According to new information buried in Steam’s code, some users suspect that the gaming giant behind the service is working on their own answer to the sudden growth of cloud-based gaming apps. You can already stream games with Steam Remote Play, Steam Link, and Steam Link Anywhere, although all of these require the gamer in question to use their PC to host the game files.
The odds of this rumor bearing fruit soon are pretty slim though. The code hinting at the project was uncovered by SteamDatabase, a service built around cataloging changes to the PC gaming platform. With only a name to go on, it’s hard to know exactly what the service might be – although there’s a lot of speculation going around. A service literally called “Cloud Gaming” could be coming soon, although details about how such an offering would work are impossible to know.
According to the details shared by Steam Database, “Valve is working on ‘Steam Cloud Gaming’ according to partner site code update. Partners will need to sign an addendum to their terms,” this could mean that a new addon is coming that will function like SteamVR. Instead of being a fully independent service, Steam Cloud support could be expanded to include the option for developers to offer Cloud-based versions of their games through Steam. And with Google’s Stadia or Microsoft’s xCloud already coming onto the market, it makes more sense that Valve is building a simpler version of the technology rather than fully committing to their own efforts to launch a competing service. This is purely speculation though, keep your eyes peeled for more news on this in the coming months.
Valve is also working on other projects as well, such as a new AR project for Apple. Steam has been steadily improving over recent months. The service has implemented cloud saves and other storage options to improve the gaming experience. The company has taken steps to moderate reviews and user communities on the platform, making things a bit easier for consumers. Although the opening of the floodgates a while back certainly caused a ton more games to show up on the platform, complicating the process of finding good games on the already crowded marketplace.
