14 DAY TRIAL // It seems like it all started a lifetime ago, but Steam for Linux has just turned two. Back in November 2012, Valve was announcing that a lucky few would be trying the new Steam for Linux Beta client. There were few games available, but a lot of hope.
If we fast forward two years later and we take a closer look at Steam for Linux, we notice that the number of games for this platform has increased dramatically. There are now more than 700 titles available for Linux users and more are launched every day, which means that Valve's bet for the open source operating system has been a good one.
Valve released the Steam for Linux client at a time when there were very few games available, the drivers were poorly supported, and the operating systems didn't really have anything in common with gaming, but things got better. The drivers have improved, the developers making operating systems now assume that there will be gamers on their distros and make the right adjustments, and there are literally too many games to choose from.
Steam for Linux is driving the platform forward
Numerous technologies have been updated in order to be available on Linux, including applications, game engines, and even middleware like Nvidia PhysX. The interesting thing is that the rate of adoption hasn't reached its peak and we are bound to see more software make the transition as the platform becomes more stable and more predictable. This is what Valve was saying two years ago.
"Valve, creators of best-selling game franchises (such as Counter-Strike and Team Fortress) and leading technologies (such as Steam and Source), today announced the launch of a limited access beta for its new Steam for Linux client. The Steam for Linux Beta client supports the free-to-play game Team Fortress 2. Approximately two dozen additional Steam titles are now also available for play on Linux systems. Additionally, the Steam for Linux Beta client includes Big Picture, the mode of Steam designed for use with a TV and controller, also currently in beta."
It's easy to see that Valve has actually managed to go well beyond anything they could have hoped. Even more, they have so much faith in Linux that they are now working on SteamOS, a distribution based on Debian that will power its upcoming consoles, called Steam Machines.
You can download the Steam client right now from Softpedia and give it a try. It's a beautiful and complex application that is here to stay.