A Steam Powered Overhaul

"The maximum aggregate bandwidth of the system will be greater than the current system; this will help us satisfy spikes in demand when there’s a big release. We will also be able to send content from more places, to better serve people all around the globe. All the content on the new system is sent via HTTP; this is more firewall-friendly than the current system, and will automatically take advantage of web-caching proxies installed at ISPs."

The announcement was posted on the Steam Website. One other great feature that I am sure users will be excited for involves downloading less data for game updates. Not only are the updates trimmed down to smaller size but players will be able to stream the update while playing and the update will be applied after you quit the game.

“These changes have given us an opportunity to write new tools for game developers and content publishers that simplify the process of both publishing and updating a game on Steam. Simplifying the publishing process means it takes the partner and us less time to ship each product, so we can ship more stuff to more users.”

This new structure will also make way for future enhancements that are commonly requested. Enhancements such as bandwidth throttling, download scheduling and purchase prioritization. Users can get a peek at the new content system by downloading a 1280x720 (HD) trailer from the store. With Steam's leading success I look forward to seeing what this new overhaul will do to the digital distribution platform and what other benefits we will reap from it.