Steam Cloud to launch this week

By Tom Bramwell Published 4 November, 2008

Centralise game data starting with L4D.

Valve has announced that Steam Cloud will launch this week.

Steam Cloud, announced at the end of May, centralises configuration data online so that you can access your controller and multiplayer settings (like spraypaint images for Counter-Strike) from any computer.

In future, Valve intends to centralise save-game data - the idea being that you could delete a Steam game and all its files and still be able to pick it up from the same spot, on any computer, years later.

Steam Cloud will ship with the Left 4 Dead PC demo later this week (Thursday, 6th November for pre-orders), and with the full game when it launches on 18th November.

At the Steam Cloud unveiling earlier this year, Valve said that the first games to support the service would be the Half-Life series, Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2 and Left 4 Dead.

Announcing the launch this week, the developer said it would be adding the functionality to all its existing games, and reiterated that the Cloud is free for developers and publishers to use.

"For some time now, Steam has allowed gamers to log on from any computer in the world and access their applications. This also makes it easy to upgrade a PC without worrying about losing your games," Valve president Gabe Newell said.

"Steam Cloud is a natural extension of the portability Steam affords gamers and developers, and we intend to expand its feature set as it is used in Left 4 Dead and other games coming to Steam."

Valve said there are now over 15 million Steam accounts.

For more on Valve's vision of the PC future, be sure to check out Valve: Why the PC is the future, where we run through the facts and figures that Newell and his colleagues summoned the press to Seattle to hear earlier this year. They're a bit yay for the PC.

Picture of Tom.

About Tom Bramwell

Tom is Operations director of Eurogamer Network and Editor-at-Large of Eurogamer.net. He joined the company in February 2000.

Read more articles from Tom by visiting the Tom Bramwell archive page.

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Comments (8) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • StooMonster #1 3 years ago

    Steam Cloud is a fantastic development, and is going to make L4D even more delicious.

  • smirny #2 3 years ago

    i have to say i really like steam... i find it's convenience fantasic, along with the regular bundle offers they do it's saved me both time and money.

  • Eraysor #3 3 years ago

    I really like the idea. I don't have to start Half-Life from the beginning every time I format my PC now :)

  • DFawkes #4 3 years ago

    The only thing I can think I'd use it for is keeping my Favourite server list on TF2 saved. That would be handy though.

  • Nomgle #5 3 years ago

    I wonder when they'll fix their pricing ?
    Left 4 Dead is almost 50% more expensive on STEAM (for the digital, none-physical-item, no-middle-man version) than the physical disc version !

  • StooMonster #6 3 years ago

    @ Nomgle

    Go buy retail then, as it simply installs on Steam anyway!

    I think the Steam pricing hasn't adjusted to (a) new reality of current foreign exchange rates or (b) some retailers discount the price. Therefore the additional price paid is for the convenience of not having to go to the shops or wait for a copy to arrive by post.

  • Artemus #7 3 years ago

    The sooner your saves are implemented the better.

  • phaze08 #8 3 years ago

    Hahaha @ Steam

    You have to pre order left 4 dead to play the demo? "Buy the game and we will llet you try it!

    Besides which steam are still charging as if the dollar was weak against the pound. Its cheaper to order the disc!