Windows 8 is bad for gaming? Well, not according to gamers, it seems. According to Steam’s official usage statistics, Windows 8’s combined usage share, across both normal and 64 bit versions, is 4.69%.
For a nascent and controversial operating system, that figure is hardly poor. OS X, for example, across all its listed versions, controls but a mere 3.26% of the Steam market. Steam, a massively popular gaming platform and store for PC gaming, is a key component of the larger game market.
That Windows 8 has managed to snag nearly 5% heading into the holiday seasons may imply that by the end 0f Q1 2013, Windows 8 could account for a firm 10% of the Steam usage base. As you certainly expected, Windows 7 retains the largest piece of Steam usership: 72.56%.
Interestingly, there appears to be much low hanging fruit, even among the gaming userbase, a generally tech-forward group: 8.07% of Steam usership is conducted on computers running Windows Vista, an aging operating system, and 10.83% on Windows XP, an ancient build that is rapidly running out of official support.
In short, Windows 8 does not have to convert a single Windows 7 user to its side to pick up nearly 25% of the gaming market, as it can simply poach from the past to propel itself into the future.
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Paul Thurrott, who brought the numbers to our attention, noted that the hype from Steam’s Gabe Newell was a touch overblown. “Looks like its OS X that’s the catastrophe, Gabe,” Thurott went on to say. TNW has to shrug our shoulders in agreement. Gamers, it seem, are perfectly content to pick up systems running Windows 8 and keep on gaming.
For reference, Windows 8 has passed the 40 million licence-sold mark, putting to rest a fair piece of the speculation that the operating system was a flop. The operating system recently passed the 25,000 app mark as well.
Top Image Credit: BUILDWindows
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