14 DAY TRIAL // Valve has released a new Beta version of the Steam client, and the developers have fixed a number of problems, especially for the newly added Broadcast feature that is still far from working properly.
The Steam for Linux client is very close to the versions available for other platforms in terms of functionality, but the latest feature added by Valve called Broadcast didn't work as well as it should.
This prompted the devs to make some changes and to promote a new Steam Beta update that pushes a number of important fixes. There is still a lot of work to be done, so it's unlikely that this is the last Beta in the series.
Each development cycle for Steam usually features a number of Beta releases before the devs decide that it's time to get a new version out the door. This happens on a regular basis, but from time to time, the fixes and improvements are so dire that they can't wait any longer. It's possible that this will happen with this Steam version as well, but it remains to be seen.
Latest Steam update is a must-have if you want Broadcast on Linux
Implementing something like Broadcast seems simple enough, but Linux and Mac OS X are not usually really permissive platforms, or at least they are less permissive than Windows for example. Something as complex as Broadcast was bound to cause some issues, and they became obvious once the users started to test the new feature.
"When you see a friend in game, simply click on 'Watch Game' from their profile or from the Steam Client Friend's List to open a window into their gameplay -- no game ownership, special fees, or additional apps required. The beta is open to everyone on Steam who wants to participate by opting in to the Steam Client beta through the Steam Settings panel. For the time being, concurrent viewing may be limited as the beta is scaled up to support the broader audience," reads the official announcement.
Well, it seems that Linux users were not able to use this feature right from the start, but that has changed now. Also, broadcasting from PCs where Intel hardware encoding was enabled has been fixed, the broadcasting option is now disabled if the overlay of the client has been opened, the Steam client no longer crashes in SteamOS, and a few other fixes have been added.
You can download the Steam for Linux client from Softpedia. In order to get the Beta version you will need to subscribe to it from Preferences.
