With the launch of 2 (hopefully) not too far off, appear to be taking criticism levelled against the inconsistent content delivery system on-board, and have signed a deal with digital distribution experts Limelight to host Steam's platform servers and relieve the pressure on their own, already strained servers.

Hopefully this new partnership will increase Steam's usability, access and speed being a frustrations since its launch, and enable a smooth debut for Half-Life 2 (and other products) online.

Half-Life 2 is apparently still on course for April, so with a bit of luck LimeLight's hosting will commence sooner rather than later, the Arizona-based company already having experience in handling the heaviest of traffic thanks to partnerships with the likes of MusicMatch and Real Networks.

"We selected Limelight Networks as one of our first hosting partners because they have a proven ability to deliver heavy media files quickly, inexpensively and with guaranteed reliability," commented Valve head honcho Gabe Newell. "With our current games generating more Internet usage each month than Italy's total traffic, we know we have demanding customers. And, as we approach the release of Half-Life 2, we are anticipating increased usage. Our hosting partnership with Limelight Networks will be a tremendous step toward helping us provide high quality service during the heavy peak loads generated by these avid gamers."

Thanks to Eurogamer.net for spotting this news.

By Luke Guttridge