Linux user share on Steam breaks 2% thanks to Steam Deck
A moment I've no doubt many Linux fans have been waiting to see. The Linux user share on Steam has smashed through the 2% barrier.
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Linux raises above 2.3% usage on Steam thanks to the Steam Deck
The Steam Deck's success continues to be felt throughout gaming as a whole, and this week, Linux users achieved another milestone when it comes to gaming in the grand OS picture.
Around a year ago, back in August, 2023, Linux overtook MacOS as the 2nd most used OS for gaming, according to Steam's public data, and with Steam's latest price cuts, better offerings and the allure of current computer games and almost everything emulation-related running on a portable device, more users are drawn into the Steam Deck.
Steam has just released its latest survey in regards to their service and how games are being played in multiple devices, which covers the latest changes throughout May, 2024, and within it, when looking at the specific "OS Version" of the data table, we can see that Linux devices have gone up in usage to 2.32% of the entire Steam userbase, a +0.42& rise, compared to Windows' usage which dropped -0.55% in use according to this survey.
From PCGuide:
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Fresh report shows Linux usage reaching decade high with some help from the Steam Deck
For years, Linux gaming has been a niche market, despite boasting a loud and passionate community online. Compatibility issues and a lack of AAA titles often deterred mainstream gamers from taking a leap over to Linux. However, the arrival of the Steam Deck portable gaming PC appears to be changing the narrative slightly.
Valve has been putting in a ton of effort through Proton, a compatibility layer to allow Windows games to run on Linux – a necessary feat to ensure the Steam Deck was a big hit back when it launched in 2022. All of this development means that Linux has reached a new milestone.
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Latest Steam survey: Another Lovelace card breaks into top ten, Linux passes 2% share
What just happened? Valve's latest Steam survey results have dropped. May was another month when the RTX 3060 outperformed every other graphics card to cement its position as the most popular GPU, while another Lovelace RTX 4000 product broke into the top ten. We also saw Windows 11 close the gap on its predecessor, Linux rise above a 2% user share, and 32GB of system RAM become increasingly popular.
The RTX 3060 leader had a bit of a blip in April when its user share declined 1.21%, but it was business as usual in May as the Ampere mid-range card experienced the largest monthly share increase (0.48%).
The Register:
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Windows 11 and Linux gain ground among Steam gamers
Windows 11 is just like Linux. They're both growing their market share on Steam.
According to sources such as Statcounter, Windows 11 continues to struggle against its predecessor, Windows 10, in the overall Windows marketplace. However, it is making headway in the gaming arena.
In the latest Steam hardware survey, Windows 11 usage rose by just over one percent to account for 47.78 percent of Windows systems surveyed. Windows 10 usage fell to 52.23 percent, a drop of half a percent. This is much more positive for Microsoft's flagship operating system, and, at this rate, Windows 11 should be well ahead of its predecessor by the time Microsoft pulls the plug on support.
Penguinistas will be more interested in the uptick in Linux, according to Steam, although admittedly almost half of the Linux systems in the survey were running SteamOS – the primary operating system for Valve's Steam Deck console. Still, the change of just under half a percent to 2.32 percent for the operating system as a whole could be regarded as a 25 percent leap forward to The Year Of The Linux Desktop.