Linux Usage Rose By A Tiny Amount On Steam Last Month

[Michael_S]

I feel like until steamos comes out of beta linux is still considered like 'expert only environment'. Basically, if you are a random user who wants to build a linux gaming platform you have to deal with blob install, os install, uefi, buy the optimum hardware... If steam's os is officially released, random people could eventually feel more confident getting into the linux world.

So I think it's as important as the amount of great games.

I disagree. I think even if SteamOS had a great reputation for ease of install and ease of use, most gamers would flock to Windows for the better game selection. I'm about two steps away from being a rabid GNU/Linux fanatic, I have my Free Software Foundation membership card, and I'm still tempted to put Windows on my home PC because of all of the games I'm missing. I suspect almost all of the SteamBox sales at launch will include a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 license.

I want to be wrong. But I don't think I am. I would be shocked if Linux has 3% of Steam users in five years.

[Passso]

I disagree. I think even if SteamOS had a great reputation for ease of install and ease of use, most gamers would flock to Windows for the better game selection. I'm about two steps away from being a rabid GNU/Linux fanatic, I have my Free Software Foundation membership card, and I'm still tempted to put Windows on my home PC because of all of the games I'm missing. I suspect almost all of the SteamBox sales at launch will include a Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 license.

I want to be wrong. But I don't think I am. I would be shocked if Linux has 3% of Steam users in five years.

Except that steamOs boxes will be shipped "plug & play" as a console, so if the prices are good it can really spread a lot and give Linux much more titles in return.
Considering the ridiculous number of titles on XB1, PS4 and WiiU this can be a pretty good option.

Now PLEASE Valve get this controller available...

[humbug]

Must be me LOL.
I formatted like 3 times in two days going from solydk to Kubuntu to Xubuntu and got hardware survey each time.

[nightmarex]

@Michael

I am wondering why your articles about the linux userbase on steam always sounds like its stagnating? ( i'm no native speaker ) But if we take a closer look and not only on the percentages we can come to another conclusion. Lets face it, if you just look at the percentages ? and get the feeling its stagnating ? we (silently) assume that the overall userbase is constant. I guess this is the reason why i, at least, had the feeling about your articles. Let me try to look at it from a different perspective: Lets first investigate what the overall userbase looks like. If we do that we ? maybe ? surprisingly note the steam userbase is massively rising!



If we take this to account and see a stable percentage of the linux userbase one must conclude that linux is just as fast rising as the win userbase.

Hey I was a statistic in 2004 yippy! Honestly when steam came out I was pissed, HL2 couldn't be played on more than one computer thanks to steam and it was a boxed game... I was livid. now as time wore on, I love having most of my games in one spot, the DRM aspect still makes me a bit sick.

Now to address your post, I agree with you that the base is increasing and so isn't Linux usage it's just proportional.

[humbug]

I feel like until steamos comes out of beta linux is still considered like 'expert only environment'. Basically, if you are a random user who wants to build a linux gaming platform you have to deal with blob install, os install, uefi, buy the optimum hardware... If steam's os is officially released, random people could eventually feel more confident getting into the linux world.

I am a total Linux noob who has only been using it for a few months. My experience has been that thanks to steam setting up a linux gaming PC isn't any more difficult than setting up a windows gaming PC. For the distros which I tried; after installing the OS the only thing I had to do was which was mildly challenging was installing the proprietary GPU drivers. Apart from that you just go to the steam website click install and you're done. From there on you can manage all your games in steam which isn't any different than windows... I am having to learn other stuff in other areas to make myself more productive using Linux but gaming on linux has been the most straightforward idiot-proof thing for me as a new user. Since steam is managing all the underlying complexity...

I think even if SteamOS had a great reputation for ease of install and ease of use, most gamers would flock to Windows for the better game selection.

Anyway steamOS is only meant for living room PCs. Valve made it in order to bundle with steam machines or for people who want to turn their PCs into pseudo-consoles. They even recommend that desktop users use a desktop distro (not steamos). They intend to leave the desktop battle to canonical and the mint guys etc... A lot of people in the gaming world don't seem to understand that and they think that steamOS is going to take on windows head on.

[johnc]

SteamOS is just stock Debian with the Steam client pre-installed. It's basically completely uninteresting.

People will just buy the cheaper Windows machines and install Steam themselves and plug it into their TVs if they really want a "living room PC".

[Passso]

SteamOS is just stock Debian with the Steam client pre-installed. It's basically completely uninteresting.

People will just buy the cheaper Windows machines and install Steam themselves and plug it into their TVs if they really want a "living room PC".

And manage updates, antivirus etc. Not. A Steam machine will be much straightforward to use, it will be a good console.

[Michael_S]

Except that steamOs boxes will be shipped "plug & play" as a console, so if the prices are good it can really spread a lot and give Linux much more titles in return.
Considering the ridiculous number of titles on XB1, PS4 and WiiU this can be a pretty good option.

Now PLEASE Valve get this controller available...

I think you overestimate the value of quantity over brand recognition. I really think most shoppers aren't going to care that they can buy 1000 different games on Steam if they can't get Mortal Kombat X, Call of Duty 97 (or whatever the latest version is), Forza Motorsports, Gran Turismo, Halo, Tekken, Disney Infinity, Elder Scrolls, Tomb Raider, Grand Theft Auto, Far Cry, Destiny, Madden, Dragon Age, etc...

I also don't know that the prices will be great http://store.steampowered.com/sale/steam_machines The cheapest entry starts at $480 and has a Core i3, 4GB of RAM, an unnamed Nvidia GTX and 500GB hard drive. That's a tough sell, even though so many good Steam games are much cheaper than a $60 console title.

[Hamish Wilson]

Especially when the kickstarted Pillars of Eternity was released. Amazing game; looks great, plays beautifully, works wonderfully under Linux, and may possibly be Obsidian's least buggy initial release ever. It will be months before I finish it.

I just saw an online banner advertisement for it on another website.

Who would have thought five years ago that you would see a banner advertisement for a game that runs natively on Linux and is being sold as such on both Steam and GOG.com. Such interesting times we live in.

[Dasher42]

I have run Linux as my main environment for most of the past fifteen years, and every time I have to fire up Wine or Crossover or a Windows VM to load up Steam, I'm a bit chagrined. I do not want to reboot into Windows except as a last resort; I like Linux and KDE is the one desktop environment that does all I want it to do. Nonetheless, the occasional amazing title like Homeworld forces me to add to Windows' count on Steam.

I do *not* want to be promoting closed-source operating systems made by monopolists. If this keeps up, we just need to make more open source alternative engines for closed source games.