[ad_1]
Today, it’s been nine years since Valve started rolling out its Steam Linux beta client after a very exciting summer. While the initial excitement of Steam on Linux has worn off a bit after Steam Machines failed to materialize, as we approach a decade with Steam on Linux, it’s more exciting than ever thanks to Steam Play. / Proton to allow huge amounts of Windows games to run on Linux and the impending release of the Steam Deck which has sparked renewed interest in Linux games.
Steam on Linux after opening up access to everyone recorded a market share of around 2% before falling with the setbacks of Linux games. But since Steam Play (Proton) was introduced in 2018, it has started to bounce back. Last month, it set a new multi-year record with a 1.13% market share for Steam on Linux after surpassing the 1.0% mark this summer. The Wine-based Proton that powers Steam Play has been ideal for Linux games with the ability to easily run an incredible number of Windows games. Now that various anti-cheat platforms are starting to support Linux / Proton and the continued successes around DXVK / VKD3D-Proton to map Direct3D to Vulkan, we are reaching technological milestones certainly not envisioned almost a decade ago. .
From a technical standpoint, the past few years have been very exciting, with Valve funding numerous developers to advance Linux graphics drivers, especially the open source RADV driver stack, but also areas like Gallium3D’s Zink and the improved Linux display stack for VR headsets. Valve has also invested in improvements around sandboxing and other technologies on Linux and in part with the arrival of the Steam Deck handheld, they have also provided funding to KDE developers, improved PipeWire integration and developed technologies in recent years like their Gamescope Wayland composer.
Over the past nine years, Valve has done an incredible job of advancing gaming for Linux and taking it to heights never before imagined. As we move into 2022 and ten years of Steam on Linux, it will be incredibly exciting to see how Steam Deck performs in the marketplace and ultimately its impact on the Linux ecosystem.
Hope this is the best year to come for Steam on Linux!
[ad_2]
