The latest Steam Hardware & Software Survey is out for May 2022, and while it sees a tiny drop in the overall Linux user share, we can see the Steam Deck rising up. As usual, our dedicated Steam Tracker has been updated for the latest figures, with a screenshot of the current status below for all to see:
Currently the overall Linux share is 1.12%. Still a pretty clear upwards trend, and drops in a couple months are to be expected as that's just how things go. No doubt it will bounce up again within a couple months. The interesting thing to see now though, is how the Steam Deck will affect it since Valve actually hooked up the survey in a recent Steam Deck update.
When filtering to just Linux, here's the current top:
- "Arch Linux" 64 bit 12.85% +0.53%
- Ubuntu 20.04.4 LTS 64 bit 11.75% -2.53%
- "Manjaro Linux" 64 bit 11.09% -0.46%
- Ubuntu 22.04 LTS 64 bit 8.04% +8.04%
- Linux Mint 20.3 64 bit 5.97% -0.39%
- "SteamOS Holo" 64 bit 5.23% +5.23%
- Other 45.07% +6.46%
So it might look like Arch Linux is on top at a quick glance, but not quite, since you need to take into account the various versions of Ubuntu as people tend to stick to LTS releases for years. The real interesting thing to see though is SteamOS Holo, which is the Arch-based Steam Deck operating system already hitting well over 5% of Linux users on Steam. Not only that, the Steam Deck GPU "AMD AMD Custom GPU 0405" is shown as the second most popular already for just Linux systems on Steam.
Using May's 1.12% share, that puts Linux users at around ~1,478,400 estimated "monthly active users" based on the last time Valve gave out their user data. You could say that to be around ~77,320 Steam Deck users, although keep in mind it’s an additional device for a lot of people, it depends where the survey is taken. The actual number is likely higher.
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Two of my colleagues at work now have their Decks and are both Windows die-hards. They were both blown away by the gaming experience, expecting it to be a big sticking point, and expecting to be installing Windows on it. One of them said to me yesterday that they described my ranting about Linux as "the ravings of a mad man... but he was right!".
Sweet sweet validation.
Sweet sweet validation.
15 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje Jun 2, 2022
Two of my colleagues at work now have their Decks and are both Windows die-hards. They were both blown away by the gaming experience, expecting it to be a big sticking point, and expecting to be installing Windows on it. One of them said to me yesterday that they described my ranting about Linux as "the ravings of a mad man... but he was right!".Love it! Amusingly I tend to think that most people that thing Windows is awesome, and Linux is terrible usually are ones who have either never really used it, or simply have never really used it as a desktop system.
Sweet sweet validation.
Outside of the actual application usage, Linux desktops (pretty much any of them) are far more user and customer friendly than Windows.
2 Likes, Who?
mr-victory Jun 2, 2022
I was wondering if we could look up how many people went and ruined their Deck by installing Windows on it...Well I tried to make a guess from survey data and Windows on Deck users are not much.
https://www.gamingonlinux.com/2022/06/steam-deck-already-hits-over-5-of-linux-users-on-steam/comment_id=226992
Last edited by mr-victory on 2 June 2022 at 4:59 pm UTC
3 Likes, Who?
Mohandevir Jun 2, 2022
Two of my colleagues at work now have their Decks and are both Windows die-hards. They were both blown away by the gaming experience, expecting it to be a big sticking point, and expecting to be installing Windows on it. One of them said to me yesterday that they described my ranting about Linux as "the ravings of a mad man... but he was right!".
Sweet sweet validation.
I don't think that Linux on the desktop will ever be mainstream. The chokehold that Microsoft has on this market segment is nearly impossible to break. But, I've said it multiple times: "Linux shines in a dedicated hardware use cases." We now have another good example of that.
Last edited by Mohandevir on 2 June 2022 at 5:05 pm UTC
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Mohandevir Jun 2, 2022
After the laptop... Just installed Manjaro on my main Desktop... Got the Survey again! What the...?! 
I think it's a good moment for distro-hoping... If the goal is to mess with the Steam Hardware Survey. Lol!
Last edited by Mohandevir on 2 June 2022 at 5:23 pm UTC
I think it's a good moment for distro-hoping... If the goal is to mess with the Steam Hardware Survey. Lol!
Last edited by Mohandevir on 2 June 2022 at 5:23 pm UTC
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It would be a lot more if Valve just got the Deck's shipped.
5 Likes, Who?
Could we overtake Mac this year, thanks to the Steam Deck?Unlikely, given the rate at which Steam Decks are manufactured. Unless if users start installing Linux on their own machines.
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I was wondering if we could look up how many people went and ruined their Deck by installing Windows on it...Thing is, I also see comments of Windows users that complains about battery life, fan noise and heat that are much worse vs SteamOS... They are probably affecting the Steam Deck's lifespan, by using an "unsupported" OS. Personnally, the heat issue would worry me a lot.
After years of the reverse with Linux on laptop hardware optimized for Windows, the cosmic irony of all of that is too delicious to even attempt to put into words. I will just have to sit here and reread that comment several times to fully savor it....
Last edited by iiari on 2 June 2022 at 7:13 pm UTC
4 Likes, Who?
I don't think that Linux on the desktop will ever be mainstream. The chokehold that Microsoft has on this market segment is nearly impossible to break. But, I've said it multiple times: "Linux shines in a dedicated hardware use cases." We now have another good example of that.I actually think it's more mainstream than it's ever been given how functional it is, how much is moving to the cloud, and how many programming languages are moving to multi-platform implementation.
Mainstream as a percentage of users - Well, there you're likely right, and I actually think it's possibly likely to get worse there simply because Windows isn't so bad it's pushing people off the platform anymore. Modern Windows is fully usable and functional and no longer is a laggy, miserable mess after several months of use. Oh, it's not great to be sure, but there will be fewer people like me who, like happened to me in 2012, was so furious at how bad Windows was that I was actively seeking out alternatives - and here I am.
Sadly, we'll see less of that and have to more appeal to tinkerers for future users (like Rapsberry Pis and other hardware cases, as you say). I'd personally like to see a lot more emphasis on Linux on phone hardware now, as that's what most people use for "computers" these days.
4 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje Jun 2, 2022
Two of my colleagues at work now have their Decks and are both Windows die-hards. They were both blown away by the gaming experience, expecting it to be a big sticking point, and expecting to be installing Windows on it. One of them said to me yesterday that they described my ranting about Linux as "the ravings of a mad man... but he was right!".
Sweet sweet validation.
I don't think that Linux on the desktop will ever be mainstream. The chokehold that Microsoft has on this market segment is nearly impossible to break. But, I've said it multiple times: "Linux shines in a dedicated hardware use cases." We now have another good example of that.
Basically the only way it'll happen is when you can actually go into a Walmart, or Best Buy, or whatever random store and see a selection of Linux laptops with the same specs as Windows laptops. And since I'm pretty sure Windows licenses are still discounted greatly for OEMs, and the law still remains that requires resellers have an operating system installed on the system (which is the only reason HP sells some with a FreeDOS option) than the 'year of desktop Linux' won't ever come.
If System76 could move away from mail order only, maybe even if they started selling on Amazon or something, maybe we could eventually get closer to having a mainstream Linux set up.
I mean people never would have thought Linux would be used on millions of devices (it now is on Android, though I definitely don't consider them near as useful as they should be).
2 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje Jun 4, 2022
Won't ever happen as I'll still play stuff on my Debian and/or Garuda setup :PYou realise it’s 5% of 1%, which means 0.05% of all users?
Wake me up when we're at 100% of the 1% 🤣
I may even throw in a RHEL gaming session now and then, just to muck it up!
1 Likes, Who?
The Register argued that the year of the "Linux" desktop came but no one noticed because it was called ChromeOS.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/31/the_cynics_guide_to_linux/
Though that does suggest we might start seeing a larger share of Linux family steam users as Steam for ChromeOS gets to be more popular.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/31/the_cynics_guide_to_linux/
Though that does suggest we might start seeing a larger share of Linux family steam users as Steam for ChromeOS gets to be more popular.
0 Likes
The Register argued that the year of the "Linux" desktop came but no one noticed because it was called ChromeOS.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/31/the_cynics_guide_to_linux/
Though that does suggest we might start seeing a larger share of Linux family steam users as Steam for ChromeOS gets to be more popular.
Except that ChromeOS is not actually Linux despite having the Linux kernel.
1 Likes, Who?
The Register argued that the year of the "Linux" desktop came but no one noticed because it was called ChromeOS.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/31/the_cynics_guide_to_linux/
Though that does suggest we might start seeing a larger share of Linux family steam users as Steam for ChromeOS gets to be more popular.
Except that ChromeOS is not actually Linux despite having the Linux kernel.
ChromeOS is not a community based free & open source desktop, but it's "technically" linux.
The claim is technically true, but in a deeply obnoxious and irritating way for those of us who want free desktops.
2 Likes, Who?
The Register argued that the year of the "Linux" desktop came but no one noticed because it was called ChromeOS.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/31/the_cynics_guide_to_linux/
Though that does suggest we might start seeing a larger share of Linux family steam users as Steam for ChromeOS gets to be more popular.
Except that ChromeOS is not actually Linux despite having the Linux kernel.
ChromeOS is not a community based free & open source desktop, but it's "technically" linux.
The claim is technically true, but in a deeply obnoxious and irritating way for those of us who want free desktops.
Then why did Valve need to release a special version of Steam for it if it was "technically linux"?
1 Likes, Who?
slaapliedje Jun 11, 2022
ChromeOS has their own userland, much like Android. So it isn't GNU/Linux, which is what everyone abbreviates to 'Linux'. I wouldn't call ChromeOS Linux anymore than I would Android. Both can technically add a GNU (and others) userland, but then they have less control over what they want to allow to run... not to mention if your OS was completely open source, it is so much harder to force obsolescence every two years...The Register argued that the year of the "Linux" desktop came but no one noticed because it was called ChromeOS.
https://www.theregister.com/2022/05/31/the_cynics_guide_to_linux/
Though that does suggest we might start seeing a larger share of Linux family steam users as Steam for ChromeOS gets to be more popular.
Except that ChromeOS is not actually Linux despite having the Linux kernel.
ChromeOS is not a community based free & open source desktop, but it's "technically" linux.
The claim is technically true, but in a deeply obnoxious and irritating way for those of us who want free desktops.
Then why did Valve need to release a special version of Steam for it if it was "technically linux"?
2 Likes, Who?
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