Steam for Mac Launches with Free Portal

[Update - 2:10pm CST] The Steam Mac Games Store is now open, offering over fifty games and various launch day discounts, such as hal

Chris Faylor

May 12, 2010 10:36 AM

[Update - 2:10pm CST] The Steam Mac Games Store is now open, offering over fifty games and various launch day discounts, such as half-off Torchlight--making it $9.99--and 70% off Quantz, which brings that game down to just $3.00.

In addition, Valve's clever shooter-puzzler Portal is free on PC and Mac until May 24.

As noted below, all of the Steam for Mac launch titles offer a free Mac version to those that already own them on Steam PC thanks to the "Steam Play" feature, "which allows customers to purchase a game once and play it on all Steam supported platforms."

For a full breakdown of the various games available, hit up Steam or look below.

[Update - 1:05pm CST] As expected, Steam for Mac is now publicly accessible, enabling the download and play of the various titles one may already own via Steam.

[Original] Though you still can't access the service itself unless you were part of the closed beta, Valve's digital distribution client Steam is now downloadable on Mac--thanks Joystiq--with the service and its various games due to go public shortly.

Among the initial titles available are Valve's clever puzzle-shooter Portal, Tripwire's multiplayer shooter Killing Floor, Runic's celebrated action-RPG Torchlight, Telltale's episodic adventure Tales of Monkey Island, Amanita Design's robotic puzzle-adventure Machinarium, four classic LucasArts adventures--Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Loom, and The Dig--and many more.

All of the launch titles offer a free Mac version to those that already bought them on Steam PC (and vice versa) care of the "Steam Play" feature, "which allows customers to purchase a game once and play it on all Steam supported platforms."

However, Valve has previously cautioned that "Steam Play" may not be universally supported across the entire Steam catalog, noting the functionality would be available "for our games and any of our partners who are interested in using the feature."

Moving forward, Valve plans to update the Steam for Mac catalog with new game "collections" each Wednesday--each collection is meant "to highlight specific functionalitites of Steam on the Mac"--as well as release native Mac OS/X versions of shooters Left 4 Dead, Left 4 Dead 2, Counter-Strike, and the Half-Life series.

"Mac and Windows players will be part of the same multiplayer universe [on Steam], sharing servers, lobbies, and so forth," Valve's John Cook previously explained.

In addition, Valve plans to release its future games simultaneously across Steam PC, Steam Mac and Xbox 360, with Portal 2--due this fall--marking the first such release.

[Update - 2:10pm CST] Steam for Mac Launch Titles: