Valve launches "limited access beta" for new Linux Steam client for select users with support for Team Fortress 2 and Big Picture mode.

Full Linux support for Steam is one step closer. Valve has announced that it launched a "limited access beta" for the new Steam for Linux client. The client supports Valve's free-to-play shooter Team Fortress 2, as well as two dozen additional games, including World of Goo, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and Trine 2.

On top of that, the Steam for Linux beta client supports Steam's new Big Picture mode (itself in beta). This allows users to browse, purchase, and play all Steam games through TV sets they already own.

Valve president and cofounder Gabe Newell called the news a "huge milestone in the development of PC gaming."

Valve said it received more than 60,000 beta applicants during the first week the company asked for respondents. The first wave of Steam for Linux beta participants will be chosen from this group. The beta will widen to additional users at a later time, with a full Steam for Linux client launching when a "solid level of stability and performance" is reached.

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