14 DAY TRIAL // Trading on Valve's Steam digital distribution platform is now available to all its users, after being limited just to those enrolled in beta testing for the service.
Digital distribution is big business at least on the PC platform, and Valve's Steam is leading the way by implementing lots of great features and offering one of the most user-friendly experiences out there.
Now, a major new feature for the service has been revealed for all its users, in the form of trading. Before you start thinking you can finally offload some of the games from your own library in exchange for others, be aware that trading in Steam doesn't work like that, at least for now.
Instead, users can exchange in-game items with one another, like hats in Team Fortress 2, for example, as well as game gifts that weren't opened.
Now, as Steam Trading is available for all users, Valve has also added two new games that support it, in the form of its own Portal 2 and Sega's Spiral Knights free-to-play MMO.
"The Steam Trading beta began with Team Fortress 2 items and game gifts. Today Spiral Knights, the cooperative adventure from Three Rings and Sega, and Portal 2 join the Steam economy as Steam Trading becomes available to everyone," Valve said.
Jason Holtman, director of business development at Steam, continued, saying that, "The addition of Steam Trading is the latest example of how Steam continues to evolve with new features and functions developed based upon feedback. We look forward to seeing how gamers and developers have fun and move this functionality forward."
So, while full-on game trading isn't part of the new Steam service, perhaps we might see the option appear down the road, just as other digital distribution services, like Green Man Gaming, are doing with select titles.