and iOS with Valve's Steam Link app

Video game distribution platform Steam is looking to give you access to your purchased games on your mobile devices with an app it’s releasing on the week of May 21. Valve Steam Link will give you access to your games on both Android and iOS—and it’s not limited to phones but includes tablets and Android/Apple TV, too. The app will be free for download.

There are a few things to take note of, though. You will only be able to play if your device is connected to a 5GHz Wi-Fi network or hard-wired through Ethernet to make sure it’s connected to your PC/Mac. In terms of controller support, Valve said it’ll support the Steam Controller and MFI controllers and “more across both platforms” but it hasn’t released specifics beyond these.

Source: Android Central