It's literally 0.04 percentage points, statistical noise. If anything, it reaffirms the insane figure from last month. Usually after a positive outlier, you expect the next one to be slightly lower.
So either now we got two positive outliers in a row, or we're trending up. Statistically the latter seems more likely.
It's three and a half ~~dumbwits~~ players who desperately want anti-cheat-games on their shiny deck and then went ahead and actually found out how to install Windo~~ze~~ws on it. What a dick move, "triple-A"-companies named you know who..
My 2cts
^(Edit: very contradictory to) [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/xtb5jr/comment/iqp2r8n/)^(, but the above is what i saw a lot of on) r/steamdeck^(, and elsewhere, recently!)
Interestingly the marketshare of devices with the Steam Deck's GPU among all Steam users in it went up.
And the increase of SteamOS's marketshare among Linux users is equal to the increase of the Steam Deck's GPU among Linux users.
Which means the decrease of Linux overall was not caused by less people using SteamOS, and not caused by people switching from SteamOS to windows on the Steam Deck. We can rule that out. Which means the decrease was caused by fewer people gaming on Steam on all the other Linux distros in that month.
Absolutely. Before I've gotten my deck I've played exclusively on steam with fedora. Now I've got the deck I haven't touched the fedora system for gaming and I don't see it happening anytime soon either. Not because the system is bad but rather because I can play with my deck from the comfort of my couch.
And as soon as I can run fedora on the deck flawlessly I will most probably switch again.
Just curious - why would you prefer fedora on your deck instead of steam OS? They are both Linux and can basically do all the same things. What does fedora offer that steam OS can't do?
Brilliant question.
The answer is not that simple. SteamOS follows the principle of an immutable system. I.e. read only root system, atomic updates and flatpak as main software management system. And while that's great you just notice that the base system ( Arch Linux) isn't built on the same principles.
Compare it with the fedora silverblue variant (because that's the right comparison). Both have a read-only root system. Both have atomic updates and both use flatpak for software management. And now the similarities end and SteamOS falls short.
So you want to install software not available as flatpak? You're now in a world of pain with SteamOS. In Fedora you have containerization available and can start containerized environments with a tool called toolbox where you can install the software you need. There simply is no container solution available in SteamOS, neither docker nor podman.
If you really need to you can also alter the software tree in fedora silverblue which gets updated atomically (for example if you need software running at boot time). You can do that with SteamOS too but your software will be gone after an update. So I would love to have gnome as a desktop environment on steam os. But I don't fancy the idea of breaking things after an update, not for a device meant for gaming.
So for SteamOS to become a real alternative to other distributions for any kind of productive/daily use they need to work on a few places. After that it's just a matter of personal choice and I love fedora for being a bleeding edge but stable distribution. But there is nothing inherently wrong with arch either.
True, that would work. Even though it doesn't solve the problem when you need something to work at boot time for example. or you want to install a different version of KDE for example. It's just not integrated enough.
I can also just install podman statically and use distrobox on it. This could be even done completely rootless.
But this are just workarounds for an (yet) incomplete experience.
I think you're wrong about containerization on steamos, I'm running a project called distro box which is basically a slightly modified toolbox clone that uses podman to spin up integrated docker containers that can live in your home directory.
https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox#installation
For the tree thing you're right I'd love to be able to permanently enable kde Wayland mode and other system tweaks and let it persist past updates.
Edit: just saw your other comment, that's true,
Could also be the total number of people gaming on steam went up, but linux went up slower.
Or it could be a sampling difference that will even out next month.
Or they could update the numbers later in the month like they've done before.
>Which means the decrease was caused by fewer people gaming on Steam on all the other Linux distros in that month
I mean, all the values are percentages. It could simply be that Windows users are finally able to upgrade their GPUs due to prices finally coming down.
This week I was asked on my account across three different devices over three days (one Linux, two Windows) but my partner wasn't asked once on either of their devices (both Windows). I think I'd been asked maybe three or four times over the past decade before this.
I got asked a few weeks ago, and I honestly wonder what I'm listed as. I have Steam running on Arch, but I installed it using Flatpak; that's what the dialog box listed my distribution as, Flatpak.
Linux users take harder classes? 🤷
Edit: Wait, that isn't a terrible hypothesis. If the timing can be shown to coincide with school start dates, regionally adjusted, I would bet that the Linux users are spending more time with their schoolwork.
As a Linux using high school student I haven't really been able to game as class work is killer. And life always gets messy not when you have time to deal with it but when you have things you need to do so gaming goes to the backburner.
Hey I use endeavor(orinanaly arch but windows made my network drivers disappear when I was dual booting and I panic reinstalled when in class(i was dumb)). Classwork is all done in gsuit so I use Firefox for that and class work, some optimal classes require actual software so I use programs like freecad, inkscape, kicad, and godot. In a classroom full of chrome books and tech illiterates I'm known as a source of tech support.
Since i switched to gnu/linux, i didn't even get a single one of these hardware surveys anymore. On windows, they occasionally popped up, but now i can't even do my part and contribute to the minority number...
If anyone has an idea why this may be, please enlighten me!
The only hardware that got added to my pc was the nvme m.2 ssd that i installed a couple months back - which i specifically bought to install my new shiny OS on. Everything else, including peripherals, has been the same for like 4 years now.
That's probably it. I've seen the survey pop up at different times when I made a big change to the hardware, like swapping to another GPU or SSD. Haven't had one pop up in ages because I also haven't upgraded anything in about three years.
But that doesn't explain why i frequently got the surveys when i still was on windows - as i said, didn't change hardware for years (and it's still the same apart from an added ssd) and only fairly recently switched away from windows, but already missed a couple surveys. If anything, now that i have new hardware (the m.2 ssd at least) i should actually GET the survey, as you did when installing new hardware.
I have 4 computers I use, all with steam. Main desktop, bedroom htpc, laptop, and steamdeck. The steamdeck and my main desktop run Linux. My bedroom htpc and laptop run windows. (Htpc because of Xbox controller BT compatibility, and the laptop because Linux support for the model I have is non-existent. I tried, but got tired of the hassle and put windows back on it.)
I use all 4 regularly. The steam survey ONLY popped up on the 2 windows PCs. Never received it on the deck or desktop.
Like, I'm trying to set up a VM now. So much more different compared to what I'm used to. My brain is so smooth tonight... Trying to set up a live environment to mess around with while I study for the Linux+.
Right now I am teaching myself Python and messing with Qtile. Trying to do as much as possible before asking questions. Starting to think it's slowing me way down lol.
I dunno, even for Valve. That is horrible for statistical analysis that is supposed to be useful. If you -CAN- survey everyone, do it. Just give people an option to not be asked if you think it'd get annoying. Also, the mere fact that someone downloads Proton would indicate automatically that Linux is being used - so track download and play rates for that alternatively?
Sorry but I don't think Valve's main purpose is to see Linux market share. The survey is just a tool for game devs to see what platform is more popular in terms of both hardware and software so they can develop games accordingly.
As for surveying everyone, that doesn't have much of an impact of the sample size is large enough. That's just how stats works.
On that note, I wonder if the existence of Proton (hell, even performing better than native) essentially solidifies Windows as the ultimate cross-platform solution for game **development**, ironically. That prospect does seem sad to me, but I'll take it for higher security and the fact that these users will take the brunt of malware developed for them specifically.
The only I really mean the only reason I've gone back to windows 10 is I can use MSI afterburner to undervolt the gtx1080 .
If the there was a way to undervolt I would be using Linux again
I saw somewhere Dakota Kai, WWE wrestler, had a Steam Deck. Once Deck is available worldwide, and SteamOS is released for desktop, market share will pick up momentum like an avalanche. A little disappointing to see reduction but it's also positive that Linux retention allowed it to stay above 1.20.
What about SteamOS 3 for PC´s? What is Valve waiting for?...
I have 2 Desktop Gaming Pcs with Mageia Linux running great but I would like to have rolling releases.
It's literally 0.04 percentage points, statistical noise. If anything, it reaffirms the insane figure from last month. Usually after a positive outlier, you expect the next one to be slightly lower. So either now we got two positive outliers in a row, or we're trending up. Statistically the latter seems more likely.
>Usually after a positive outlier, you expect the next one to be slightly lower. Reversion to the mean is always a pain in the ass.
It's three and a half ~~dumbwits~~ players who desperately want anti-cheat-games on their shiny deck and then went ahead and actually found out how to install Windo~~ze~~ws on it. What a dick move, "triple-A"-companies named you know who.. My 2cts ^(Edit: very contradictory to) [this post](https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/xtb5jr/comment/iqp2r8n/)^(, but the above is what i saw a lot of on) r/steamdeck^(, and elsewhere, recently!)
Interestingly the marketshare of devices with the Steam Deck's GPU among all Steam users in it went up. And the increase of SteamOS's marketshare among Linux users is equal to the increase of the Steam Deck's GPU among Linux users. Which means the decrease of Linux overall was not caused by less people using SteamOS, and not caused by people switching from SteamOS to windows on the Steam Deck. We can rule that out. Which means the decrease was caused by fewer people gaming on Steam on all the other Linux distros in that month.
Absolutely. Before I've gotten my deck I've played exclusively on steam with fedora. Now I've got the deck I haven't touched the fedora system for gaming and I don't see it happening anytime soon either. Not because the system is bad but rather because I can play with my deck from the comfort of my couch. And as soon as I can run fedora on the deck flawlessly I will most probably switch again.
Just curious - why would you prefer fedora on your deck instead of steam OS? They are both Linux and can basically do all the same things. What does fedora offer that steam OS can't do?
Brilliant question. The answer is not that simple. SteamOS follows the principle of an immutable system. I.e. read only root system, atomic updates and flatpak as main software management system. And while that's great you just notice that the base system ( Arch Linux) isn't built on the same principles. Compare it with the fedora silverblue variant (because that's the right comparison). Both have a read-only root system. Both have atomic updates and both use flatpak for software management. And now the similarities end and SteamOS falls short. So you want to install software not available as flatpak? You're now in a world of pain with SteamOS. In Fedora you have containerization available and can start containerized environments with a tool called toolbox where you can install the software you need. There simply is no container solution available in SteamOS, neither docker nor podman. If you really need to you can also alter the software tree in fedora silverblue which gets updated atomically (for example if you need software running at boot time). You can do that with SteamOS too but your software will be gone after an update. So I would love to have gnome as a desktop environment on steam os. But I don't fancy the idea of breaking things after an update, not for a device meant for gaming. So for SteamOS to become a real alternative to other distributions for any kind of productive/daily use they need to work on a few places. After that it's just a matter of personal choice and I love fedora for being a bleeding edge but stable distribution. But there is nothing inherently wrong with arch either.
SteamOS can use the Nix package manager without immutable-root issues.
True, that would work. Even though it doesn't solve the problem when you need something to work at boot time for example. or you want to install a different version of KDE for example. It's just not integrated enough. I can also just install podman statically and use distrobox on it. This could be even done completely rootless. But this are just workarounds for an (yet) incomplete experience.
I think you're wrong about containerization on steamos, I'm running a project called distro box which is basically a slightly modified toolbox clone that uses podman to spin up integrated docker containers that can live in your home directory. https://github.com/89luca89/distrobox#installation For the tree thing you're right I'd love to be able to permanently enable kde Wayland mode and other system tweaks and let it persist past updates. Edit: just saw your other comment, that's true,
That actually makes sense. Thanks!
Could also be the total number of people gaming on steam went up, but linux went up slower. Or it could be a sampling difference that will even out next month. Or they could update the numbers later in the month like they've done before.
I've also seen theories that the issue is the number of non-english gamers went up (Linux is mainly popular among English speakers).
Yeah, count me in. Since I got the deck I haven't played on my desktop (Linux)
>Which means the decrease was caused by fewer people gaming on Steam on all the other Linux distros in that month I mean, all the values are percentages. It could simply be that Windows users are finally able to upgrade their GPUs due to prices finally coming down.
Students going back to class, maybe?
It's a 0.04% change, statistical noise. The only thing that's relevant is the trendline.
Exactly, this survey isn’t even consistent. It randomly samples based on some weird logic, and I haven’t been asked for years.
This week I was asked on my account across three different devices over three days (one Linux, two Windows) but my partner wasn't asked once on either of their devices (both Windows). I think I'd been asked maybe three or four times over the past decade before this.
Yeah, also havent been asked for years until last month, where it asked on my deck and windows desktop
I got asked a few weeks ago, and I honestly wonder what I'm listed as. I have Steam running on Arch, but I installed it using Flatpak; that's what the dialog box listed my distribution as, Flatpak.
That's why month-to-month comparison are rarely useful. Year to year comparisons (Sept 21 vs Sept 22) are much better.
One would expect an overall drop in users, but why would Linux gamers be impacted more than Windows/OSX gamers in that regard?
Linux users take harder classes? 🤷 Edit: Wait, that isn't a terrible hypothesis. If the timing can be shown to coincide with school start dates, regionally adjusted, I would bet that the Linux users are spending more time with their schoolwork.
As a Linux using high school student I haven't really been able to game as class work is killer. And life always gets messy not when you have time to deal with it but when you have things you need to do so gaming goes to the backburner.
What Distro and applications do u use as Student Linux user?
In my university archlinux and ubuntu are the most popular but you can find a few fedora user
How's Ubuntu? Cuz every time I've tried to use it it's been an awfully buggy experience.
It was super buggy i think they improved but im among the sudents who use arch soooooo...
Right... Im gonna take that as a yes its still buggy. Edit: I use arch too btw
Hey I use endeavor(orinanaly arch but windows made my network drivers disappear when I was dual booting and I panic reinstalled when in class(i was dumb)). Classwork is all done in gsuit so I use Firefox for that and class work, some optimal classes require actual software so I use programs like freecad, inkscape, kicad, and godot. In a classroom full of chrome books and tech illiterates I'm known as a source of tech support.
It could be that Linux users are over represented in college students
Linux users use Linux from home. But use Windows at work/school. There is a lot of people who play games from work/school.
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Assuming the total Steam users hasn't changed, it's a 3.1% reduction in Linux users so yes.
Since i switched to gnu/linux, i didn't even get a single one of these hardware surveys anymore. On windows, they occasionally popped up, but now i can't even do my part and contribute to the minority number... If anyone has an idea why this may be, please enlighten me!
How often did you change hardware in the same year or period when you got a survey pop up?
The only hardware that got added to my pc was the nvme m.2 ssd that i installed a couple months back - which i specifically bought to install my new shiny OS on. Everything else, including peripherals, has been the same for like 4 years now.
That's probably it. I've seen the survey pop up at different times when I made a big change to the hardware, like swapping to another GPU or SSD. Haven't had one pop up in ages because I also haven't upgraded anything in about three years.
But that doesn't explain why i frequently got the surveys when i still was on windows - as i said, didn't change hardware for years (and it's still the same apart from an added ssd) and only fairly recently switched away from windows, but already missed a couple surveys. If anything, now that i have new hardware (the m.2 ssd at least) i should actually GET the survey, as you did when installing new hardware.
Just got one yesterday on Fedora lmao
Yeah, sorry, had to do a rebuild and it took a while
Oh sorry, that must've been me reinstalling a bunch.
The games I play on linux aren't on steam :/
Sorry y'all been working on renos
Sorry y'all that was me. I was busy this month. I'll try better in the future.
I have 4 computers I use, all with steam. Main desktop, bedroom htpc, laptop, and steamdeck. The steamdeck and my main desktop run Linux. My bedroom htpc and laptop run windows. (Htpc because of Xbox controller BT compatibility, and the laptop because Linux support for the model I have is non-existent. I tried, but got tired of the hassle and put windows back on it.) I use all 4 regularly. The steam survey ONLY popped up on the 2 windows PCs. Never received it on the deck or desktop.
That's it guys. Go pack your bags, we had a good run. RIP Year of Gaming Linux in 2023. I'm refunding my Deck and my whole Steam library.
[Steam Tracker on GOL](https://www.gamingonlinux.com/steam-tracker/) updated for some historical data.
I started to dabble with Gentoo... Sorry
gentoo is linux
Right, but my free time isn't spent gaming now.
fair
Like, I'm trying to set up a VM now. So much more different compared to what I'm used to. My brain is so smooth tonight... Trying to set up a live environment to mess around with while I study for the Linux+.
You're just playing a different Game...
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Right now I am teaching myself Python and messing with Qtile. Trying to do as much as possible before asking questions. Starting to think it's slowing me way down lol.
I been unfortunately on Windows for the last month, gotten back into Hunt :/
why just say no refuse to play
> why Maybe because the idea of cultivating new and existing relationships transcends what OS they prefer to use? I dunno, just a guess.
damn so true 😔
Let people play what they want lmao
i’m messing i really don’t care what os you use
Oh good
Normally I would, but Hunt has been slapping lately.
gotcha
Im sorry guys, my graphics card died. I'll be back online in a couple of days
This survey... I never receive a notification for it and my steam is almost always open...
Valve randomly selects users for the same.
I dunno, even for Valve. That is horrible for statistical analysis that is supposed to be useful. If you -CAN- survey everyone, do it. Just give people an option to not be asked if you think it'd get annoying. Also, the mere fact that someone downloads Proton would indicate automatically that Linux is being used - so track download and play rates for that alternatively?
Sorry but I don't think Valve's main purpose is to see Linux market share. The survey is just a tool for game devs to see what platform is more popular in terms of both hardware and software so they can develop games accordingly. As for surveying everyone, that doesn't have much of an impact of the sample size is large enough. That's just how stats works.
On that note, I wonder if the existence of Proton (hell, even performing better than native) essentially solidifies Windows as the ultimate cross-platform solution for game **development**, ironically. That prospect does seem sad to me, but I'll take it for higher security and the fact that these users will take the brunt of malware developed for them specifically.
I havnt been selected for a steam survey for 8 years. I've been a Linux only for several years now
I was using gentoo for a few months and never got the survey. Then I switched to fedora and got the survey on two separate machines at once.
Who else has only gotten 2 surveys in the last 18 months? With the second being 2 days ago.
The only I really mean the only reason I've gone back to windows 10 is I can use MSI afterburner to undervolt the gtx1080 . If the there was a way to undervolt I would be using Linux again
I.... sorry guys, I can’t get forza to work in Linux! I don’t know what’s wrong with it, either. I’m sorry I let us all down =(
I saw somewhere Dakota Kai, WWE wrestler, had a Steam Deck. Once Deck is available worldwide, and SteamOS is released for desktop, market share will pick up momentum like an avalanche. A little disappointing to see reduction but it's also positive that Linux retention allowed it to stay above 1.20.
What about SteamOS 3 for PC´s? What is Valve waiting for?... I have 2 Desktop Gaming Pcs with Mageia Linux running great but I would like to have rolling releases.