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

Valve will delay release of ‘Dota 2’ patches during major tournaments

Hoping to avoid wreaking havoc on professional players who compete in Dota 2 tournaments, Valve has just announced that its rapid-fire, two-week patch schedule will be delayed when it coincides with a major esports tournament. A recent update affected players who were part of the Epicenter XL tournament and gave them less than a day to adapt to significant gameplay changes.

This isn’t the case with other games used in esports as they keep separate tournament modes that are a step or two behind the regular game to give players enough time to practice with the game. It’s a tricky balance for developers as they try to make sure to appease both regular gamers get to enjoy new tweaks and additions and the pro gamers who need a bit more consistency.

Source: Engadget

Valve buys ‘Firewatch’ developer Campo Santo

Firewatch

Valve has just purchased game developer Campo Santo. The small 12-person team known for its game Firewatch will be relocating to the video game developer’s headquarters in Seattle. In a blog post announcing the sale, Campo Santo claims they “found a group of folks who, to their core, feel the same way about the work that they do” in Valve. The studio has confirmed that they will continue working on its next game In The Valley of Gods and that this game won’t be a PC-exclusive under Valve. Campo Santo also plans to continue supporting Firewatch and will still release its literary journal, The Quarterly Review.

Source: The Verge

Steam will not accept bitcoins as a payment method for now

For those who make use of the cryptocurrency to buy games off of Steam, you don’t have that option available for you now. Steam just announced it’ll no longer accept bitcoin as a payment method. Valve made the announcement in a blog post saying the decision is a result of the cryptocurrency’s “high fees and volatility.” In the post, it talks about how bitcoin transactions have gone up to almost US$20 per transaction in the past week, which is huge compared to what Valve says was the $0.20 value it had when they initially enabled bitcoin.

The fees are being shouldered by the gamers who make the purchases, which means costs of the games could be higher if the bitcoin value dips. And if value does go up while the user completes a purchase, for example, Steam will have to refund the difference and then the user will have to pay the transaction fee again. As Valve says in the post, “This year, we’ve seen increasing number[s] of customers get into this state,” making it a pretty impractical way to pay for games. Steam says it might reconsider this decision in the future, if the currency becomes more stable.

Source: The Verge