Linux Usage Rose By A Tiny Amount On Steam Last Month

[humbug]

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...

Two years ago I would have agreed with you. But now and considering what's in the pipeline...
Metro series
Project Cars
Half Life series
Portal Series
Borderlands 2
CS GO
TF2
Star Citizen
Dota 2
Witcher 2
Witcher 3
Arkham Knight
Cities Skylines
Grid Autosport
Civilization 5 series
Dead Island
Bioshock Infinite
Left 4 Dead 2
Dying Light
etc..

We are still not close to the steam machines launch and already the linux AAA game catalog is ok. And that's not even considering the many great indie games. Probably a better starting line-up than any console launch ever in history. It's only a problem when you compare it to the windows back catalog.

Agree with you that the machines themselves may be too expensive, that's a separate problem.

[johnc]

Steam Machines are dead on arrival. Everybody in the industry knows this. I think even Valve knows this; they're just not ready yet to admit it publicly.

[humbug]

Steam Machines are dead on arrival. Everybody in the industry knows this. I think even Valve knows this; they're just not ready yet to admit it publicly.

I think they know that it will not sell big numbers. And that it won't turn the industry upside down.

But from their point of view probably growing Linux's PC gaming share a little bit from 1% to 5% over the next two years and having that niche platform would be enough to make it worth doing strategically.

[blackiwid]

whos most pesimistic wins here?

ok I would wonder if Linux would exist still in 2 months (did I win?)

my gosh you mix so much stuff you would wonder if in 5 years Linux would have 3% userbase in 5 years? And Valve spends millions of dollars because they dont want to admit that it will completly fail, what?

1000 games got ported next 1000 in the pipe they did that and it has exactly 0% effect.
On steam Linux sale and linux installation is shortly on 10% and after a while it goes back but still keeps 1 to 2 additional %.

Yes steammachines will not get magicly after 2-3 months raise Linux base to 10% but no 3% after 5 years so 4 years after steam machine release with gen 2 or 3 steam boxes. Come on even conspirancy theorists would not think so negative that 1000 to 2000 gameports and 4 years steam machines would have more or less 0 effect on the linux user base.

we dont even know that numbers are very accurate now, if people dual boot and dont play the game for 30 days only under linux they count as 0% linux even they play steam games under linux.

[Michael_S]

TWe are still not close to the steam machines launch and already the linux AAA game catalog is ok.

I disagree. I think the mainstream market wants the big Xbox and Playstation titles, and only a few of the games you listed are on that list (Bioshock, TF2, Witcher).

And that's not even considering the many great indie games. Probably a better starting line-up than any console launch ever in history. It's only a problem when you compare it to the windows back catalog.

But you can't pretend the Windows back catalog doesn't exist. It does exist. Why would someone pay $500 for a Steam Machine with Linux and 1000 games or 2000 games when they could spend $600 for a Steam Machine with Windows and pick from the whole catalog?

[johnc]

Game developers are not going to target Linux if it's buried in the 1% marketshare for too much longer. Many have taken the gamble on it but there needs to be some kind of significant response to make it worthwhile for the future.

The whole enterprise was tied to the success of Steam Machines, but Valve totally phoned that in, so that's a dead end. To be successful, SteamOS would have had to be something interesting that set it apart as something desirable above other alternatives, and they would need to launch the console with some Source 2 titles to gin up excitement and hype. Valve did none of that because they have imbibed for too long on getting rich from selling virtual hats and crates, to the point that they simply are not capable of delivering a serious product for the modern market.

I know it sounds harsh, and I take no pleasure in acknowledging the reality because I was behind the Steam Machines concept 100%, but it is what it is. If you canvas many of the tech sites and blogs out there, you'll see that the response to Steam Machines at this current time has gone totally flat. People have moved on. For heaven's sake, Valve can not even maintain excitement on their own Steam Universe public group, which the actual staff has even abandoned entirely!

[blackiwid]

I disagree. I think the mainstream market wants the big Xbox and Playstation titles, and only a few of the games you listed are on that list (Bioshock, TF2, Witcher).

he talked specificly about a launch were this game on the consoles availible at the launch date. the real question is how much of new aaa games in steam or other shops come out after the konsole (steam machine) comes out. not how much last gen games are supported. so everybody in dont know 2 years (the current consoles are to bad to have a very long run time) will choice do I start at 0 games with a Xbox TWO or PS 5 or start on 2000 games with the livingroom thing steam machines. Why do people buy consoles because the exclusive titels (only the hardcore fans) the other that they can play uncomplicated with controllers in the living room. So why should steam dont get 10% of this console marked. I dont get it. the games get produced for plattforms they can sell it. I dont get why everybody is so pesimistic are you all frightend to get your hopes to high?

But you can't pretend the Windows back catalog doesn't exist. It does exist. Why would someone pay $500 for a Steam Machine with Linux and 1000 games or 2000 games when they could spend $600 for a Steam Machine with Windows and pick from the whole catalog?

because windows is a complicated system with no easy updates on the system I do that here run steam on fullscreen then windows every second day steals the focus because the virus thing wants to update or other random shit. and then I am totaly fucked because I have no keyboard connected on that pc.

and I see not that microsoft optimise windows to steam its their competitor.

[blackiwid]

Game developers are not going to target Linux if it's buried in the 1% marketshare for too much longer. Many have taken the gamble on it but there needs to be some kind of significant response to make it worthwhile for the future.

there is not even the steamos controller. (yes I know thats not the name of that thing) people will not switch in big numbers to linux because they are Linux fans. Android had not success because 80% of all people love linux and windows was not so successful because it was a so much better os. its a good preinstalled package and the majority of people dont replace the OS on a hardware.

so Steammachines will bring the success or nothing. at least if not that it will take very very long.

[Michael_S]

he talked specificly about a launch were this game on the consoles availible at the launch date. the real question is how much of new aaa games in steam or other shops come out after the konsole (steam machine) comes out. not how much last gen games are supported. so everybody in dont know 2 years (the current consoles are to bad to have a very long run time) will choice do I start at 0 games with a Xbox TWO or PS 5 or start on 2000 games with the livingroom thing steam machines. Why do people buy consoles because the exclusive titels (only the hardcore fans) the other that they can play uncomplicated with controllers in the living room. So why should steam dont get 10% of this console marked. I dont get it. the games get produced for plattforms they can sell it. I dont get why everybody is so pesimistic are you all frightend to get your hopes to high?

The last generation of consoles lasted for 7.5 years (Sony) or 8 (Microsoft) years. The PS3 and Xbox360 seem like a joke now, but they had a total of 512MB of RAM each and weaker processors than you can get in some modern tablets, and they still had a service life for 7 years. The Xbox One and PS4 each have 8GB of RAM and computing power on par with a $400 PC with an AMD A10 CPU/GPU chip. That will definitely have more than two more years of life. They'll probably run for at least four more years.

So again, someone console shopping this fall can pick an Xbox One or PS4 for $400 or even $350 and a big selection of games they already know or a $500 Steam Machine with games they dont' know. And if they already do know the games on the Steam Machine, it's probably because they're already playing them on a Windows PC!

I want to be wrong, but I see this as dead in the water. If Valve is really serious about this, they would be putting tens of millions of dollars into improving Nvidia and AMD drivers for Linux and updating Mesa to the latest OpenGL and OpenGL ES standards, and maybe even paying companies like Blizzard and Electronic Arts outright to port their flagship titles to Linux.

[kingu]

Why are there so many 3GB, 5GB, and 7GB ram linux users? I know that there is nothing wrong with using that amount of ram, but it still weirds me out. Just ain't natural.

Possibly because the remained is reserved for GPU.