Well this sure is interesting, Valve have announced some flaws in their Steam Hardware Survey that caused cyber cafes to over-count users.
Here's what Valve said in full:
The latest Steam Hardware Survey incorporates a number of fixes that address over counting of cyber cafe customers that occurred during the prior seven months.
Historically, the survey used a client-side method to ensure that systems were counted only once per year, in order to provide an accurate picture of the entire Steam user population. It turns out, however, that many cyber cafes manage their hardware in a way that was causing their customers to be over counted.
Around August 2017, we started seeing larger-than-usual movement in certain stats, notably an increase in Windows 7 usage, an increase in quad-core CPU usage, as well as changes in CPU and GPU market share. This period also saw a large increase in the use of Simplified Chinese. All of these coincided with an increase in Steam usage in cyber cafes in Asia, whose customers were being over counted in the survey.
It took us some time to root-cause the problem and deploy a fix, but we are confident that, as of April 2018, the Steam Hardware Survey is no longer over counting users.
It's good to see Valve be open about this and get it fixed, as many people suspected issues for a while now and it's interesting to see some validation of certain theories about cyber cafe use. The funny thing is, someone mentioned this to me on reddit today and I didn't actually think it would have been such a big issue, so it's fun to be wrong.
It's also interesting to note, that according to what Valve said, you're only supposed to be counted once a year, although many of us have seen an issue where it will come up many times within Windows or while using Steam with Wine and rarely on the native Linux client. For all we know, this could have been part of the issue that's now solved.
We will be tracking it on our dedicated page. It certainly will be interesting to see what happens in future. What are your thoughts?
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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It turns out, however, that many cyber cafes manage their hardware in a way that was causing their customers to be over counted.Deep Freeze?
1 Likes, Who?
Who knows what, possibly repeated Windows key changes due to piracy, repeated re-installs? Could have been a mix of many things.It turns out, however, that many cyber cafes manage their hardware in a way that was causing their customers to be over counted.Deep Freeze?
2 Likes, Who?
No shit. Cyber cafes (CC) still very big thing in Asia. Most of gamers went to CC to socialize with friends (including me sometimes) even do majority of their rigs at home are much powerful than what's available on CC. Some people I know gaming on console, so if they want to play PC games, they'll come to CC.
Sadly in my hometown. Some legit CC nowadays being 'sold' and become illegal slot machine gambling place. Hell, some town council starting to loose regulation on CC to combat illegal gambling. When I was secondary school, it's technically illegal for under 18 to enter. Nowadays, over-12 are allowed to enter as long outside school hours and before 11 PM. Also, todays CC also no longer had (or less) cigarette smells and much brighter ambience than 10-15 years ago.
Back to topic. At least Valve aware about the situation. With PUBG popularity starting to decline and rise of Fortnite (well, in my hometown), hwsurvey maybe starting normalise again. For linux gaming, probably increase in constant rate.
BTW, it's interesting to look on future of Linux gaming in eyes of Valve.
Sadly in my hometown. Some legit CC nowadays being 'sold' and become illegal slot machine gambling place. Hell, some town council starting to loose regulation on CC to combat illegal gambling. When I was secondary school, it's technically illegal for under 18 to enter. Nowadays, over-12 are allowed to enter as long outside school hours and before 11 PM. Also, todays CC also no longer had (or less) cigarette smells and much brighter ambience than 10-15 years ago.
Back to topic. At least Valve aware about the situation. With PUBG popularity starting to decline and rise of Fortnite (well, in my hometown), hwsurvey maybe starting normalise again. For linux gaming, probably increase in constant rate.
BTW, it's interesting to look on future of Linux gaming in eyes of Valve.
5 Likes, Who?
It stopped now. Few months ago every survey there were on steam, my steam on wine was asked. I don't remember if I was ever counted on linux! I remember posting this on this website, I don't remember people reaction!
I never thought about cybercafes, because I don't use them.
I believe counting people that actually log in, play and buy games is more accurate than measure total subscribed users, or eventually some windows users!
I never thought about cybercafes, because I don't use them.
I believe counting people that actually log in, play and buy games is more accurate than measure total subscribed users, or eventually some windows users!
1 Likes, Who?
Comandante Ñoñardo May 3, 2018
Cyber Cafes!!???
hahaha!!
That's so 90's!
And yeah, I remember Deep Freeze in Windows 98 machines...
What a nightmare!
hahaha!!
That's so 90's!
And yeah, I remember Deep Freeze in Windows 98 machines...
What a nightmare!
0 Likes
No, actually most CC formatting their computers every month (sometimes every week or day) to ensure no cheating hack residue on their computers. Cheating gamers (both adult and kids) sometimes installed the hack to easy win, troll their friend etc. Instead of searching the hack one-by-one, most owners just wipe out and installed new. Some CC using harddrive-less computer, boot via LAN. (I don't know how to explained it correctly)Who knows what, possibly repeated Windows key changes due to piracy, repeated re-installs? Could have been a mix of many things.It turns out, however, that many cyber cafes manage their hardware in a way that was causing their customers to be over counted.Deep Freeze?
I don't know about China, but here in Malaysia, most CC buys their license in bulk (and cheaper also) instead of pirating because no one wants authorities having more excuses to raid your businesses.
6 Likes, Who?
I've suspected inaccuracies in the Steam counts, for a long time. One other Windows versus other OS thing that I've noticed is the fact that Steam auto-starts on Windows when you log on to Windows. With my Linux desktops, Steam only logs on, when I launch the client myself.
For a while, I've been looking at the statistics of Humble Bundle purchasers, where you can check total number of Bundle purchases and the percentage of purchases by platform. You can take into account multiple Bundle statistics and even combine all the results for a given month, to give an overall view of purchases by platform. Doing these stats, the Linux share is more rosy than the Linux share on Steam. (Of course, different Bundles have different percentage of Linux games in them, so you need to take that into account too.)
Although not exclusively measuring Linux gamers, NetMarketShare is showing close to 2% Linux market share (and 88% Windows, 9% Mac). Not much change in those stats over the past year.
For a while, I've been looking at the statistics of Humble Bundle purchasers, where you can check total number of Bundle purchases and the percentage of purchases by platform. You can take into account multiple Bundle statistics and even combine all the results for a given month, to give an overall view of purchases by platform. Doing these stats, the Linux share is more rosy than the Linux share on Steam. (Of course, different Bundles have different percentage of Linux games in them, so you need to take that into account too.)
Although not exclusively measuring Linux gamers, NetMarketShare is showing close to 2% Linux market share (and 88% Windows, 9% Mac). Not much change in those stats over the past year.
0 Likes
Smellymangames May 4, 2018
Cyper cafes are still big here in Taiwan too. It is Traditional Chinese and not Simplified Chinese, but still adding to the discrepancy.
2 Likes, Who?
Cyba.Cowboy May 4, 2018
Meanwhile, it's now been a couple of years since any of the Linux-based computers in our household have been counted in the Hardware Survey... But that's not a bug, and it all works "as designed".
3 Likes, Who?
So, since everyone here seems to agree (and that's also what I've heard) that cyber-cafes are very big in Asia, would that mean the recent surge in Asian Steam usage has been overstated?
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 4 May 2018 at 1:17 am UTC
Last edited by Purple Library Guy on 4 May 2018 at 1:17 am UTC
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johndoe86x May 4, 2018
What I hear was happening was that most of the cyber cafes had Nvidia and Windows machines. So when a different user would log in to a "new" machine on their Steam account, the Steam survey would pop up.
So, I don't think it was Deep Freeze or formatting, it was dozens of users logging into the same machine with different Steam accounts on a daily basis.
So, I don't think it was Deep Freeze or formatting, it was dozens of users logging into the same machine with different Steam accounts on a daily basis.
2 Likes, Who?
no_information_here May 4, 2018
Well, it is nice that Valve seem to be trying to address flaws in their system. I will repeat my mantra, though:
If you don't release your methodology, your stats are junk.
If you don't release your methodology, your stats are junk.
13 Likes, Who?
I bet the problem relates to viritualisation? If I were a cafe owner I'd virtualize every os instance exposed to the customers to easily wipe clean the machines regularly.
0 Likes
LinuxGamesTV May 4, 2018
I've suspected inaccuracies in the Steam counts, for a long time. One other Windows versus other OS thing that I've noticed is the fact that Steam auto-starts on Windows when you log on to Windows. With my Linux desktops, Steam only logs on, when I launch the client myself. ...
That's not true. On KDE you have an Autostart, too. So when you log on to KDE Steam auto-starts.
1 Likes, Who?
LinuxGamesTV May 4, 2018
I've suspected inaccuracies in the Steam counts, for a long time. One other Windows versus other OS thing that I've noticed is the fact that Steam auto-starts on Windows when you log on to Windows. With my Linux desktops, Steam only logs on, when I launch the client myself.
good point if all the windows users are auto-starting every boot the chance of getting a survey surely increases. It might even artificially increase windows online presence at steam.
Wrong. I have Steam on KDE in Autostart and get no Survey over Years now.
1 Likes, Who?
lucifertdark May 4, 2018
I've suspected inaccuracies in the Steam counts, for a long time. One other Windows versus other OS thing that I've noticed is the fact that Steam auto-starts on Windows when you log on to Windows. With my Linux desktops, Steam only logs on, when I launch the client myself.Steam works the exact same way in Windows as Linux, you decide whether you want it to start with the OS or not, mine starts when I say it starts not when Windows starts, never let anything auto-start with the OS, especially Windows as that's a surefire way to get your system infected.
ps. we've been telling Valve for years their survey was screwed, it's not tinfoil hats cutting off oxygen to our brains.
Last edited by lucifertdark on 4 May 2018 at 7:21 am UTC
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Some CC using harddrive-less computer, boot via LAN. (I don't know how to explained it correctly)
It is correct. The technology is called PXE.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_booting
1 Likes, Who?
lucifertdark May 4, 2018
maybe I don't understand this survey quite right. There is always something random in surveys, this is not a fact set in stone. Surveys take a small portion to amplify to the hole population. There is always something random in surveys if not it should be called census.If only it WAS random, I've had the survey pop up in Windows 4 times already this year & not a single time in Linux, the entire time I've used Steam in Linux I've had the survey twice in Linux & both of those times were last year.
It's not random, more like demented.
3 Likes, Who?
3.5 years single boot Linux user. Last survey on Linux was nearly 2 years ago.
However , when i put Windows 10 i got survey after installing Steam.
Wine ; when i install Steam on Wine i got survey.
Something really skewed was going on survey. We told many times but answer was always the same.
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/2286
However , when i put Windows 10 i got survey after installing Steam.
Wine ; when i install Steam on Wine i got survey.
Something really skewed was going on survey. We told many times but answer was always the same.
https://github.com/ValveSoftware/steam-for-linux/issues/2286
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