"Alien: Isolation" Receives Linux, Mac Ports as Cross-Platform Trend Continues

Alien: Isolation debuted to critical acclaim, hitting PC and consoles. For Linux and Mac devotees, I have great news: Alien: Isolation is getting Mac and Linux ports. This continues a recent trend of cross-platform development in the gaming space. As engines like Unreal and Unity further refine their cross-platform capabilities, devs are increasingly able to support multiple operating systems and consoles.

It’s refreshing to see developers showing love for Linux and Mac faithful. Although I usually use my HP notebook for gaming, I recently discovered that a whopping 47 of my…uh, extensive, Steam games were Mac compatible. Plus, I thanks to Valve’s nifty in-home streaming feature, I merely had to install Steam to get started. After briefly downloading the Steam client and logging-in, I was in bed playing Stasis.

Linux gaming has been on the rise, perpetuated by Valve’s SteamOS. The system specs for Linux state that players will need either Ubuntu 14.04.3 (64bit) or SteamOS. An Aug 22, 2015 PC World article focused on this trend with a list of 32 Linux-compatible titles including The Talos Principle, every Valve game (Half-Life, Portal, Left 4 Dead, etc.),  and Dying Light. Tech Times writer Horia Ungureanu reported on Sept. 22, 2015 that Steam has 1,500 Linux-compatible games in its extensive online store. Plus, software like Wine adds the functionality to play a bevy of Windows titles on Linux as well. Gamers can even install the PlayOnLinux frontend, making for an even more enjoyable experience.

For more news and system spect, check out the Feral Interactive site.