AMD have announced that their drivers will now be available via Valve's STEAM software package. Nvidia have yet to commit to any move – although if STEAM ratings are anything to go by it looks as if AMD dominate 87% of the Direct X 11 marketplace.
Ben Bar-Haim, corporate vice president of AMD's software division said “AMD Gaming Evolved and Valve share the belief that ‘Gamers Come First,' [and] we now have the opportunity to work together to help ensure the best possible experience for PC gamers.”
With so many gamers using STEAM and AMD leading the way with DX11 cards it seems a really clever system to keep their customers updated. Many people forget about drivers, or can't be bothered looking, so a friendly ‘nudge' seems a very good way to get the latest bug fixes and performance enhancements.
The only area which is open to debate is whether the Steam platform will offer the patches and beta builds sometimes available via their home site. If not then enthusiast gamers will still be checking the AMD support pages for cutting edge information and Crossfire profiles.
KitGuru says: Will nVidia be next or shall they ignore this platform as a viable medium altogether?