Valve unveiled a 64-bit version of its Source game engine technology. The first 64-bit Valve games released will be native 64-bit versions of Half-Life 2 and Lost Coast, and have been developed to take advantage of AMD Athlon 64 FX processor-based systems.
The 64-bit versions of these games are being offered to all Half-Life 2 owners via Steam, Valve's online platform for delivering games and digital content directly to users around the world.
Bringing the Source technology to the AMD64 processor platform is an important step in the evolution of our game content and tools, said Gabe Newell, Valve's co-founder and president.
What extra features players can expect from the 64-bit version of H-L 2 has not been made very clear but the prospect of playing the game on a 64-bit processor and experiencing it in its ultimate glory is a good enough reason for most gamers to give it a go. Source is one of the first games to go 64-bit and its popularity is likely to bring some attention to the possibilities.
