Source: GameDaily. GameSpot, & Kotaku

This September, Valve updated their Steam service to allow gamers to connect to each other within their new Steam Community. The service allows gamers to send instant messages in-game, setup voice-chat, create community chat groups, schedule events, flaunt their achievements/stats, and shop from the built in store. Sound familiar? This is basically everything that Games For Windows Live was ’supposed” to be, but isn’t.

Find out more about Steam Community battling Games For Windows Live and why it made the list, after the jump!

Despite more than a four month head start with their own PC community, GfWL could not compete with Valve’s SC (and still can’t). Whereas SC is useful both in-game and out, GfWL requires you to start up one of the Games For Windows titles and THEN access GfWL. Making any attraction to using GfWL for any sort of community based stuff next to non existent. Because of this horrid practice, and GfWL requiring a paid membership for ranked and quick matches (something that has ALWAYS been free for PC gamers) very few players are interested in a GfWL Gold Membership. Sure it provides text and voice chatting, but PC Gamers have had those options for years now (Xfire anyone?).

All GfWL really has is its ability to connect 360 and PC gamers. Unfortunately we have yet to see this prove to be an attraction to anyone who is not a Microsoft employee. Even games, like Crysis, which exist under the Games For Windows label, are still using outside programs like Comrade rather than rely on GfWL. Hmmm…I wonder why?

On top of that, their is no GfWL marketplace, unlike Steam which started as an online store. Steam’s got publishers like Activision, 2K, Eidos and of course Valve’s long list of games/mods in its library AND supports almost any game, whether you got it from Steam or not. Unlike GfWL which is limited to the few titles out under the Games For Windows label. That said, Steam is not perfect either. You can’t track stats on third party games that cannot be registered with the service. The box version of BioShock for example. All you will see is ‘player is online’ or ‘playing a non-Steam game’. Also, some games you can buy from Steam still use their in-game friend and server lists to connect to other players.

While both services have a great deal of potential, and both still need work, SC definitely comes out ahead. Even with these two big boys going at it, the days of Xfire and others are not over yet; not by a long shot.

To say that Valve’s new Steam Community setup is competing with Microsoft’s Games For Windows Live (the PC version of Xbox Live) is kind of like saying that a Nissan G35 Coupe is competing with your old college hoopty. Really there is no competition at all, just Steam pwning GfWL in almost every way.

For taking on Microsoft’s ugly Xbox Live stepchild (GfWL), the release of Valve’s Steam Community checks in number 56 on Sarcastic Gamer’s top 100 Gaming moments of 2007!

Click here for the rest of Sarcastic Gamer’s Top 100 Gaming Moments from 2007 all in one place!