Filed under: Games, Windows, Microsoft
Valve's Steam now has Windows 7 support!
by Sebastian Anthony Oct 28th 2009 at 6:00AM
If you're fortunate enough to be running Windows 7, you have probably already noticed its best new feature: the new reworked quick-launch-cum-easy-access-taskbar -- or 'Superbar' as I like to call it.What you might not have noticed is that some applications now have new context menus if you right-click them on the Superbar. Usually these menus have quick-access links to documents you've recently edited, or tabs you've closed in your web browser.
And with Steam, the one-stop shop for all your gaming needs (really, it's the best place to pick up casual-play, $10 games. Give Braid a go, if you want to play the best puzzle game in recent years) -- you can now access Steam's innards directly from your Superbar! Recent games, favourite games, your friends list -- you name it, it's all there and easily accessible.
Now, if Valve would pull their fingers out and release the next episode of Half Life, I'd be a very happy man. I guess I'll have to make do with yet another round of Peggle Extreme for now ...
[via Long Zheng of Istartedsomethingsomething]
So, just how good at time waster games are you? Think you've got the stuff? Well, The World's Hardest Game 2.0 doesn't think you do.
Yes, amazingly, it's possible to have a sequel to a game called "The World's Hardest Game". It doesn't seem logically possible, since if the first one was actually the world's hardest, how could another one come along and share the moniker? It made me doubt the name in the first place. That is, until I tried the game.
The mechanics of the game are very simple. You are a small red square, ...
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
astro said 6:15AM on 10-28-2009
hmm, steam isn't showing me any of those options on the taskbar, and it even updated itself and restarted as I was reading this, so I know it is the latest version.
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astro said 6:18AM on 10-28-2009
nvm.... there it goes.. lol
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Sebastian Anthony said 9:17AM on 10-28-2009
Breaking news, right here on DownloadSquad... before it even happens!
KingDeb8r said 6:35AM on 10-28-2009
Well, they don't support fully Windows 7 - as when i click to view a screen shot nothing happens!
I have uninstalled the sin that is Internet Explorer.
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Sebastian Anthony said 9:18AM on 10-28-2009
Chrome is working pretty smoothly under Win 7...!
kyleabaker said 9:11AM on 10-28-2009
Steam has been great to me so far... I've been satisfied with the game management thus far, but now I'm looking to be able to start my CS:S game in two click. I hope it's this nice...upgrading now (in Win7x86_64).
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Sebastian Anthony said 9:19AM on 10-28-2009
Well, you can put a CS:S icon on your desktop, if that's your kind of thing -- though it's been a long time since I last saw my desktop...
Andrew said 11:37AM on 10-28-2009
The taskbar button will also ask as a progress bar if you're downloading.
Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way to get rid of the tray icon, which really isn't needed if you plan on keeping it pinned to the taskbar.
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Sebastian Anthony said 11:40AM on 10-28-2009
Yea, I noticed the same thing -- though at least it seems to go into the little 'pop up' system tray, rather than next-to-the-clock area.
Cool, re: the progress bar!
kojo87 said 1:02PM on 10-28-2009
i noticed this yesterday. pretty slick. this must have been the last Steam client update. between this and the Steam sidebar gadget i just found the world of Steam just became a lot more streamlined
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Sebastian Anthony said 1:04PM on 10-28-2009
Or... STEAMLINED?!?!
...
Yeah, I agree. Steam's always felt pretty clunky to me (that custom UI of theirs was almost unusable for a few years, until I upgraded my computer...) -- this is a nice addition, for sure :)
Nate said 11:49PM on 10-30-2009
It's not showing up for me.
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Sebastian Anthony said 11:54PM on 10-30-2009
Hm... leave Steam running for a bit -- it might need to auto-update.
And are you using Windows 7? :P
Nate said 12:03AM on 10-31-2009
I had it running for a good 10 min, then it finally did an update. It's working now. Thanks!