http://store.steampowered.com/steamos
This is something that gamers have been talking about for a while now. Gaming on Linux.
Worldwide there’s an issue with software piracy – while games are pirated too the OS (Windows) is one software package that’s pirated the most. Even people that legitimately own Windows crack it at times due to Microsoft’s activation and licensing model. While games are also pirated there are a lot of gamers that buy their games but not their OS.
Valve Corporation is probably most known for their Half-Life game series. They are also the makers of STEAM which is a content delivery platform for games. What this allows is reinstallation of all your purchased games at any time with all your serials and installation files held in the cloud on your account. This means no need to worry about writing down serials or making multiple copies of installation discs – just remember your STEAM ID and password.
While Linux users have been using tools like WINE and CEDEGA (now under the GameTree Linux umbrella) persons that are not very Linux savvy would have issues getting things working properly.
Why would you want to switch to Linux? Well – for one thing – Linux is FREE SOFTWARE. There’s no need to purchase the OS and since it’s community driven it’s got drivers for almost everything. Support is in the community. And (mostly) Linux just works.
Valve has taken a huge leap into developing on Linux and has now released STEAM-OS. This is a Linux-based OS that gives you the freedom to play games without worrying about your Windows license. This means less crashes and more stability overall – but since this is new and still in beta, don’t expect miracles. Some things may not work the way you expect.
Head over to their site and get the necessary tools to test it out. Please bear in mind that the installation of Linux will require some computer know-how and may erase all the things on your current system. My recommendation is to have another machine to test this. If you have some computer knowledge or repair knowledge then use a different hard drive – disconnect your primary drive(s) – then do the installation. Remember to check the requirements for the installation as there are two options available. One will require a 1TB drive while the other will be setup just like a regular Linux (Debian/Ubuntu) installation.
Personally I’m glad that Valve/STEAM did this – more power to the gamer!