On September 12, Valve Software, Inc. launched the new Community feature of their Steam digital-distribution software. This release follows a beta period lasting several months. The Steam client software updates automatically, so the new features have been rolled out to almost all of Valve’s users.

The Steam Community aims to compete with other gaming solutions such as the entrenched Xfire and the up-and-coming Windows Live branch of Xbox Live. At present, the Steam Community only supports Steam games for more advanced features, though any game can be added to the Steam list and receive some basic features, such as in-game instant messaging. Additionally, Steam will also communicate which game and server (if applicable) users are playing, offering quick access to joining the same server. Users can also create groups on Steam and communicate between members of these groups easily.

Expect a comparison here on Deep Thought as soon as Xfire releases their currently Beta update to Xfire In-Game.

The Steam Community’s main page from within Steam