The service aims to challenge the supremacy of Steam

Aug 10, 2012 07:06 GMT  ·  By

Video game publisher Electronic Arts has launched the 9.0 version of its digital distribution service Origin, which is supposed to fix a number of problems that gamers have been reporting while also introducing some new features.

The patch notes state:

- updated the look and feel of the My Games tab; - updated game tiles with high resolution box art; - added a slider allowing users to resize game tiles; - moved the Download, Install, and Play buttons into game-specific mouseover windows; - changed the Mark as Favorite button to a star icon; - added new sorting options to the My Games tab; - added a refresh button to the My Games tab; - moved the Friends List into a standalone window; - added the ability to hide the Friends List; - added a button to the navigation bar that shows the Friends List if it’s hidden; - added new navigation options to the Origin system tray menu; - configured the Order History page to display both web and client purchases; - added new title bars to a number of windows; - improved overall performance of the Origin client; - fixed an issue that was keeping some users from being able to patch properly; - fixed an issue that was blocking FIFA 12 invites from being sent for some users; - additional miscellaneous bug fixes.

Origin is designed as a direct competitor to the leader of the PC based digital distribution market, Valve’s Steam, and since it was launched it has managed to get over the 11 million user mark, about 25 percent of the install base of its main rival.

Electronic Arts has pushed up its presence by launching a number of titles, from Star Wars: The Old Republic to Mass Effect 3, that can only be played via Origin.