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Valve has announced the launch of its digital games distribution service Steam on Linux, whilst hosting a sale to celebrate the occasion.
Following the launch, Valve has offered over 50 Linux titles at discounted prices until Thursday February 21st – with some games slashed by up to 75 per cent.
Initially, the launch catalogue is predominantly made up of indie titles, but Valve is confident that triple-A games developers will progress to view the operating system as a viable platform for their titles.
Amongst the launch titles are Half-Life, Counter Strike, Serious Sam 3 and FTL: Faster Than Light.
Steam on Linux also launches with the service’s Big Picture Mode, which is designed for use within a home entertainment setup and encourages gamers to play with a TV and gamepad.
“With Steam for Linux and Big Picture mode, Valve anticipates a growing number of gamers will use Steam in the living room,” the announcement reads.
The incorporation of Steam and its Big Picture mode on the Linux platform could see a whole host of gamers move away from the traditional gaming setup and move into the living room with budget machines powered by the Linux OS.
Last year, Valve founder Gabe Newell voiced his support for the Linux platform following the launch of Microsoft’s latest OS Windows 8, which he labelled as a ‘catastrophe’ and one that would see game’s developers and product manufacturers to abandon the platform.
The Steam for Linux client is available to download now via the Ubuntu Software Centre.
