How to install the Steam gaming client on Ubuntu (Gallery)

Talkback

• Steam gaming client on Ubuntu

  Kudos to Steam and Ubuntu Teams.

  

  daikon

  15 February, 2013 22:55

  Reply 4 Votes

  • I guess I just have to wait for the Fedora client version......

    I tried Unbuntu....it's a good distro but I prefer Fedora.

    

    linux for me

    16 February, 2013 02:20

    Reply Vote

    • it works on fedora

      people have got it working in fedora and arch so it will run

      

      LinuxWill Rise

      18 February, 2013 23:55

      Reply Vote

• Been there and done that...

  I've played a few games on Steam but, honestly without the Batman games and Rocksmith I am stuck with Windows 7 and that's a shame because they won't even run right on Windows 8.

  

  slickjim

  16 February, 2013 00:16

  Reply Vote

  • No problems yet.

    I run Windows 8 Pro x64 and have yet to have any issues with any games through Steam.
    They all run great, performance seems a bit snappier all around from the Windows 7 Pro x64 that my rig used to run.

    

    JustWow2000

    16 February, 2013 03:09

    Reply 2 Votes

    • Guess Gabe was wrong.

      I thought he said that something about Windows 8 being a "Catastrophe". Seems not to be an issue when all my Steam games work just fine. In fact, I have bought several new ones since I upgraded to Win 8.

      

      JustWow2000

      16 February, 2013 03:20

      Reply 2 Votes

  • Win 8

    There is absolutely no compatibility issues for Steam and Steam games on Windows 8. Windows 8 has better memory management and CPU thread handling so performance should be better. If the games utilise DirextX 11 then you will see noticeable screen drawing enhancements (DX9 games will look pretty similar tbh). Framer drawing is also a lot quicker in Windows 8 so you can expect a greater frame rate as well as refresh/clean slate rate.
    
    Gabe Newell was just mad that Microsoft introduced their own Software/Game store that competed, albeit indirectly, with theirs. Of course it's ok for OSX and ironically Linux to have their own software stores but if Windows (which is coincidently where they make 99% of their revenue) introduces one then that is the worst thing in the world and Microsoft are evil and make people rage quit or some bogus...

    

    ingramator

    16 February, 2013 12:43

    Reply 3 Votes

    • no.

      He was upset with two things:
      1. MS wanted 30% of their income.
      2. REALLY bad user interface killing the market.

      

      jessepollard

      17 February, 2013 14:53

      Reply 1 Vote

      • Wait... what?

        1) How? They aren't selling the games through the windows store, how can MS get 30%?
        2) What bad interface? I use it (I am a Network Admin) and I have and know a lot of users that use it and they are quite happy.
        
        The average user (I have come to deal with) quite enjoy the "Metro" interface. It is mostly so-called "Technology experts" that seem to have the biggest issue. Stop whining, there is nothing wrong with windows 8 and the quicker people realize that you spend more time on the desktop than on the "Start screen" they will see win 8 is not all that bad.
        
        I have been observing this since i got Win 8 in the CR, when you look at your users, try to see how many times a user actually uses the "precious" start menu. You will notice that isn't as much as you think. I have also observed it in my own usage. I maybe go to the start menu 2-3 times a week...
        
        "Yeah but then you don't work as much as I do" I don't recall any applications running in the start menu, All my apps run in the desktop area...
        
        Meh... /rant

        

        IceQ

        22 February, 2013 06:35

        Reply Vote

• How To Install Steam Gaming Client on Windows 8

  1. Go to http://www.steampowered.com
  2. Click on "Install Steam"
  3. Once Page Refreshes .. Click on "Install Steam Now .. "
  4. Click Run to install client.msi
  5. Follow Client Install instructions (aka just click "Next")
  6. Done

  

  JoseTorr

  16 February, 2013 01:16

  Reply 4 Votes

  • Indeed

    I don't understand where people have become confused. Maybe it's because they believe everything Gabe Newell tells them... On another note have fun Linux gamers on an OS which has excellent video APIs as well as graphics drivers!!!

    

    ingramator

    16 February, 2013 12:44

    Reply 2 Votes

• Steam obviously made a heavy commitment here,

  does anyone know what the Company Metrics are to determine if the Linux move is a success? How long will Steam give the Linux platform to generate income, and how much income is needed to justify continued Linux support?

  

  Cynical99

  16 February, 2013 17:26

  Reply Vote

  • RE: Steam obviously made a heavy commitment here,

    Did you notice this text from Steven's other blog:
    
    http://www.zdnet.com/pc-gaming-comes-to-ubuntu-linux-with-steam-client-release-7000011340/
    "Eventually, Steam is expected to bring their own Ubuntu-Linux powered gaming console to market. This is expected to compete with other gaming consoles such as the Xbox, PS/3, and Wii.
    
    With the console, Steam's customers won't even know that they're using GNU/Linux. This is distinct from installing Ubuntu on a PC and then installing Steam.

    

    Rabid Howler Monkey

    16 February, 2013 18:54

    Reply Vote

    • That's fairly general information

      I'm looking for more specific information about how Steam will decide whether to continue the project, or what criteria will cause them to pull the plug.
      
      Even Steam said (from your link) "Valve decided to bring Steam to the Ubuntu Linux distribution first because "working with a single distribution is critical when you are experimenting, as we are"
      
      So, if they are experimenting, what's the success criteria?

      

      Cynical99

      16 February, 2013 22:42

      Reply Vote

      • Well Linux has 1% of the market right now right?

        So maybe Valve will aim for 1% of their Windows sales as a success?

        

        KOL2024

        17 February, 2013 23:12

        Reply Vote

• WTF is "Steam"?

  I keep hearing about "Steam" games in blogs like this, and in Linux Journal, and all of these journalists make the same mistake: they assume that all readers know WTF they are talking about. Perhaps they and their close buddies learned about it in the womb, but there are people in the world whose mothers didn't drink that koolaid and find it really annoying when one journalist after another ignores good practice and skips the intro that explains what they are on about, or at least where to find out more about it. Even going to the Steam web site doesn't help any...they seem to assume that everyone already knows what they are too and they've also skipped the "what this is" section. Ya know, I think I no longer give a damn. The "in crowd" can have it all to themselves, and I'll go spend my mental budget puzzling out something more useful, like CodeIgniter or MariaDB.

  

  plonk@...

  16 February, 2013 18:56

  Reply Vote

  • Re: WTF is "Steam"?

    You could try following the links.

    

    ldo17

    17 February, 2013 02:21

    Reply Vote

  • The "in crowd" in this case...

    ...being pretty much the entire IT community ie. basically the only type of person who goes to this website.

    

    KOL2024

    17 February, 2013 23:14

    Reply Vote

  • Maybe use Google and Wikipedia?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_%28software%29
    You are reading a technology blog. If you don't understand a thing, why are you here in the first place?
    If you don't give a d**n, why bother to post at all?
    If every journalist started their posts with an "intro that explains what they are on about", posts would be unwieldy and would take too long to write. They assume that, if your are reading this, you know what's going on. If you don't, go somewhere else :)

    

    PsauQro

    27 March, 2013 16:16

    Reply Vote

• good to hear, however

  1) "newest version of Flash, that's 11.2 for Linux"
  so it uses Adobe's Flash. So don't be surprised about constant 100% cpu while playing.
  2) proprietary software is still proprietary, no matter if runs on Linux or Windows
  ......

  

  eulampius

  17 February, 2013 17:23

  Reply Vote