> I think the overwhelming majority of this is Steam Deck usage
Please click the link and on the OS tab for a breakdown, as your conjecture is falsifiable[0]
MOST POPULAR PERCENTAGE CHANGE
------------------------------------------------------
Linux 2.27% -0.06%
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"Arch Linux" 64 bit 0.21% -0.02%
Linux Mint 22.1 64 bit 0.14% +0.02%
Ubuntu Core 22 64 bit 0.10% 0.00%
Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS 64 bit 0.10% 0.00%
"Manjaro Linux" 64 bit 0.06% 0.00%
"EndeavourOS Linux" 64 bit 0.06% 0.00%
Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm) 64 bit 0.05% 0.00%
We do know that SteamOS is Arch based. So yeah, it is the dominant player there. I'm not entirely surprised, but I don't think anyone was.
But important to note, there's only a 0.05 difference between Arch and Mint. It's important to note because
1) Arch is incredibly popular and we can't guarantee all users in the Arch category are SteamOS users
2) Mint is currently the most popular distro[1]
> Nobody is going to start investing in polished desktop Linux software because there are a lot of Steam Deck buyers.
Maybe not, but also polishing of the Linux desktop has happened regardless of this. In fact, it is what drove SteamOS. Please refer to the items on [1] as literally the top 8 distros were developed for this explicit purpose (making Linux more user friendly).
I came back and found the difference. You clicked "Linux Only". But I'm glad you did, because it gives us additional information helping us actually answer the previous question more accurately. Strongly falsifying the earlier conjecture that they were mostly SteamOS. We can see only a third are. 2/3rds of Linux Gamers are NOT using SteamOS (definitely a subset of SteamOS users are also not using a Steam Deck)
"SteamOS Holo" 64 bit 33.78% -0.70%
"Arch Linux" 64 bit 9.45% -0.23%
Freedesktop SDK 24.08 (Flatpak runtime) 64 bit 6.41% +0.15%
Linux Mint 22.1 64 bit 6.20% +0.89%
Ubuntu Core 22 64 bit 4.62% +0.23%
Ubuntu 24.04.2 LTS 64 bit 4.44% +0.26%
"Manjaro Linux" 64 bit 2.61% -0.05%
"EndeavourOS Linux" 64 bit 2.46% +0.06%
Debian GNU/Linux 12 (bookworm) 64 bit 2.27% -0.08%
Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS 64 bit 2.23% +0.02%
Other 25.54% -0.53%
https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam?platform=linux
With the number of Steam Decks sold estimated at 3-4 million, and the number of monthly active Steam users being around 130 million, I think it's safe to say that 0.21% does not represent SteamOS install base.
As far as I know, SteamOS doesn't show as Arch, but rather as its own thing
The way to make Linux takeover is get kids using it
To get kids using it needs to do lots of cool shit easily
Windows could play games easily when Linux could not even use a USB mouse
The time is right to make Linux do cool shit easily with local generative models that help iteratively create games
Replace all the desktop legacy with some blank canvas and local models that draw on the canvas. Ship some baked in models to generate shells of games to iterate from, boom.
This is exactly the fear of big SaaS and why VCs outside a key handful are done with it.
Apple Silicon is a glimpse of local compute future. Fanless laptops running models that generate entire coherent universes like Marvel and Star Wars. (Don’t need giant models just dense enough to get 80% and let users “zoom and enhance” with their own input)
Show that potential with local models on Linux and it’s over. Three options then; government demands hardware is locked down to preserve Hollywood/gaming/media, open compute wins, or both sides destroy the world over it.
In an interview with IGN during Covid lockdown Gabe Newell was describing generative AI as an existential threat to content creators. It could be temporary as the next gen grows up with a new normal and doesn’t obsess about a career in digital design or web dev, yt video production. It could end humanity as existential dread settles in for millions stuck in some narrative about their existence that no longer holds economic value.
> The way to make Linux takeover is get kids using it
Agree!
> Windows could play games easily when Linux could not even use a USB mouse
I don't think I've ever had a USB mouse (or wireless mouse or keyboard) issue in the last 15 years.
Games? I'll give you that. But honestly, Steam has really made that almost a non-issue. Good guy steam! (their work has affected more than SteamOS)
> Replace all the desktop legacy with some blank canvas and local models
This seems like the opposite of what you initially argued.
Models as in... LLMs or ML models? This seems like a great way to break things. I'd really encourage you to get these things to try to do what you're saying they should do.
> Apple Silicon is
Where are you going with this?
> Show that potential with local models on Linux and it’s over.
I'm an ML researcher... these models are generally made and deployed on linux systems. Explicitly because they work better there and is easier to deal with.
> In an interview with IGN during Covid lockdown
Serious question: you okay? Did a LLM contribute to your comment? Did a LLM make the whole comment? GPT, can you describe to me Act 4 Scene 5 from Henry V but as told by a Pirate from the deep south? (American south)
Kernel-level anti-cheats. It's pretty much a prerequisite for any sort of competitive multiplayer gaming these days, but also increasingly common even for online coop. And they usually only work on Windows.
But important to note, there's only a 0.05 difference between Arch and Mint. It's important to note because
Maybe not, but also polishing of the Linux desktop has happened regardless of this. In fact, it is what drove SteamOS. Please refer to the items on [1] as literally the top 8 distros were developed for this explicit purpose (making Linux more user friendly).[0] We can determine it to be true or false.
[1] https://distrowatch.com/