TechSpot - PC Technology News and Analysis

Valve has announced a new feature for its renowned Steam digital distribution platform that will allow users to use any PC for accessing game-generated data such game profiles, configuration settings, and saved games, which will be automatically stored online.

Specifically, it means you can uninstall a Steam game halfway through, delete all save files, and resume it later on another PC without losing all your settings – something that may prove popular amongst PC enthusiasts who often upgrade their machines and format their system for new installs. The feature, dubbed Steam Cloud, will first be rolled out in existing titles such as the Half-Life series, CounterStrike and Team Fortress 2, and will be available for free without storage restrictions to both developers and gamers.

Steam’s John Cook also mentioned a slew of other updates to the platform that Valve plans for the near future including driver auto-updating, a system that checks your computer’s hardware and predicts performance, calendar functions, and official communities. In addition, Valve plans to expand its Cloud service soon after by allowing users to store and share other content such as screen grabs and videos, further expanding into the social networking arena.