Steam's Survey Reports Another Drop For Linux Gamers In June 2016

[Ardje]

The survey seems to favor new installs, I usually get it only on new linux installs and my arch install is like 18 months old now thus I haven't seen it in at least a year.

In other news apparently Desktop Linux is now 2%

https://www.gamingonlinux.com/articles/apparently-desktop-linux-marketshare-has-finally-hit-that-elusive-2-mark.7548

I love it every time some Linux hater uses incomplete usage statistics to make belligerent remarks without considering the details.

I have "never" installed linux. It usually is just an upgrade, and $HOME is never changed.
I also never get surveys. Altough I vaguely remember something from when using wine somewhere in 2012...
But that new install is interesting, because it is not hard to fake a new install...
I also never seen a survey on my steam machine. I actually run BP on all of my intel systems.

[Ardje]

I've got the survey many times on both windows and linux. Just got it an hour ago and I'm using KDE NEON on a crappy laptop to buy games that I plan on playing on my Zotac Nen Steam OS when it gets here next week.

W00t! I have the Zotac too. Just a bit dissappointed that it does not support CEC, should have known that, since PC archicteture usually forgets about it. So it's not really meant for TV based gaming.
Upgraded it with an extra 8GB SO-DIMM, and an M.2 evo ssd, and carefully repartitioned it so /home is now cached using bcache. I have a playonlinux partition on FCOE on my "san", which als gets cached on the bcache.

[Ardje]

Of course it's dropping. Linux still sucks for gaming. Zero third-party support for gaming tools, sub-par ports (many games perform worse or lack graphics features) and huge input lag.

Hate to say it, but Linux desktop is not suitable for "core" gaming.

Actually the numbers say that the amount of linux gamers increases, but not as fast as the amount of windows gamers.
Steam doesn't show per-os growth stats.
Now I am thinking about it: it only shows the amount of new games that are delivered through steam only, as that more or less forces you to install steam. Most of the games I bought in presales were only accessible through steam, because that's the only viable independent platform to deliver your software.

[SystemCrasher]

OTOH Linux has got >2% of desktop market share according to https://www.netmarketshare.com/repor...sp=199&qpnp=11

Notice this is wincrap-based company using aspx and long known for underreporting Linux & overreporting IE shares, so they aren't exactly unbiased. Maybe MS forgot to pay bill or something, but they allowed more realistic numbers to appear in their reports recently. Looks funny BTW

[Passso]

They're probably just on-boarding a crapton of new Windows accounts and that explains the % drop. I remember a year or so ago they were dealing with a rash of fake accounts created by people that were trying to get some stupid advantage in some F2P game or better virtual goods or whatever it is that Valve is obsessed with these days.

I know I'm going to get burned for this (but that's okay), but I don't think the PC gaming industry shows healthy signs. I know it still makes a lot of money and all that, but the big developers appear to be console-focused and the PC has become sort of an indie wasteland. I don't know. Maybe I'm wrong... or maybe there is a shift in gaming preferences coming along.

I will not burn you but agree : PS4 is the official environment for studios, like PS3 was, like PS2 was.

This can be checked easily: AAA games comes 1st on PS4 then (mostly) ported to XBone then (sometimes) are ported (generally months after and badly) on PC.

So if we sum-up :

- 100 AAA games on PS4 day-1
- 60 AAA games on XBOne month-2
- 40 AAA games on PC month-6
and....
- 5 AAA games on Linux year-2

Sony wins, as always. Because they spend billions in AAA exclusive titles at launch and then the world follows the "winner".

[Mez']

I just bought Left 4 Dead 2, Company of Heroes 2, Witcher 2 and CS:GO on a discount yesterday (before the summer sale deadline).

Keep up the good work Valve (same goes for GOG and others). We are not letting you down.

[duby229]

OTOH Linux has got >2% of desktop market share according to https://www.netmarketshare.com/repor...sp=199&qpnp=11

Notice this is wincrap-based company using aspx and long known for underreporting Linux & overreporting IE shares, so they aren't exactly unbiased. Maybe MS forgot to pay bill or something, but they allowed more realistic numbers to appear in their reports recently. Looks funny BTW

Yep, the funnier thing is that desktop linux share has been around 2% since at least 2001 and the total number of desktops has increased. Also worth noting that desktop marketshare varies wildly between countries, some have huge linux desktop percentages. Basically anywhere MS has no influence either desktop linux or windows xp reigns supreme. (which just proves beyond any doubt in my mind people don't really like ms crap.)

[Passso]

Yep, the funnier thing is that desktop linux share has been around 2% since at least 2001 and the total number of desktops has increased. Also worth noting that desktop marketshare varies wildly between countries, some have huge linux desktop percentages. Basically anywhere MS has no influence either desktop linux or windows xp reigns supreme. (which just proves beyond any doubt in my mind people don't really like ms crap.)

Do you have any graph/map for this Linux % per country? It's interresting!

[duby229]

Do you have any graph/map for this Linux % per country? It's interresting!

It's important first to understand that statcounter is absolutely most definitely wrong and a boat load of analysis is based on statcounter results. So with that said, it's usually easiest to do a google image search, there are tons of graphs and images describing marketshare. Most of them are embedded in various reports and analysis and are difficult to find, but an image search can make it easier.

EDIT: The latino countries in south america and the atlantic have generally huge percentages. Many of the african countries do too. A ton of asian countries are currently in the process of transitioning from windows xp to desktop linux. China itself is in that process now on a fast path.

[DanLamb]

Laptop/desktop Linux gaming doesn't really make sense. Most people don't use Linux laptops, most people don't want desktop tower computers running any OS.

VR is the last hurrah for Windows desktop gaming systems. Desktop computers are becoming more niche-use outside of video games, and gamers are becoming happier and happier using a console or a smartphone/tablet or laptop.