So uh, what happened between March and September 2021 that caused the current upward trend? Was the Windows 11 announcement that poorly received?
Comment on Linux gamers on Steam finally cross over the 3% mark
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 day agoHere’s a graphic showing that:
I wish there was a graphic that showed English users with SteamOS separated from non-SteamOS users, because I think if we get 5% of non-SteamOS users, we should start to see devs pay a lot more attention. We’re starting to see devs make SteamOS-specific versions (e.g. THPS 1&2 offline mode), so the next step is getting Linux-specific adjustments for more games.
edgemaster72@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 18 hours ago
Yes, and 2021 was a perfect storm of a bunch of stuff:
- Windows 11 would break compatibility with older processors
- Steam Deck announced - wouldn’t release until 2022, but there was a lot of excitement about Linux gaming
- LTT made a video series (part 1 was Nov. 2021) where Linus used Linux exclusively for a month
So yeah, a lot of people were curious at the time.
richardwallass@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
Mostly on steam deck it means not that much on PC
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 1 day ago
THPS offline mode is the same version as elsewhere, but it magically allows itself to operate offline when it thinks it’s running on a Steam Deck, which you can do with a launch parameter. Baldur’s Gate 3 actually has a native Linux version that is only officially supported for Steam Deck, and that might be closer to what you’re referring to.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 1 day ago
which you can do with a launch parameter
My point is they built functionality specifically for a Linux-based system. In THPS, that meant offline mode, but for other games it could be anti-cheat, where to store game saves, or default settings (I think Cyberpunk some?).
My point is that Linux is getting on the radar of game devs, and that’ll increase a lot at some level of adoption. I think that level is 5% on desktop Linux.
ampersandrew@lemmy.world 1 day ago
It’s possible, but it’s also possible that they already had that offline segregation built into the code to support the Switch version, and that it was trivial to enable.
cmhe@lemmy.world 1 day ago
On a separate note, the BG3 native Linux version is so strange. Larian is threating the SteamDeck like a console. As if it is a bundled OS+HW system with only one available game store and only one useable OS. So they are only releasing it in steam, not on any other store. As if that means it can only be installed on SteamDeck and not on other Linux systems on different Hardware. They forget that anyone can install other Linux distributions or even windows in SteamDecks or use other game stores.
This decision is so strange, because it disadvantages people that bought the game for PC elsewhere and own a SteamDeck.
Like will they make performance patches to their games gated behind which which store the game was bought from?
bookmeat@lemmynsfw.com 19 hours ago
There’s nothing strange about not trying to boil the ocean. Let them cook.
nialv7@lemmy.world 19 hours ago
So 93% of the Linux users use English steam. I wonder how much of that is because Linux users just don’t bother to set system language, or maybe the language is not detected correctly.
NoXPhasma@lemmy.world 9 hours ago
No, 82% of the Linux users use English as UI Language. Less than 3% use Chinese.
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sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 19 hours ago
Would that be similar to Windows users who don’t set the language? Or do OEMs set that for the region they sell in?
Chee_Koala@lemmy.world 6 hours ago
In my non English native experience, they will often set the language.