[phoronix]Linux surpasses 2% in the latest Steam hardware survey

[anonpuffs]

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Linux Shoots Past The 2% Threshold For The Steam Survey, AMD CPU Use Breaks 75%​

When Steam on Linux debuted a decade ago it maintained around a 2% marketshare before receding and then beginning its long climb back up following the debut of Steam Play for running Windows games on Linux and then with the much anticipated Steam Deck handheld game console and the modern Arch-based SteamOS. Valve just published their May 2024 numbers for the Steam Survey and they indicate the Linux marketshare is finally back above 2%.

The Steam Survey results for May 2024 were just published and point to the Linux marketshare seeing a big jump of 0.42% up to 2.32%! Meanwhile macOS rose to 1.47% and Windows dropped down to 96.21%. It's quite a large leap for the Linux gaming marketshare on a month over month basis and typically more in the 0.1~0.2% range.

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Pulling up the Linux-specific survey data shows SteamOS Holo continuing to gain marketshare and now accounting for around 45% of the Linux gamers.

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In large part due to the custom AMD APU powering the Steam Deck, AMD CPU use among Linux gamers has hit 75%! Linux gamers have tended to prefer AMD due to their open-source support and great Ryzen performance while the use by the Steam Deck and Valve investing a lot in the AMD open-source graphics stack has helped a great deal boosting overall interest. Under the Windows data, Intel CPUs maintain a 66.8% marketshare.

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Similarly, AMD GPU use on Linux is quite a big difference compared to the Steam Survey Windows metrics.

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Those wanting to go through all the May 2024 results for the Steam Survey can do so at SteamPowered.com.

 

[ethomaz]

I’m not sure where he got 75%.
The graph shows 65.36% to AMD and 34.36% to Intel… I believe it is a typo.

Linux is indeed at 2.32%.

Edit - Now I see he is looking only at Linux stats… 75.04% are AMD.

 

[Wing84]

If Microsoft goes through with that Recall feature, I'll def be on Linux/Ubuntu thanks to Bottles.

 

[ethomaz]

Unpopular opinion.

How Steam Deck do to support Linux via emulation is an illusory support for the platform.

Developers continue just making games to Windows…. real platform support should be imitative to allow developers to develop games to Linux without any type of emulation from Windows.

That is how Linux can grow as game platform.

Of course there is a lot of challenges to make that happy and needs support from some big companies (Valve?).

 

[Wing84]

Unpopular opinion.

How Steam Deck do to support Linux via emulation is an illusory support for the platform.

Developers continue just making games to Windows…. real platform support should be imitative to allow developers to develop games to Linux without any type of emulation from Windows.

That is how Linux can grow as game platform.

Of course there is a lot of challenges to make that happy and needs support from some big companies (Valve?).

I love Linux/Ubuntu but Linux will never grow in a meaningful way until there's a distro that has native software that serves designers and office workers while also marketing itself to those demographics. Microsoft markets Windows, Google markets Android and Chrome OS and Apple markets iOS, iPadOS and MacOS. No one champions Linux other than developers and tinkerers.

 

[xollowsob]

When Linux can run pirate copies of games, and mods, without issue or the need for tinkering, Linux will have a big boost in numbers.
At the moment, Steam and all steam games work without issue.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

The problem with Steam Hardware Survey is they only register the one system the person happens to be using at any given time. I'd guess most people with a Steam Deck use it as a second (or 3rd) gaming device besides their gaming PC and/or laptop.
In reality, those 2% could be a lot more or a lot less.

It's still pretty nice that Valve has finally put Linux in the gaming sphere. It's especially important for gamers to have this choice because of the privacy nightmare that Microsoft is claiming to be doing with Copilot+ Recall in windows.

 

[anonpuffs]

The problem with Steam Hardware Survey is they only register the one system the person happens to be using at any given time. I'd guess most people with a Steam Deck use it as a second (or 3rd) gaming device besides their gaming PC and/or laptop.
In reality, those 2% could be a lot more or a lot less.

It's still pretty nice that Valve has finally put Linux in the gaming sphere. It's especially important for gamers to have this choice because of the privacy nightmare that Microsoft is claiming to be doing with Copilot+ Recall in windows.

It's crazy to me that people got super up in arms about linking a PSN account for a game but aren't in the streets over Microsoft in essence putting a keylogger on your computer

 

[ToTTenTranz]

It's crazy to me that people got super up in arms about linking a PSN account for a game but aren't in the streets over Microsoft in essence putting a keylogger on your computer

My guess/hope is Microsoft is going to get railed by regulators.

Microsoft did manage to pass the ATVI acquisition so they know how to lobby, but at least the EU behaves like a completely different beast when it comes to privacy concerns.

 

[anonpuffs]

My guess/hope is Microsoft is going to get railed by regulators.

Microsoft did manage to pass the ATVI acquisition so they know how to lobby, but at least the EU behaves like a completely different beast when it comes to privacy concerns.

god i hope so.

 

[Wing84]

My guess/hope is Microsoft is going to get railed by regulators.

Microsoft did manage to pass the ATVI acquisition so they know how to lobby, but at least the EU behaves like a completely different beast when it comes to privacy concerns.

Microsoft is probably strengthening its EU lobbying power after that event. Money is power.