EA launches Facebook-like social network, online games shop Origin

As other traditional game companies feel the heat from the digital age, EA just threw on a comfy teflon Snuggy. The veteran of video games launched Origin, its response to digital game stores like Steam, DirectDownload and OnLive. EA also made the Origin desktop app available today, where users can buy games--mostly for PC--directly, but that's just the beginning. Origin is also a social network for EA fans and, much like Steam, provides players with their own profiles with which to interact with their fellow EA gamers.

"We're committed to offering consumers direct access to great content and community in a way they have never experienced before," said EA CEO John Riccitiello in a press release. "Today we're launching Origin.com and the Origin beta application. Over time, Origin will grow with new functionality and unique new content that consumers can't get anywhere else."