Steam for Linux goes into beta next month

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Valve’s Steam for Linux team announced that it’s made some serious progress on the ambitious project.

According to a Valve Software blog post, a Linux version of gaming’s best known digital-download service will go into an internal beta starting next week. Quickly following that, the team plans to hold an external private beta that will include 1,000 users at some point in October.

That private beta will work with Steam and one Valve game. It’ll include support for the user-friendly Linux variation Ubuntu (versions 12.04 and up.)

Don’t expect any other Valve games or the recently introduced television-optimized Big Picture Mode, which is still in beta itself.

If you’re a Linux user who wants to sign up for a chance to get into this beta … well, you’re just gonna have to wait. Valve is saving those details for a future announcement.