Steam for Linux May be Coming Sooner than Expected

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While it's no secret that the Steam Linux client is in the works, a beta version could very well be coming soon. Valve has not disclosed any release date, but it's speculated to arrive just before Windows 8 launches, which is October 26. Given the hostile reception Gabe Newell and other PC luminaries heaped upon Windows 8, an alternative operating system for computer gaming that doesn't have as much restrictions as Microsoft's soon-to-arrive OS could be an interesting option. The challenge is whether more users will actually flock over to Linux to play games, but steps are already being done to gradually ease the transition. A healthy number of supported Linux games are en route, although if Linux is to succeed long term as gaming platform, hardware manufacturers and game publishers need to support the OS in a big way, something which hopefully Valve can help sort out. 

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014 on September 13, 2012 07:55AM I like Windows 7 but am one of the users who may flock to Linux for PC gaming just because it's something new to try and it's a free OS. If this gets big enough, I can picture Linux support subscriptions (like the enterprise ones) growing into the regular consumer market. reply to this

masterbinky on September 13, 2012 09:36AM I always used linux through terminals (emacs ftw) so the GUI throws me off sometimes. This last time though I had used Ubuntu and I had everything I normally do in windows (besides most games) up in going in an hour. Unfortunately, Wine support for my top played games has historically been poor. Usually getting the game to even run in Wine is a game in itself. So native games will definitely keep me from wandering into windows. reply to this

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