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THE BRILLIANTLY NAMED Steam, a popular game framework and online service created by the gaming company Valve, appears to be headed to Linux.
Information gathered by Phoronix, most importantly proof of Steam's Linux client existence discovered via Steam's Mac OS X launcher, indicates that this will happen in the not too distant future.
Valve is already sure to bring the Steam distribution to Apple and this has been heavily advertised, but this could confirm that the application, games and service are being porting to Linux.
This is a big deal, as Steam is a pioneering game platform that distributes and manages over 1,100 games to a community of more than 25 million people.
A real problem with Linux has been the reluctance of games companies to support it, so this could change the landscape for Linux gaming.
As Phoronix mentions, Linux users might be highly sceptical about this, as last year gamers were eagerly anticipating the promised release of Unreal Tournament 3 on Linux that never materialised.
There shouldn't be any reason why there is a platform check for Linux if Valve wasn't going to do it, but then again would-be Linux gamers have learned not to count their chickens.
But it is reportedly also possible for those with some technical expertise and patience to assemble the program themselves and run it, although they will likely encounter problems logging onto the online service, as it has not yet been certified for testing on Linux. µ
I only play half-life 1 from time to time now, but I've gotten it to run well in serveral different distros of linux. Still, I think it'd be way nicer to have something that ran linux native as opposed to through wine. I used to play a lot of Return to Castle Wolfenstein, and that ran linux native back in 2001, as does anything based on the Quake III engine.
Windows T9+
until there is a ubiquitous linux environment instead of the fractured landscape that is currently linux, i'll pass and so will most other people with a real life
Heavy-ly advertised.
...on some games. For instance, I can play portal on Ubuntu. Check out "play on linux."
I seem to recall about 3 years ago someone noticed the Linux specific code in the Steam platform updates. Doesn't sound like much has changed since then...
Steam's official answer at that time "Ask about Linux support again and we will ban you from the forums." Really. That's when I stopped buying games from Steam. Well, except Left4Dead 2, but it was cheap.
The full switch to Linux helped cure my gaming addiction. Steam on Linux is going to be hard for me...
Other than that, this is great news!
Why any gamers would go Windows if their games was compatible with linux...
i would only use my ubuntu partition if my games would play on it..
i already have all software equivalent on linux for all my other needs (chatting software, browsers, video and audio appz, office appz and stuff..
Microsoft must grease game CIe to get their title only to Windows, because MS knows gamers grant their OS fidelity on whatever runs their game...
- Microsoft and Sony say no new consoles this year
- Activision releases first downloadable content for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3
- Microsoft will ditch its Points virtual currency
- Consoles are set to get digital download charts
- Onlive gaming will be pre-loaded on all Google TVs
- Sony apologises for Playstation Vita
- Star Wars: The Old Republic goes live
- Grand Theft Auto III hands-on review
