For the casual Windows user, Windows 10 shot out of the gate in terms of its adoption rate. Thanks in part to Microsoft’s free upgrade offer, over 200 million people have so far given Windows 10 a shot. However, Steam users on Windows are typically a different breed. Unaffected by the allure of a free upgrade or a handful of cosmetic or security features, Steam users tend to measure their adoption of new operating systems based on how well it runs games.
Fortunately, Windows 10 seems to be doing a pretty good job of handling gaming as well as converting some Windows 7 holdouts. According to a monthly Steam survey that tracks both the software and hardware usage of its users, Windows 10 has managed to snag 35% of the community’s overall usage. The 35% usage stat sits juxtaposed to the declining share that Windows 8 and 8.1 held, now experiencing a 1.1% loss of overall usage.
Windows 7 still sits an arm’s reach above Windows 10, with Windows 7 and Windows 7 64 bit combining for at healthy 42.01% of usage. However, judging by Windows 10’s momentum, the aged OS will soon be overtaken by Microsoft’s latest offering.
While more discerning Steam users make the switch to Windows 10, it should be noted that the Windows Store embedded on all Windows 10 devices still has a lot of work cut out for it as it tries to emulate a similar digital download model. Microsoft’s ambitions may be to get Steam users to begin purchasing their games through its “easily accessible ” Storefront, but the widely reported limitations and omissions found in games downloaded from the Windows Store are just too glaring for some to take the company’s efforts seriously at the moment.
Luckily, Microsoft along with the Xbox team, have proven they’re quick to make adjustments and issue fixes. Hopefully, for Microsoft’s sake, gaming through the Windows Store will get fixed so that those usage numbers begin to show results given the company’s recent gaming investments.
