this post was submitted on 02 Aug 2023
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According to these new numbers from Valve, the Linux customer base is up to 1.96%, or a 0.52% jump over June! That's a huge jump with normally just moving 0.1% or so in either direction most months... It's also near an all-time high on a percentage basis going back to the early days of Steam on Linux when it had around a 2% marketshare but at that time the Steam customer size in absolute numbers was much smaller a decade ago than it is now. So if the percentage numbers are accurate, this is likely the largest in absolute terms that the Linux gaming marketshare has ever been.

Data from Valve: https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam?platform=combined

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[–] [email protected] 159 points 1 year ago (23 children)

Thank god for Valve and how awesome they've been to Linux users

[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago (5 children)

I really hope they release Steam OS for everyone soon. I'd love to install it on my laptop, currently running ChimeraOS which is functionally very similar, but would love to have the stuff like tdp control working in the overlays too without needing third party tools or workarounds.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

It would be especially cool for the other handhelds out there like the ROG Ally

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (3 children)

They’ve done such amazing work for Linux. Linux gaming wouldn’t be the same without them.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Now we just need an open source steam client and they will be the literal proof that companies can contribute to GNU/Linux and still stay on top.

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[–] [email protected] 76 points 1 year ago (12 children)

Count me as one of those new Linux users. I've been trying to switch since the 90's and Linux gaming is finally viable. I know this is in large part thanks to Valve, so thanks, Valve!

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[–] [email protected] 63 points 1 year ago (6 children)

I bet the Deck has a lot to do with this.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago

It does, but as a result we can now set up Linux on other machines and play a huge range of games. This removes one of the main obstacles for many people with Linux.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Love the Deck. I actually finish games with retro or pixel art aesthics with the deck compared to my PC or consoles. The pick up and go aspect and the smaller screen helps me keep coming back to it instead of abandoning it.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The deck has a lot to do with it whether people are playing on it or not. It's the thing that's made them make the big push into supporting games on Linux, which applies to other distros than just the Steam one.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago (3 children)

It also pushes developers to ensure their games run on Linux, even if it's through Proton

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[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Linux FTW. Number 1 on servers, now number 2 on Steam! Watch out, Microsoft /s

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Not surprised. Steam on Linux just works. Click a checkbox in settings to use Proton. Then only way it would be easier is if it would automatically detect Proton and use it. I don't think it does yet?

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It automatically uses Proton for titles that Valve has whitelisted as compatible. To play anything else you need to check a box in the settings. Honestly, it should probably just be checked by default.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Probaby just to deter non tech savy people to blame all the problems on steam without realising it wasn't made for linux in first place. There may not be a lot but with how popular steam deck is, I won't be surprised if a lot of people are trying out linux for the first time.

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[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Good, now we need devs to officially support Linux.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

I noticed that wine/dxvk/proton works better than many native Linux versions. This is usually because the game studio does not think Linux is a priority and ships a half-assed implementation. Better to use the optimized version through wine/proton/dxvk.

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[–] [email protected] 37 points 1 year ago (8 children)

I'm sure 99% of it is Steam Decks

[–] [email protected] 50 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

The post says ~42 % is Steam OS

[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago

Actually its only 44% steam decks!

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago

@cipherlab @pnutzh4x0r Nonetheless, it's quite the achievement. That's exactly what Linux needs: visible, tangible and reputable hardware that's ostensibly better than the competition. It's great to be flexible, but you still need to have a face.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Less than that though they are a large slice.

Most Windows and practically all Mac instances are preinstalled by the hardware vendor. There are very few companies selling preinstalled Linux gaming machines other than the Steam Deck. I expect they might be a majority of new Linux steam users for some time as they are by far the lowest entry cost in terms of hardware, prerequisite technical knowledge and time.

Many gamers who dabble with Linux are still taking the path of least resistance and dual booting for gaming. Linux first people like myself will continue to grow in number but as long as it is a DIY thing realistically we will always be a few percent at best as most people want a simpler out of box gaming experience.

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[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago

Yes! Not only do I have a Deck, but I've switched my main PC to Linux. Sick of Micro$oft's shit!

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (19 children)

It's awesome that Linux is becoming almost a mainstream desktop operating system. The year of Linux is here just another year or 2 and gaming on Linux will be near perfect. But sadly we will not able to play any kernel anticheat games like valorant but who gives a fuck about that game anyways lmao

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

I've never looked back to Windows since switching my gaming rig to Linux about a year ago.

One of my favorite things is when a game launches with a DX12 option that says "Windows 10/11 only". Au contraire, game option. You're about to run on a penguin.

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (19 children)

I have a steam deck but I also recently changed from Windows to Pop!_OS on my gaming rig. I'm very much enjoying it so far

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

maybe if valve recompiled tf2 for fucking 64 bit macOS users would use steam more it's 2023 for fucks sake

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Steam still runs on Rosetta2. They just gave up and aren't even trying anymore, probably thanks to apples hostility to them and no Vulkan

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (5 children)

Previous 12 months:

June 2023: -0.03%
May 2023: +0.15%
April 2023: +0.48%
March 2023: -0.43%
February 2023: -0.11%
January 2023: no difference
December 2023: -0.06%
November 2022: +0.16%
October 2022: +0.05%
September 2022: -0.04%
August 2022: +0.04%
July 2022: +0.05%

It would seem Linux among Steam users shows a growth tendency.
Hopefully this tendency keeps going strong!

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nice. Steam with Proton works really great for me so far. If only wine would be as good for other software. Trying to get my Affinity products to work on wine or DAZ Studio is a nightmare and I probably will just use a VM 😩.

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[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I did my first Linux Steam hardware survey yesterday so I'm doing my part!

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[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I switched to Linux last year, and have been having a mostly smooth single-player experience. It's not perfect, but the improvements that have been made in Linux gaming (in large part by Valve) are undeniable.

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