Linux exceeds 1% in OS share of Steam users for the first time in about 3 years, perhaps due to 'Steam Deck'



In the 'Hardware & Software Survey', which is created monthly based on information collected from users of '

Steam ', the world's largest PC gaming platform, the percentage of Linux users exceeded 1% for the first time in about three years. .

Steam Hardware & Software Survey
https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam

Steam Survey: Linux Gaming Market Share Climbs to 1% For First Time in Years | Tom's Hardware
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/steam-survey-linux-1-percent-steam-deck

Steam publishes the results of a survey every month as a ``Steam Hardware & Software Survey,'' which is a compilation of data collected voluntarily and anonymously from users regarding various information such as the hardware and software used by users. In the July 2021 edition of this 'Steam Hardware & Software Survey', the percentage of Linux users has reached the 1% level for the first time in about three years.



The last time it breached the 1% mark was in August 2018. In August 2018, Steam became compatible with the Wine -based compatibility tool ' Proton ', and the proportion of Linux users on Steam rapidly increased to 2%.

To enhance the gaming experience of Linux users, Valve releases Steam Play powered by Proton, which allows you to run Windows games on Linux - GIGAZINE



However, this phenomenon was temporary, and since then the percentage of Linux users has remained in the range of 0.8 to 0.9%, but suddenly exceeded 1% in July 2021. The reason for the sudden increase in the percentage of Linux users is unknown, but the IT news site Tom's Hardware reported that ``Valve's newly announced portable game console ``Steam Deck'' is equipped with its own OS based on Arch Linux. Therefore, there seems to be a segment of people who want to check out what they can do with Steam on Linux in advance.''

Portable game console 'Steam Deck' announced, price starts from 40,000 yen and shipping starts in December 2021 - GIGAZINE



Regarding this result, Tom's Hardware said, ``If Steam Deck ships, the market share of Linux games will continue to expand.The ecosystem and community surrounding Linux games is still in its infancy. With the support of major software and hardware developers like Valve, the percentage of Linux users could reach double digits in the future.'

in Software,   Web Service,   Hardware,   Game, Posted by darkhorse_log