Sale-ebrate Good Times: Steam Linux Goes Live

In recent years, Valve hasn't proven too terribly consistent when it comes to, well, anything (cases in point: the recent ire-inducing layoffs, allegedly being a videogame company), but it can lay claim to one spotless record: Steam sales. If there's an occasion, you can bet crazy Newell's game, productivity software, wearable computing, and probably soon-to-be used car emporium will be on the spot to wheel and deal. Naturally, then, Steam Linux's triumphant exit from beta is being heralded by a gigantic, Linux-centric sale. March past the break in a manner akin to that of a penguin for details.

If you don't already have the Linux Steam client in some form, you can grab it via Ubuntu Installer. At that point, you will miraculously transform into a Real Person, imbued with the ability to choose from a hair over 50 entire games at your leisure. OK, maybe it's not the most impressive number, but it's a start.

Plus, all of them are on sale right now. For between 50 and 75 percent off, no less. Only problem is, the lineup's fairly light on heavy hitters. I mean, sure, Team Fortress 2, Half-Life, and Counter-Strike Source (sorry, no GO) are present and accounted for, but other titles from major publishers are basically absent. Don't get me wrong: some fantastic indies - Bastion, FTL, Amnesia, and Sword and Sworcery among them - have shown up for Linux Steam's grand opening, but there's still mountains of work to be done.

That said, it is a rather tantalizing sale for newcomers, and with Linux picking up steam by picking up Steam, it's definitely worth keeping a discerning, gamerly eye on. So then, who's considering belly-sliding into the OS ocean that is Linux? Especially in light of Microsoft's questionable goals for Windows 8, are you planning on taking the plunge?