After some time in open beta, Steam for Linux is getting an official launch. Valve announced today that it was releasing a final version, as well as putting the catalog of Linux-compatible games on sale until Thursday, February 21st. That includes Bastion, Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and FTL, as well as Valve games like Counter-Strike: Source and Half-Life. People who play the free Team Fortress 2 on the platform will also get Tux the Linux penguin as an item. A total of 57 Linux games are on sale, and that relatively small number isn't exactly full of AAA content, but there's some excellent stuff. Valve has also mentioned games like Left 4 Dead as future Linux titles before.

Linux is an integral part of Valve's plan to build a Steam Box ecosystem, and anybody who's already running the platform will benefit as that's developed. For everyone else, Valve may have suggested Ubuntu for running its beta, but that catalog will need to grow before Linux is a compelling gaming alternative.