Tag Archives: gamers
Linux gaming is bigger than Steam’s Hardware Survey outlines
Over the last three years #Linux #gamers have had a great deal to be thankful about. But other online media sources have used Steam‘s hardware survey to imply that Linux gaming is on a decline. Is it?
Steam Machines and #SteamOS are one venue, sure, but so are drm-free games from Humble Store and GOG.com. So we have no idea what the actually statistics are on those platforms. Where Linux gaming is more popular and under-rated over all, but the numbers outlined in the Steam Hardware Survey do not include SteamOS, so may not be entirely accurate. Which poses an issue.
Chris Hoffman, a writer at PCWorld issued a post recently highlighting Steam’s hardware survey as misleading. And we agree, there are more Linux gamers now than ever before.
Chris Hoffman reports for PCWorld:
How many Linux gamers are there? It’s tough to say. We don’t even know how many Linux users there are in general. Valve‘s Steam Hardware Survey supposedly sheds light on the OS breakdown among gamers, and it appears to show Linux use declining. But Valve’s Steam Hardware Survey is misleading, obscuring the fact that Linux gaming is healthier than ever.
Here’s one obvious caveat: Steam’s user numbers are growing. So while Linux usage on the Steam Hardware Survey has declined from about 2 percent in March 2013 to 0.91 percent in February 2015, that smaller percentage is from a larger overall user base.
So let’s look at percentages. In October 2013, the Steam Hardware Survey showed 0.98 percent of Linux users. That’s about 637,000 Linux gamers. In February 2015, the Steam Hardware Survey showed 0.91 percent of Linux users. That’s over 1.2 million Linux gamers!
Here’s something surprising: Valve’s Steam Hardware Survey doesn’t include its own SteamOS operating system as part of the Linux market share, nor does the Steam Hardware Survey show it as another operating system. The Steam Hardware Survey just doesn’t appear for users in Big Picture Mode, and Steam on SteamOS is always in Big Picture Mode.
To be honest, none of this information is anything new. We held off writing about the Steam Hardware Survey in the past for that very reason. But since the PCWorld posted, it’s a pleasure to see other big media sources pointing this out. And we do not know how many other other Linux gamers are really out there, as some people do not like Steam and it’s system tracking.
More to the point, we don’t even have an accurate number of the Linux desktop users available at this time.
Valve now enables modders to sell their creations on Steam
#Valve has a major change to the Steam Workshop which gives modders an option to sell creations directly to #gamers in the open, unregulated #market. Up to now mod‘s for games were given away by the modder free of charge. Now Valve wants to change the game for the modding community. The recently announced that they will now allow modders to start selling their creations on Steam.
There are mods that you need to pay for, some that are free, but gamers looking for mods can do so all in one place. As one of the largest gaming portals at the available, Steam is the go-to place for gamers looking for mods anyway, and now with an added options to create and sell them. This should prove to be very interesting.
Valve’s Tom Bui, “We think this is a great opportunity to help support the incredible creative work being done by mod makers in the Steam Workshop. User generated content is an increasingly significant component of many games, and opening new avenues to help financially support those contributors via Steam Workshop will help drive the level of UGC to new heights.”
The fist title to have access to this new mod system is Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. While this does not affect Linux in anyway, there are 19 paid mods have been listed already, ranging from as low as $0.30 up to $7. On top of this, neither Bethesda or Valve will not take part in the market, giving gamers the choice to upload what they want and price it as they choose. The downside of all this is the possibility of downloading some poor mods. Seeing the success and mods now available for Dying Light or massive amount currently available Cities: Skylines, this could get interesting.
There is a safeguard though, a 24 hour refund option is part of the Steam Workshop policy. So if you are not sold on the mod, voila, refund.
SYBER releases three open platform PC gaming console models with SteamOS
SYBER, a new division of CyberPowerPC, is #announcing three new Vapor Models at CES in Las Vegas, as part of Syber’s #open platform PC #gaming console line, along with a new limited edition color model.
“For gamers who want to break out of the bedroom and into the comfort of the living room, the Syber Vapor PC gaming console series offers the best performance at an affordable price,” said Eric Cheung, CEO, CyberPowerPC.
Steam machines will run on SteamOS, an operating system based on Debian Linux and produced by Valve. Steam machines will exist primarily to play Linux games that can be downloaded through SteamOS. What makes the Syber Vapor PC gaming console unique, however, is that it is coming out before the SteamOS is finished. The Vapor connects via HDMI to your HDTV, has 4K capabilities and uses Windows 8.1 that will launch gamers directly into Steam’s Big Picture mode.
“We created the Syber Vapor PC gaming console to give gamers more power and more customization than the standard video game consoles like Sony PlayStation, Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox,” said Eddie Vong, VP of Product, CyberPowerPC.
Three new Syber Vapor models are immediately available. “Based on the initial feedback from users and our partners, we wanted to create these new models to satisfy their needs whether it’s a more affordable option or higher performance,” said Tony Crisp, Co-Founder, Syber.
With the addition of the new Syber Vapor models, the new starting price point is $549 – with the Syber Vapor E, powered by a quad-core AMD X4-740 and GeForce GTX 750 graphics.
The Syber Vapor P provides a step up from the previous Vapor I with an Intel G3258 3.2GHz processor and AMD Radeon R9 270X graphics at $649. The last of the three new models, the Vapor K, is powered by an Intel Core i5-4690K and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 970 with a price tag of $1099.
Syber also has plans on its 2015 roadmaps to launch the following new Vapor models. The Vapor Slim, a low energy, compact form factor console available in both Intel and AMD versions; and the Vapor Stream, a mini form factor console for Steam’s In-Home Streaming that is based on “Bay Trail” architecture.
Syber Vapor PC console Models and system specifications include:
Syber Vapor Slim
| Chassis | Syber Vapor Slim Clear Prototype |
| CPU | Intel Core i5-4690K 3.5GHz Quad-core |
| Motherboard | Gigabyte GA-Z97N-WiFi |
| Graphics Card | Intel HD Graphics 4600 |
| Memory | 8GB DDR3 1600MHz |
| Storage | 120B Intel SSD 730 |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit |
Syber Vapor Stream
| Chassis | Syber Vapor Stream Prototype |
| CPU | Intel Celeron Processor J1900 2GHz Quad-core |
| Memory | 2GB DDR3 1600MHz |
| Storage | 64GB ADATA SP900 SSD |
| OS | Microsoft Windows 8.1 64-bit or SteamOS |
The Syber Vapor PC gaming console will come bundled with free bonus content including the complete version of one of the following: Murdered: Soul Suspect, Thief, Sniper Elite, Hitman, Sleeping Dogs, Dirt 3, Darksider II, Grid Autosport or Shadowrun Returns along with a mini wireless keyboard and a Logitech wireless gamepad.
All six Syber Vapor PC gaming console models are available for purchase in the US through the CyberPowerPC online store, in the UK, and select SYBER Authorized Resellers.
The Syber Vapor line can be previewed at 2015 CES at the Wynn Las Vegas, Suite 5507, 3131 South Las Vegas Boulevard.
ABOUT SYBER
SYBER is the consumer products division of CyberPowerPC Inc. and was founded in 2014.
ABOUT CYBERPOWER PC, INC.
CyberPowerPC Inc. www.cyberpowerpc.com was founded in 1998 and has emerged as a leading global provider of custom computer systems and interactive gaming products. Headquartered in Baldwin Park in Southern California, CyberPowerPC manufacturers and distributes a complete line of custom built gaming desktops, gaming notebooks and high performance workstations to meet the unique needs of gamers, businesses, government agencies, educational institutions and other end-users.
More Linux Gamers now using Steam even with drop in percentages
The Steam for Linux rate of adoption has dropped somewhat in #comparison with the previous month, but it still holds around 1.1%.
Linux users have been hoping to see a much bigger uptake for Steam on their #platform, but the percentages refuse to move more than 1.2%. Now, they even dropped a little bit for the month of July. It might not mean anything for Valve and they might work with other numbers, but it’s still annoying too see things remain the same.
The Steam Hardware Survey cannot be considered a reliable source of information for a couple of reasons. As it does not say how many Linux users answered the questions in the survey and what the rapport with the other platforms is. It might be a huge number or it might be very few people, which makes it difficult to rely on the percentages provided.
On the other hand, the 1.11% registered Linux users for Steam is not too far from the estimated 2%, which is the number for the rate of adoption of Linux desktops all round the world. In any case, nothing too spectacular happened, with the exception of the drop in users, but that is only an appearance.
The top distributions used are Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit with 0.39%, Linux 3.10 64-bit with 0.09% (this incorporates all distros that have this kernel), Linux Mint 17 Qiana 64-bit with 0.09%, Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 32-bit with 0.07%, Ubuntu 14.04.1 LTS 64-bit with 0.06%, and Ubuntu 12.04.4 LTS 64-bit with 0.06%.
The number of Ubuntu 14.04 LTS 64-bit users has dropped because the point release for the same distribution is counted separately, but that was to be expected.
The drop in users might seem weird, especially now that the Steam for Linux platform has just passed the 600 games milestone, but there is actually a good explanation for it. In fact, staying around the 1.1 or 1.2% mark means that the number of Linux gamers has increased.
We have to take into consideration the fact that the total number of Steam users has actually increased in the last few months and it has passed the 6 million mark and it’s going to hit 7 million very soon. This means that Linux users staying steady at about 1.1% is actually an increase.
Reblogged from: news.softpedia.com
Now Valve has delayed Steam Controller release until 2015
In a post to the Steam Universe community, Valve’s Eric Hope #announced that the Steam controller — first revealed in 2013 — will miss its planned 2014 release. By extension, that suggests we won’t be seeing any proper #SteamMachines until 2015.
“We’re now using wireless prototype controllers to conduct live playtests, with everyone from industry professionals to die-hard gamers to casual gamers.” Hope explained. “It’s generating a ton of useful feedback, and it means we’ll be able to make the controller a lot better. Of course, it’s also keeping us pretty busy making all those improvements. Realistically, we’re now looking at a release window of 2015, not 2014.”
The controller is a necessary piece of Valve’s push to help third-party hardware manufacturers get gaming PCs into the living room. Steam Machines require three core elements: the Steam controller, Valve’s Linux-based SteamOS operating system, and a gaming-capable PC equipped with both of those items. Lose one and it’s not a Steam Machine.
It’s disappointing, but probably not a surprise to gamers already used to Valve taking its sweet time to get something done right, rather than quickly. Hope assures fans that the delay is meant to ensure “the best gaming experience possible.” Given the somewhat radical changes that Valve is making to the traditional gamepad format, it seems only natural that the dev team would want to test and tweak it as much as possible.
Reblogged from: digitaltrends.com
