The success of the Steam Deck has gone beyond the handheld. It has managed to revive a market that has been dominated by Nintendo for years. More importantly for Linux users, it has finally marked victory in a war waged on Steam.
MacOS and Linux users have always been fighting for their place in the list of the most used operating systems on Steam. Despite Microsoft’s insurmountable lead, MacOS had been in second place thanks to Apple Silicon’s new chips. However, thanks to the Steam Deck, Linux has managed to overtake Apple’s OS.
SteamOS FTW
The Steam Deck is a worldwide success. Although it has not yet been released in some markets or is not available in some countries, it has managed to establish itself in the gaming community. Valve is positioning it as the perfect platform to play PC games on the go.
However, this handheld does not come with Windows. It has a Linux distribution modified by Valve, already known as SteamOS. This operating system includes Valve’s online game store. Thanks to its clean and easily accessible interface, it has made many gamers feel no difference compared to their Windows PCs.
Due to the large number of units sold, this has made Linux the second-most used operating system on the platform. Previously, MacOS held that spot, and then Linux came in third. However, thanks to Steam’s Hardware & Software data, we learned that the list has recently undergone some changes.
Windows still tops the list with an overwhelming 96.21 percent share of Steam users. In second place is Linux with 1.96 percent. Lastly, we have MacOS with 1.84 percent. (We’re guessing that the numbers are rounded since they add up to 100.01 percent.)
SteamOS will finally mark the end of this war. However, Apple plans to bet heavily on games in its next Mac devices. Will they be able to regain their place? Or will Linux continue to widen the gap between them? We will have to wait and see what the gaming industry has in store for us.
