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Valve releases Steam for Linux Ubuntu client software

by Mark Tyson on 15 February 2013, 11:30

Tags: Valve, Canonical, PC

Quick Link: HEXUS.net/qabssf

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Steam for Linux is out of beta and has been officially launched by games company Valve. Ubuntu users can get the Steam client software for free via the Ubuntu Software Centre or directly from the link here. To mark the special occasion the company has began a “Celebration Sale” with prices slashed by between 50 and 80 per cent on a range of over 50 Linux games.

Now the Steam client is available on Windows, Mac and Linux it makes it even easier for customers to buy-once and play anywhere. David Pitkin, Director of Consumer Applications at Canonical (Ubuntu) was pleased; he said “The introduction of Steam to Ubuntu demonstrates growing demand for open systems from gamers and game developers. We expect a growing number of game developers to include Ubuntu among their target platforms. We’re looking forward to seeing AAA games developed with Ubuntu in mind as part of a multi-platform day and date release on Steam.” With the move from Steam beta to final software Valve and Canonical are expecting more developers to embrace the platform and release games for it.

Steam for Linux includes the Big Picture mode; a game controller friendly interface aimed at living room TV gameplay. Valve is very interested in pushing into this space and is developing a Steam Box so players can enjoy their high quality PC games on their living room TVs. I hope any emerging Steam Box will be priced to sell and be able to compete with the deluge of tiny Android living room consoles.

The Steam for Linux sale is now on and will continue until 21st February at 10am PST (6pm in the UK). You can grab heavily discounted games including Half-Life, Counter Strike Source, Defcon, Faster Than Light, Team Fortress 2, Serious Sam 3 and Dwarfs now. The full sale list and further information is available here.



HEXUS Forums :: 16 Comments

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This is brilliant news! Thanks Valve!
Yes, but, what games currently work in Steam for Linux? The article suggests that game developers have to specifically support Linux, so the situation has not changed very much at all.
valhar2000
Yes, but, what games currently work in Steam for Linux?

Amnesia: The Dark Descent
And Yet It Moves
Anomaly: Warzone Earth
Aquaria
Bastion
Closure
Cogs
Conquest of Elysium 3
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike: Source
Crusader Kings II
Cubemen
Darwinia
DEFCON
Defender’s Quest: Valley of the Forgotten
Droid Assault
Dungeons of Dredmor
Dwarfs!?
Dynamite Jack
Eversion
Frozen Synapse
FTL: Faster Than Light
Galcon Fusion
Hacker Evolution Duality
Half-Life
Harvest: Massive Encounter
iBomber Attack
iBomber Defense Pacific
Intrusion 2
Killing Floor
Lume
Magical Diary
Multiwinia
Osmos
Penumbra: Black Plague
Penumbra: Requiem
Penumbra: Overture
POSTAL 2 Complete
Psychonauts
Puddle
Red Orchestra: Ostfront 41-15
Revenge of the Titans
Serious Sam 3: BFE
Solar 2
Space Pirates and Zombies
SpaceChem
Splice
Steel Storm: Burning Retribution
Spectraball
Superbrothers: Sword & Sworcery EP
Team Fortress 2
The Book of Unwritten Tales: The Critter Chronicles
The Book of Unwritten Tales
The Clockwork Man: The Hidden World
The Clockwork Man
The Journey Down: Chapter One
The Polynomial - Space of the music
Tiny and Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers
Titan Attacks!
Towns
Trine 2
Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign
Uplink
Waveform
X3: Reunion
World of Goo
Zen Bound 2
Obviously the PC isn't going anywhere as the primary computer OS for gaming but I think it's nice that the support is there. Plus, with SteamPlay, if I ever get a linux box for gaming, I know the titles I have bought that have multi-OS support will work without needing an additional copy.
Just tried TF2 to see if it worked and was amazed it ran without hassle first time.

I also got a Tux in my inventory which Steam says isn't tradeable but in the press release says is. Not that I'm into collecting online tat, just wanted to give it to someone I know who does :)

PS Some of my previously purchased Windows games (Penumbra, Cave Story, Amnesia) appear in the Linux library but others that have Linux versions (Darwinia, Multiwinia) don't.

PPS Using Ubuntu 12.04 32bit on an old Nforce board, Core2: some errors logged relating to Steam libraries but didn't crash PC or cause any system instability. Complete Noob @ Linux btw :p