Gamers Seems To Be Moving Back To Windows 7 According To Steam Hardware Survey

Windows 7 Rises!

[NewMonday]

Microsoft should get the hint and stop trying to control the PC echo system

PC is about user control and freedom, if PC gamers wanted a holistic system full of red tape they would just get a Mac

[freshslicepizza]

Why would you complain about gaming on the PC and question freeedom when you support the Playstation ecosystem and don't game on the PC? The Playstation ecosystem is the most controlled and walled off of them all, so I question your antics here and want to highlight this is more how you feel about Microsoft than PC gaming. You were already talking about Destiny 2 on the PS4, anyone who plays games on the PC would much prefer the freedom of PC gaming even on Windows 10 because you don't pay for online multuplayer and you are not locked at 30fps. So please tell us all again why Windows 10 gaming upsets you so much?

[Eonjay]

My biggest problem with 10 is the updates. The last update disabled my graphics driver and I don't have integrated graphics so the Basic driver didn't work at all. I had to manually set the computer to Safe Mode by navigating to the option without the screen working (yes, I deserve a trophy for that). They tried to make is so 'user friendly' that when stuff breaks it becomes 1000x harder to fix.

[badz149]

I had no problems with Win10 and even thought that it was kinda nice upgrade from 8.1! but something about it pissed me off and it happened recently. I almost always put my PC on sleep mode when not in use. and I seldom update it.

it happen a couple of months ago when I decided to update and the thing crashed my system and I have to reset my PC and I was like "WTF did I do wrong?" I needed to reinstall everything and as I'm using my PC to do my research, you can imagine the whole lot of stuff needed to be reinstalled, re-calibrated and re-tweaked back to my previous settings! I tolerated THAT and thought that I might be my mistake somewhere I didn't noticed. BUT THE DAMN thing updated again last week and my PC can't be turned ON again. I was away and my PC just updated itself and it happened again! safe mode is inaccessible and repairing the startup failed and it suggested for a reset! A FUCKIN RESET AGAIN!

why the F is the updates wrecking my system like THAT?? it's bad enough that we could barely disable the update process and if you leave your PC on standby, it will update itself without your permission and then wrecking the PC in the process! WTF? Win 7 and 8.1 didn't have this. you have total control over those but this Win10 is starting to look really bad now!

back to reinstalling my programs!

[LP-Eleven]

Why do you frequent PlayStation articles when you're always championing something else? In fact, why did you have to bring up the PS4 at all in here? There simply wasn't any logical reason for you to make this about anything other than what the article discusses.

OT: I'm set with Win10, but I can understand why people go back. Win7 is a wonderful OS that just....worked. For me, though, I prefer the newer features of Microsoft's latest.

[IndieFolk]

@badz149: this has happened to me like 4 times. Thought it was just me. I seriously had no idea what I did wrong. At least keeping the files won't nuke LoL but I have reinstall all my Steam games. --'

[DarXyde]

Moldybread,

Sony was the first to offer region free console gaming and offer some degree of cross platform play while offering free online gameplay on PS2, PS3, PSP, and PSV.

How exactly is Sony the most closed off?

[saint_seya]

Can we get troldybread alredy banned, or at least suspended, this guy the only thing that does, is to troll Sony in every article, and sometimes, like now, he even goes off topic just to spread fud.

Please mods, just check his historial.

OT : The problem with windows is the same as always, they make one that everyone likes (95, 97, xp, 7) and then they try to sell the next one, but they try to fix what it isnt broken, and add stupid lil things to make people upgrade when most don't want (most of the time the next iteration has some bugs/ memory problems/ incompatibilities or UI changes that people doesn't like/want)

[shauzy]

My problem is with the xbox controller support, it connects once, after that when it disconnects, it never reconnects without a restart, at first i thought this was my computers problem only, but it hit me when one of my friends told me about it and wanted a solution, i thought to myself did microsoft start going senile?

[darthv72]

@DarXyde... region free gaming would be thanks to the 3do. Its okay you didnt know that. Most young hipsters only think PS is where everything started.

[Rhythmattic]

moldybread
Where the Fk did newmonday mention Playstation systems?
FFS, he's talking about PC...
Fking desperate Fb's....
Way to change the narrative , Typical "bone"head.

[Father__Merrin]

its not just games being 30fps or paying a service charge to use psn, its because of better games and no fuss plug and play

[pinkcrocodile75]

@eonjay I do agree that MS win10 tried to make thing simple for basic users and when things do go wrong its usually with unsigned drivers etc.

The people moving back to win 7 are probably few and far between, steam represents a microscopic portion of the win 10 user install base which hit 500 million before may this year.

I'm a professional developer and systems architect and yes I have the off gremlin n windows. I call it out when its shit. However I have had the least amount of issue on any of with win 10 and I go back to DOS and UNIX.

So I suppose that it's down to a gamers pc experience. If you have issues learn from them.

[NewMonday]

@moldybread

way to get personal

I'v been playing PC games since before the 1st PlayStation, I shift back to PC repeatedly.

[ninsigma]

That's just stupid questioning that. Everyone knows consoles are walled off and we buy for whatever reason we have to buy one. That doesn't mean everyone who supports a closed system console wants PC to go the same way. PC is open and everyone knows that and no one wants that to change. Supporting a completely different closed system does not = wanting PC to be closed.

[freshslicepizza]

@NewMonday
"way to get personal"

Just like how personal you are with anything related to Microsoft. If the shoe fits.

"I'v been playing PC games since before the 1st PlayStation, I shift back to PC repeatedly."

Sure buddy. When I see you guys buy games like Destiny 2 on the PC and not on your PS4 then I will beleive you, until then it's just posturing on your part. Like I said, there is no reason for you to complain at all about Windows 10 gaming when it is still offers far more freedom and control than any game console and is still free for online multiplayer. Windows 10 also supports multiple storefronts such as Steam. So tell me again what your real issue is here other than how you detest Microsoft and are one of the biggest supporters of Sony on this site, which is the most walled off company out there at the moment?

[Cobra951]

Eonjay and others: There are ways to control updates on Win 10, even the Home version. If you use WiFi, you can tell Windows it's a metered connection, meaning you pay according to usage. Then updates won't be forced on you. A better way is to disable the Windows Update and Windows Modules Installer services in services.msc. This is slightly more technical than finding the metered connection, but it also prevents hogging of your CPU to deal with updates at all. It also works on wired LAN connections, which the metered thing doesn't. (It should.)

Don't forget to note how those services were triggered (manual or automatic) before you change them to disabled, so that you can set them back properly when you decide you want to let Windows update.

[morganfell]

@Eonjay,

The last Win 10 update disabled my SLI and told me I had a single generic VGA card in my system. I had to use DDU, a driver cleaner, and remove everything from Nvidia, then reinstall the drivers and finally deal with Windows to re-enable my SLI.

pinkcrocodile,

You can't learn from issues when you are not the one constantly introducing them. Your remark would make sense if gamers themselves were responsible for the problems. They are not. Every update MS seems to invent a new way to generate issues for gamers. Nothing you can do except refuse to update your system. That isn't learning from anything.

[DarXyde]

Moldybread,

"@DarXyde... region free gaming would be thanks to the 3do. Its okay you didnt know that. Most young hipsters only think PS is where everything started."

Not that young and certainly not a hipster. I don't even think PlayStation is where "everything started" either, but the condescension/arrogance and personal attack make it abundantly clear that you're a troll, so thanks for making that much clear, not that it wasn't already.

At this point, I'm fairly certain that but you misinterpreted what I wrote. A basic lesson in sentence structure...

Here's what I wrote, verbatim (unedited):

"Sony was the first to offer region free console gaming and offer some degree of cross platform play while offering free online gameplay on PS2, PS3, PSP, and PSV. "

I wrote that Sony was the first to offer region free console gaming and offer some degree of cross platform play. That was an inclusive statement. Taken by itself ("Sony was the first to offer region free console gaming") you would be correct that Sony was not the first to come up with region-free gaming on consoles. However, that is not what I wrote. Looks like you read what you wanted to. Perhaps it would make more sense to you if I said Microsoft's statement that Xbox One S is factually the only available console with HDR, 4K Streaming, and UHD Blu-Ray support. Taken alone, or in pieces, that statement is not exactly true. HDR and 4K streaming are also available on Pro. Just not UHD support. Taken together, that's true. What I wrote is similar.

I like to write with a certain level of precision and you still took that out of context. It was actually important to make the distinction that I did because PlayStation was not always region-free because cross platform play was available during a time when it wasn't--to be more specific, Final Fantasy XI released during the PS2 era. PS2 was region locked. I chose to focus on a time when it was both region free AND cross play accessible, to which, yes, they were the first.

[JasonKCK]

saint_seya do you know what the word hypocrite means?

[maybelovehate]

What do you mean by trying to control it? They aren't limiting Steam in any way on Windows 10. They aren't limiting Oculus. They aren't limiting EA or any of the other stores and platforms.

[freshslicepizza]

Don't expect a response anytime soon, it's just another excuse for him to have a problem with Microsoft. He says he shifts back and forth with PC gaming which is already questionable at best. He also fails to tell anyone what the problem is for him and his PC gaming experience where he needs to revert back to Windows 7. To top it all off most Steam users are playing in Windows 10 so this little blip could be just some testing out their current Windows 7.

[thekhurg]

There's no gaming control in Windows 10. Been using it for years 100% problem free.

Get out of the console world before you start talking shit about a platform you know absolutely nothing about.

[bluefox755]

It's kinda just the Windows Store that's like that, and that's optional.

[Zeref]

lol less than 1 percent "allegedly" moved back and it's a revolution according to you guys lmao.

[RedDeadLB]

If you want absolute control and freedom, go with Linux. But, forget about gaming or at least playing any relevant games.

I'm okay with Windows 10. It has been perfect to me up to this point and I see no reason to ever go back to any other system.

And lets be real for a second. People will complain about Windows 10 gathering user data, but nearly every application you use (ie Origin, Steam etc) gather data themselves. Origin even logs all installed programs I believe.

Also, we all have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn profiles where all our information is displayed publicly and of our own volition at that.

[iistuii]

W10 is fine. MS giving me the chance to continue my Gears/Forza fix in lovely 60fps all maxed out. Also W10 was free.

[Profchaos]

There's so much wrong with your statement I don't even know where to start.

They support an os for a set amount of years windows 7 is out of support next year. Going down to 7 literally means you are installing a timebomb.

[DiRtY]

The hint? 50% of all steam users play on windows 10.

That was a 0.74% decrease. Yeah, they should panic right now.

Overall 96.12% still used windows.

[itsmebryan]

I don't even think it's a decrease. I think people are trying out PC gaming for made the first time and are using old window 7 PCs.

[KingKionic]

Lol a decrease from a single month in july means gamers are moving back to windows 7?

Come on now the reach here is crazy. Windows 10 accounts for 50 percent of the steam users.

It is the top operating system.

[JasonKCK]

Beat me to it. The decrease and gain percentage just reeks of desperation and obviously meant for people like NewMonday.

[nitus10]

Currently, the Microsoft Windows market share is as follows:

27.63% - Window 10
06.48% - Windows 8.1
01.42% - Windows 8.0
48.91% - Windows 7
06.10% - Windows XP

Source: https://www.netmarketshare....

Like it or not if you are a PC gamer and want to play the latest games which will be using DirectX 12 you will have no choice but to move to Windows 10 since all other versions of Windows don't support DX12. Of course, there is a possibility that some developers will choose the Vulkan API's which work on Linux, Mac, PS4, XB1, possibly the Switch and Microsoft Windows.

Yes, Windows 10 does work, however, there are plenty of privacy and security concerns. Yes, you can turn off many of the problematic features which by default are turned on but even if you do turn off the intrusive features you may be hard pressed to completely turn them off and it is known that some forced updates have turned them back on again.

I am aware that Microsoft apologists will point at Google Chrome stating (quite rightly) that Google collects information on your browsing habits. What the "apologists" don't tell you that it is very easy to turn these features off or just use a different web browser.

The same cannot be said about an operating system (ie. Windows 10) which makes it quite difficult to turn off the features you find intrusive. The only option if you don't trust Microsoft is to replace the operating system with one you can trust.

[XMarkstheSpot]

http://store.steampowered.c...

He didn't say computers, he said steam users. People who play games

This whole article is based off a .94% increase in use of Win 7 (Could be from any operating system like Win Vista or 8) to a decrease of .72% use of Win 10 from June 2017 to July 2017

[freshslicepizza]

@nitus10
"Yes, Windows 10 does work, however, there are plenty of privacy and security concerns. Yes, you can turn off many of the problematic features which by default are turned on but even if you do turn off the intrusive features you may be hard pressed to completely turn them off and it is known that some forced updates have turned them back on again."

So go ahead and watch Snowden all day while the rest of us play games on Windows 10. Can you tell me what my real name is and where I live since it's just a security risk to use Windows 10? I love how people hang out on the internet all day reading up about all these privacy issues. The only concern I have is forced updates which could pose a problem.

But God forbid a company wanting to get consumers to move on to a new operating system so they can make money. This topic is about gaming and Windows 10 is the main operating system. I have no problems using it and i was on Windows 7 prior so tell me again what's wrong with it and why Windows 7 is superior?

[JasonKCK]

moldybread the ironic part is while they are talking about privacy issues while they're using Chrome, Firefox, Google, Facebook, YouTube. Instagram, Messenger, Yahoo, Android, iOS, MAC's, Steam, with installed plugins which all use your data.

It's simply a convienant target. Chances are they're doing it from a Windows device.

[steveo123456]

Dude your info and link includes all corporate desktops used in business.

We are talking about gaming PC's for home use, specifically those on steam

I work in IT for a large multi national and our migration to win 10 globally is like 5% and still in pilot, as are many other businesses.

Lots of things hold it up like in house app compatibility, aging hardware, supporting infrastructure. EG you need the latest and greatest SCCM/WSUS infrastructure to be able to manage said Win 10 devices and that all costs too.

Home use, different matter altogether

[Gwiz]

No Vista lol

[nitus10]

@moldybread

Where in my previous post did I say Windows 7 is superior?

I don't game on my PC since I have a PS4 and a fully backward compatible PS3 (I even have a SNES, N64 and GameCube although they have been gathering dust for years) and I actually don't run a Microsoft Operating system or Microsoft anything software. As for using Steam, I have access to over 5,000 Linux based games and many more thousands if I use Windows compatibility software such as Wine, but like I have said I prefer consoles for gaming.

I have tested Windows 10 under a virtual machine and what I saw I was not impressed although to be fair the operating system does work as I would expect it to.

[Phill-Spencer]

Wth and even ms games can't make them stick with win10?

[Seafort]

They're all console ports. Why do you think those would keep PC gamers on Windows 10 especially as you have to use the disastrous Windows Store and pay a premium console price for the privilege?

We have hundreds of games released on PC every week. There is no shortage of games to play so Microsoft need to up their game(s) if they ever want to compete on PC platform.

ATM they are failing by tying all their games to Windows Store. I've already uninstalled the PoS app and Xbox app. If I wanted a console I'd just buy one.

[Phill-Spencer]

Okay thanks for informing me. I had the impression that pc gamers were waiting desperately to be able to play ms games on their systems. I thought they were intrigued by xbox play anywhere and phil spencer made their biggest wish become true.

[chris235]

personally, i never left win7

[MegamanXXX]

Should this even be news 🤔I'm enjoying Windows 10

[kneon]

Well it could be news if it were a sustained trend and if the change wasn't less than 1%. As it is it could just be more people upgrading old machines to win 7, or more people with win 10 going on vacation.

[fiveby9]

Well MS will surely EOL WIn7 at some point. It's their product and they can do what they chose. I use Win 10 Pro on the PC I built. Works flawlessly for me. Not sure why others have problems but I don't doubt that they do. Win7 usage will slowly erode just for the mere fact that newer HW (CPU and chipsets) may not be supported or function as we go forward. If one were to upgrade to Win 10 I would recommend Pro version over the standard version just for the fact you can control patching better.

[FlameWater]

I used to have constant problems with 7 and 10 has been nearly flawless. I got the operating system free plus the Foza Apex game was a perfect incentive for me to upgrade.

[PlayableGamez-]

Never understood the hate towards W10.

[narsaku]

After trying twice to get Windows 10 to stop deleting my Start menu I've abandoned that garbage perminantly.

I'll stick with the vastly superior W7, thanks. And when it's no longer usable?.. Guess I'll be a console gamer exclusively.

Probably Nintendo/Sony.

[0Day]

Classic Shell you pleb. It’s been around for years and it’s free:

[narsaku]

W10 has a start menu. The problem is when it erases itself and makes a start menu impossible to use without reinstalling windows, just to have it bug from an update all over again.

[JasonKCK]

The Start Menu becomes unusable when it needs to be updated. Try restarting your PC.

WOW!

[Sonic_Vs_Mario]

Utility software's like CCleaner deletes and removes important files and software's from Windows 10.

[Gwiz]

TBH the whole Windows 10 situation is very weird.

Game Mode makes games run worse
DirectX12 Is only working properly with Gears 4
and that's all you got for giving away a lot of freedom.
Sure Play Anywhere is useful but only if you bought the said compatible games on Xbox first
and you decided to move towards PC gaming (only when digitally bought under windows account).

[Relientk77]

Thats cuz Windows 7 is awesome.

[annoyedgamer]

Windows 10 is worse than 8, didn't think that was possible.

[Ricegum]

No. It's not.

[XiNatsuDragnel]

Microsoft making gamers backtrack lol

[OffRoadKing]

Some of us never left it, lol.

[RedDeadLB]

I call BS

[Cobra951]

0.74% (74 out of every 10,000) have stopped using Win 10, and 0.86% (86 per 10,000) have started using Win 7. These are tiny percentages, easily due to random variations in several factors. "Quite a decrease" in Window 10 usage is a gross overstatement.

[feraldrgn]

Still on Windows 7 myself, not enough compatability updates yet & I prefer being able to customise how much information they sell to 3rd parties.

[meka2611]

I work in IT and windows 10 started out good, but now like someone else said it's becoming a mac where they control everything. I've even heard they are trying to do away with control panel, which is BS.