Steams first year on Linux

So Steam has been available natively for Linux for a year, and already has 520 games, I think when it came out of beta it had less than 100? Compare that to OSX with 1210 games, and around 7300 games for Windows. Not bad for the first year. Still a long way to go, but it looks promising.

Plenty of gamers care.

I doubt they account for every linux user, I've using steam for linux for a year, and still haven't gotten the hardware survey. And not everyone who does get it, takes it.

Ok dude, whatever, all i know is, it's great to have a nice alternative to windows, and OSX.

The only reason most of these people are on Windows is because it has access to all the games. You can bet that bunch of them will go over to Linux once there's enough of a parity between both systems. The only issue is that it may never happen.

The thing that baffles me the most, is why do people want MS to continue having a monopoly on PC gaming? or on OS? They couldn't care less about PC gaming, its all about the xbone for them. Why not have PC gaming migrate to Linux, and finally be independent?

Jimmy_Russell living up to his name

What baffles me the most is why we should all move to Linux? and please don't say cause it's free.

Someone give me a valid reason and I'll head there today.

What's the hurry? What's the desperation for Windows to die? If that happens it's going to affect PC gaming more than anyone realizes. You really think that Linux, who has no central big money company behind it, is somehow magically going to help PC gaming? People need to see the big picture here.

I think it's to do with PC gaming being about choice, yet currently we are stuck with only 1 OS.

You mean like Playstation players are stuck with the Playstation OS and XBOX players are stuck with the Xbox OS? Are PC gamers special now that they need choice?

C'mon guys, we are gamers.... so let's enjoy gaming. If you choose PC as your gaming drug, then enjoy it and try to push it forward, not fragment it by taking it to an OS that has no economical backing, and like it or not, it needs it.

A number of OEMs already gave Linux a chance for use as a desktop OS and still most people flocked to Windows. Heck. ASUS started the (brief) netbook craze with a Linux OS.Yet, most people wanted a Windows version.

Flexibility is a major reason people choose PC gaming.

Choice is good.

You mean Playstation, and Xbox, those completely locked down, tightly controlled boxes? Thats the point I'm trying to make. I prefer a platform with more freedom, and is not tightly controlled by one central body who is able to lead everyone around by the nose. And Valve has clearly shown that they want to give linux an economical backing, so have canonical, as much as I dislike them. We need these guys to push Linux.

I'm all for a stronger Linux presence as the ability to have a choice is nice. However, right now Windows is still your best bet with compatibility. I'll stick with it until it changes.

Obviously people who would rather stick with what they know, and are afraid of change it sounds like. Most people probably didn't even know what it was, and blindly wanted windows.

Ok, so tell where the lack of freedom is on Windows?

Right now it's the OS where you can do the most out of ALL of them (not just in gaming), and it lets you install whatever you want, whenever you want, be it online or offline, and personalize it the way you want it, now with even syncing across devices.

You think Steam give a s*** about Linux? lol no.... they just want their SteamOS for the $$$. I just hope they don't affect PC gaming in the negative aspect, cause they might have been the saviors but might end up as the destroyers. I would them rather used their investments to strike a deal with MS to push PC gaming on Windows.

And you think MS gives a **** about PC gaming? They don't, and they never will! and that is hurting it! So why not make linux a viable gaming OS along side windows at the very least, and see how it goes? I don't want MS involved in PC gaming, if they don't give a rats ass about it, all they care about is the shitbox. And I won't support them, not even use there OS. And hopefully Valve won't negatively effect PC gaming, yeah I know its all about the $$$, but that applies to everything. If you don't like SteamOS, use another distro, and install steam on that.

How is it hurting it? They are not the people that CREATE the games, they just have the platform on where to run them.

Fair enough if all of a sudden MS said, "guys, you can't install PC games anymore except when we allow it", but they don't do that (I would stop supporting them if they did). Instead they provide a better gaming OS year after year, and let you install ANY game from ANY developer/publisher. Heck, MS even asked Valve to create a Steam Metro Client for both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 and Valve said NO!. Valve even blocked 3rd party apps from communicating with their servers. But of course not many people know this because MS is the devil and Valve can do no wrong. (read: we are Valve and we want our product and our product ALONE to do well, and you complain about MS's monopoly? lol...)

Open your eyes guys, MS has never been about PC gaming that much, they are a software company first providing Operating Systems and Desktop Software. Yes, I too would love MS Studios to come back and create new games, but those people are now working with XBOX, cause it's where their money is, any company follows the money. You and others seem too self entitled by not using their software just because they stopped making games. Windows isn't just about gaming, never has been.

DirectX has been known for bringing a lot of CPU overhead that reduces the ability for developers to have games that takes advantage of multiple threads. Microsoft has refused to change that simply because they wanna push their own stupid shit like the metro interface. Linux by the lone fact that they're an open platform doesn't restrict CPU utilization and would help developers make better games. If Linux would be at parity with Windows gaming wise, it would at least force Microsoft to make Windows more gaming friendly. But of course instead of having an informed opinion, it's way easier to just spew bullshit about how Windows is all good, isn't it?

This. I wanted to mention the whole directX thing, but wasn't sure about all the details. MS integrated DX even more deeply into windows 8, didn't they? they made it literally part of windows.

I know about the DirectX thing, and you guys are not getting my point (or I have expressed it wrong).

I don't mind more games going to Linux, because there are Linux users out there and I want them to play the same titles as I do. What worries me here is fragmentation. PC gaming is delicate as it is already, especially with consoles gaining more and more ground. A change like this could do wonders for gaming on Windows like Revan said (without the need to insult please), but it also could affect PC gaming in a bad way, with developers having more workload since they need to code for both platforms.... resulting in the budget team saying "not worth it, stick with consoles".

This worries me more than the old "PC gaming is dying" concept from console gamers.

It's good to see so many games for Linux, hopefully it continues to grow as a gaming platform. Steam is big enough to really encourage that change.

I understand what your saying, and yeah, it could be a very possible negative. Though I hear that porting games to linux is relatively easy, especially if the windows version is already using opengl. I could be wrong though. OpenGL 4.4 makes porting directx games to linux more streamlined apparently. Otherwise, its a time consuming process. Valve pretty much already has a sort of monopoly on PC gaming, I doubt it would be much different on Linux. If Valve made all games exclusive to SteamOS, and blocked steam access on all other distros, then I wouldn't support them.

And the major proportion of the VFX/film industry. :|

And hopefully Steam will change that paradigm.

I think the rise of Linux as a gaming platform is a good thing. Valve has said that the main purpose of SteamOS is to preserve PC gaming. That's a much better goal than Microsoft, chasing after the touchscreen devices market. Too long Microsoft has taken for granted the OS sales of PC gamers. It's past time someone has come in with a competing OS. Maybe then, Microsoft will have to work towards catering to PC gamers. Competition is always a win for the consumer.

@jimmy_russell: You'll have to try harder than that to clonk any bonkers.

Yes I'm supposed to rebuy all my games on Windows for Linux for da good of pc gaming. plz, I go where its convenient.

If Valve wants to push Linux its their job to entice publishers to put tier games on Linux and make their Steam OS super easy to install.

I'm not gonna waste time installing steam os in its current buggy state, then re-purchase all my games to show publishers the market is there, that's Valve's job, not the consumer's.

Referring to this post btw:

The thing that baffles me the most, is why do people want MS to continue having a monopoly on PC gaming? or on OS? They couldn't care less about PC gaming, its all about the xbone for them. Why not have PC gaming migrate to Linux, and finally be independent?

WHOA slow down there buddy. You don't have to rebuy the games. If you own the game you can play it on any available platform on steam.

The game needs to be ported to Linux first I believe.

Windows 8! Windows 8!

It's really great!

You can't debate!

Windows 8! Rah! Rah! Rah! GOOOO TEAM WINDOWS!!!

You don't know the future of Windows, so that's why having Linux support is great. Any distro can be unlocked or as locked as it wants to be and still be compatible if it has all the right packages.

You like Windows 8 too much dude... settle down.

That is accurate, but if it is available or it becomes available you get the game on Linux as well at no additional cost.

Well, WINE works very well. It's not fool proof, but nothing in linux is.

I used wine in 2008, it hasn't really gotten that much better since(in terms what it was bad at).

We don't use Windows because we like it, we use it because it's the only option available.

With that said, Windows is a terrible operating system. It's slow and unintuitive. I would uninstall it in a heartbeat if a viable alternative presented itself.

1. You'll save $100 every time you build a PC

2. You'll be breaking up a monopoly (which is never good for consumers)

And how is MS supporting PC gaming? It is literally doing nothing of the sort. It is just an operating system. What a baseless comment.

Slow and unintuitive? You need to upgrade from Windows 95 dude.

1. Yes cause that's a massive saving in the grand scheme of things, not.

2. If breaking a monopoly means fragmenting PC gaming, then it could be even worse.

I never said MS supports PC gaming, read properly.

I smell a microsoft fanboy

You've presented no counter arguments. Good job.

Lol, you think that steam needs people have people fill out a form to figure out what platform people are on. On top of the fact that you have to download a different version of steam and a different version of your game depending on your platform, your computer communicates to steam every time you play games or open up the app. They know exactly what platform you are on at all times.

That number just jumped to 535 games.

Then you need to get your nose checked, I don't believe in the term fanboy... and in any case I would be a PC Gaming fanboy but I really can't say that since I own a PS4.