This is a long play. I doubt that Valve would be doing this if they didn't have a long term belief in it's viability.
One big issue is Engine tech, typically the best game engines have been designed around Windows and Consoles. Now we have ports of Source engine and Unity3D to Linux. This can enable a whole batch of games to be ported to Linux with minimal effort.
Besides , this is a beta so intended for interested early adopters to play with rather than becoming the #1 game system overnight.
>This is a long play. I doubt that Valve would be doing this if they didn't have a long term belief in it's viability.
No their cash cow is being threatened by Windows 8 and they know that their monopoly is almost over. They have one shot to protect it and keep MS away from it for all times - turn the desktop market toward Linux.
One big issue is Engine tech, typically the best game engines have been designed around Windows and Consoles. Now we have ports of Source engine and Unity3D to Linux. This can enable a whole batch of games to be ported to Linux with minimal effort.
Besides , this is a beta so intended for interested early adopters to play with rather than becoming the #1 game system overnight.