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[LordRaptor]

Now if people would actually be spending the same amount, we would be gold. But most of these accounts are probably used mainly for very specific games.
Yes, this is pulled out of my ass, but if sales for PC games are always that much lower despite these healthy monthly numbers, then I don't know what else to deduce from this.

Many software companies release their software sales, and the PC is generally around the 33% share for revenue for multiplatform titles.
No, the PC is not bigger than X1 + PS4 combined for multiplatforms, but why would it be? It is frequently as big as either console.

 

[Fiendcode]

I do want to point out that Sony apparently had 70 million accounts back when they had their data breach in 2011, so... what, has there been literally no growth at ALL since then? Or was that 70 million accounts total, and they've only just now hit 70 million MAUs?

Checking around PSN seems to be 110m accounts and 70m MAU.

Steam was at 125m "active" accounts 2 years ago. My guess is this would be more equivalent to the MAU figure Sony and MS use.

 

[leeh]

iirc, one of the reason PSN numbers are so high is because because it's actually including all Sony Entertainment Network accounts, which includes a bunch of non-Playstation products, and the actual PS numbers were way lower. Like, it includes tablets, televisions, smartphones, etc. If it's digital and connected to the internet and made by Sony, it's considered to be part of PSN, particularly Bravia and Experia devices. iirc, the biggest single contributor to these numbers was actually Bravia TVs, but this is like... ancient news.

I do want to point out that Sony apparently had 70 million accounts back when they had their data breach in 2011, so... what, has there been literally no growth at ALL since then? Or was that 70 million accounts total, and they've only just now hit 70 million MAUs?

Got a source for that information regarding the active user count?

 

[Maztorre]

Yes, but how many accounts are actually grandmothers who have only bought ONE Nekopara title and then forgot to log out, and are also running scripts that scrape Jim Sterling's youtube channel for barely-functioning titles and automatically purchase them in order to ruin gaming for me, a console owner? Until we can establish these facts PC gaming must be declared dead and Valve must stop forcing Japanese publishers to support the platform with multimillion dollar games, in a blatant attempt to paint a false narrative of Steam's success.

 

[BigDes]

Yes, but how many accounts are actually grandmothers who have only bought ONE Nekopara title and then forgot to log out, and are also running scripts that scrape Jim Sterling's youtube channel for barely-functioning titles and automatically purchase them in order to ruin gaming for me, a console owner? Until we can establish these facts PC gaming must be declared dead and Valve must stop forcing Japanese publishers to support the platform with multimillion dollar games, in a blatant attempt to paint a false narrative of Steam's success.

Don't forget that 90% of these accounts are replacement accounts for all the people who got banned for cheating in multiplayer games.

 

[Script of the Bridge]

Yes, but how many accounts are actually grandmothers who have only bought ONE Nekopara title and then forgot to log out, and are also running scripts that scrape Jim Sterling's youtube channel for barely-functioning titles and automatically purchase them in order to ruin gaming for me, a console owner? Until we can establish these facts PC gaming must be declared dead and Valve must stop forcing Japanese publishers to support the platform with multimillion dollar games, in a blatant attempt to paint a false narrative of Steam's success.

This.

 

[eerik9000]

iirc, one of the reason PSN numbers are so high is because because it's actually including all Sony Entertainment Network accounts, which includes a bunch of non-Playstation products, and the actual PS numbers were way lower. Like, it includes tablets, televisions, smartphones, etc. If it's digital and connected to the internet and made by Sony, it's considered to be part of PSN, particularly Bravia and Experia devices. iirc, the biggest single contributor to these numbers was actually Bravia TVs, but this is like... ancient news.

I do want to point out that Sony apparently had 70 million accounts back when they had their data breach in 2011, so... what, has there been literally no growth at ALL since then? Or was that 70 million accounts total, and they've only just now hit 70 million MAUs?

SEN account does not automatically give access to PSN, you have to set it up separately. I know because I did it yesterday. 70+ million MAUs is for PSN.

Nice try though, reminds me of:

 

[Sorcerer]

Also PSP technically.

PSP'S can no longer access PSN from what I understand.

 

[Lister]

Yes, but how many accounts are actually grandmothers who have only bought ONE Nekopara title and then forgot to log out, and are also running scripts that scrape Jim Sterling's youtube channel for barely-functioning titles and automatically purchase them in order to ruin gaming for me, a console owner? Until we can establish these facts PC gaming must be declared dead and Valve must stop forcing Japanese publishers to support the platform with multimillion dollar games, in a blatant attempt to paint a false narrative of Steam's success.

Plus all the crazy prankster uncles who have placed secret steam accounts into unsuspecting console gamer's laptops!

Let's not forget about them!

 

[Lister]

SEN account does not automatically give access to PSN, you have to set it up separately. I know because I did it yesterday. 70+ million MAUs is for PSN.

They are still two different metrics. Steam's MAU are > 150 million not 67 million.

 

[c0de]

Umm what? Was PSN always larger than XBL in monthly users? When did this become a thing?

PSN is free on a console that sold more than 80 million units.

 

[Fiendcode]

PSP'S can no longer access PSN from what I understand.

The native store was shut down but it can still go online on PSP. You can also still buy PSP games from your PC, PS3 or Vita.

 

[LordRaptor]

PSN is free on a console that sold more than 80 million units.

Also there was a post-PS4 patch that makes using any apps on a PS3 require a PSN sign in before they will launch

 

[KJRS_1993]

Considering one service is on a dedicated gaming device and the other is a free download on a device absolutely everyone already has in their home, I'd have guessed Steam would have taken over PSN long ago.

Interested tidbit.

 

[Hektor]

Considering one service is on a dedicated gaming device and the other is a free download on a device absolutely everyone already has in their home, I'd have guessed Steam would have taken over PSN long ago.

Interested tidbit.

This number is specifically about people that played at least one game this month, not anybody that ever installed it.

 

[eerik9000]

PSN is free on a console that sold more than 80 million units.

Xbox Live is also free and it's also on Windows 10 PCs, mobile, etc. So?

 

[c0de]

Also there was a post-PS4 patch that makes using any apps on a PS3 require a PSN sign in before they will launch

To me this, combined with Xbox numbers, shows how many people still use their old consoles. But at the same time, it's not that surprising: ps360 sold more than 160 million consoles combined, not even including Wii.

 

[Ascheroth]

Considering one service is on a dedicated gaming device and the other is a free download on a device absolutely everyone already has in their home, I'd have guessed Steam would have taken over PSN long ago.

Interested tidbit.

You need to have played a game in the last month in order to count for that number.
Steams total accounts are like 140 million or something.

 

[Lister]

Considering one service is on a dedicated gaming device and the other is a free download on a device absolutely everyone already has in their home, I'd have guessed Steam would have taken over PSN long ago.

Uhm... it HAS. Steams MAU is more than twice psns.

 

[Mozendo]

What's with the prankster uncle stuff?

 

[Fiendcode]

Considering one service is on a dedicated gaming device and the other is a free download on a device absolutely everyone already has in their home, I'd have guessed Steam would have taken over PSN long ago.

Interested tidbit.

PSN is on multiple gaming devices, phones and televisions.

 

[LordRaptor]

To me this, combined with Xbox numbers, shows how many people still use their old consoles. But at the same time, it's not that surprising: ps360 sold more than 160 million consoles combined, not even including Wii.

I have my PS3 hooked up solely as a Netflix box, so I am definitely counted as one of PSNs MAUs.

 

[Hektor]

What's with the prankster uncle stuff?

My uncle once installed steam on his pc to prank me with facerig on Skype.

He hasn't uninstalled it since then and he has steam in autostart so he's counted as an active user despite never using steam.

 

[EGOMON]

The downplaying is real lol

 

[DalikSkywing]

PSN is on multiple gaming devices, phones and televisions.

Steam has more than double users of PSN anyway, this thread is about number of users that played a game in the last month, we don't have a metric like this for PSN.

 

[Syf]

What's with the prankster uncle stuff?

It's become a meme that people on GAF come up with the most ludicrous scenarios to try to downplay Steam's numbers in these threads

 

[KJRS_1993]

This number is specifically about people that played at least one game this month, not anybody that ever installed it.

It's still a free service, with some great free games, on a device everyone has. The barrier for entry is essentially £0. PSN has a starting point of around £200 for a console. I'm just surprised it hasn't happened sooner is all.

PSN is on multiple gaming devices, phones and televisions.

That is true, I didn't think about those.

Uhm... it HAS. Steams MAU is more than twice psns.

The OP + thread title doesn't seem to read that way?

 

[DalikSkywing]

It's still a free service, with some great free games, on a device everyone has. The barrier for entry is essentially £0. PSN has a starting point of around £200 for a console. I'm just surprised it hasn't happened sooner is all.



The OP + thread title doesn't seem to read that way?

You are not reading the article then, maybe don't stop at a title when responding to a thread?

 

[KJRS_1993]

You are not reading the article then, maybe don't stop at a title when responding to a thread?

GeekWire (via GI.biz) reports that one of Valve's slides at the presentation showed that Steam had 33 million daily active players and 67 million monthly active players. By comparison, PlayStation Network had 70 million monthly active users by Sony's latest count

I read the snippet in the OP, unless I'm interpreting it incorrectly?

 

[jm89]

I remember sony saying they had 26 mill paid subs for psn, did ms ever release xbox lives numbers?

 

[Auto-Reply]

Are we sure Steam didn't artificially create those people, via cloning and nucular technologies and forced them to play a game each month?

 

[The Hamburglar]

If you buy a game elsewhere but it's a steam key. Does valve still get a cut?

 

[Gipsy Danger]

If you buy a game elsewhere but it's a steam key. Does valve still get a cut?

Nope. Devs can generate keys for free and sell them wherever they want AFAIK.

 

[Maztorre]

Are we sure Steam didn't artificially create those people, via cloning and nucular technologies and forced them to play a game each month?

Good god, they're even asset-flipping humans now.

 

[yuraya]

How much can it continue to grow before companies like EA to realise that they might be losing money by not allowing their games on Steam?

Ubisoft announced earlier this year that For Honor did just as well on Uplay as it did on Steam. It just shows that games can coexist on both Steam and on their own client. If EA released games like Battlefield and FIFA on Steam they would most likely double the playerbase for those games on PC. But in their arrogance they refuse to do so because they don't want to give Valve a 30% cut? Ironically they are okay with giving MS/Sony that cut everytime they sell those games on PSN and XBL. They are even okay with giving Nintendo that cut. It all just shows how out of touch EA is with PC gamers. The only thing they are doing is hurting those games and their communities on PC. And also missing out on millions of $ by not selling games to Steam users.

 

[Fafalada]

Or was that 70 million accounts total, and they've only just now hit 70 million MAUs?

Active and registered users are completely separate metrics(the latter being largely meaningless) - so yes. Their registrations are probably in several hundred million by now.

 

[llien]

You may want to actually look up the word monopoly in a dictionary.

So, since you want to go picky ways:

English dictionary, French dictionary , German dictionary, or, perhaps, Russian dictionary?

Or maybe I should actually check legislation in one of the countries? Which one should I pick to find the "absolutely right" definition of what monopoly is? What, if it is actually quite different in different countries, and if somewhere company can be declared to wield monopolistic powers even if it only commands 25% of the market?

And if you, actually, want to discuss it, there are people who'd say that if AMD disappears tomorrow Intel still won't be a monopolist, because Via exists. I beg to differ.

Steam does not control 70% of the PC gaming market.
They're maybe at ~15%

Where are you getting that number from? (I don't know why you mentioned Microsoft or Sony in this context)

Where are you getting 70% from?

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26158

 

[Ascheroth]

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26158

That article is from 2009.

 

[Ricky_R]

PS4N is a beast.

 

[Hektor]

So, since you want to go picky ways:

English dictionary, French dictionary , German dictionary, or, perhaps, Russian dictionary?

Or maybe I should actually check legislation in one of the countries? Which one should I pick to find the "absolutely right" definition of what monopoly is? What, if it is actually quite different in different countries, and if somewhere company can be declared to wield monopolistic powers even if it only commands 25% of the market?

And if you, actually, want to discuss it, there are people who'd say that if AMD disappears tomorrow Intel still won't be a monopolist, because Via exists. I beg to differ.


Where are you getting that number from? (I don't know why you mentioned Microsoft or Sony in this context)


http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26158

When you talked about a monopoly in an english sentence on an English board you obviously meant the Kurdish definition and not the very clearly defined and factually incorrect english one.

 

[Sarcastico]

But how many of those are smurfs?

 

[LordRaptor]

Ubisoft announced earlier this year that For Honor did just as well on Uplay as it did on Steam.

Would probably be stronger anecdotal evidence with a title not bundled free with videocards

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26158

Your first warning sign should have been that it is an interview with a now defunct digital distribution service

 

[Fiendcode]

I read the snippet in the OP, unless I'm interpreting it incorrectly?

The issue is users =/= players. One simply needs to log in, the other needs to log in and launch a game.

 

[hanspampel]

So, since you want to go picky ways:

English dictionary, French dictionary , German dictionary, or, perhaps, Russian dictionary?

Or maybe I should actually check legislation in one of the countries? Which one should I pick to find the "absolutely right" definition of what monopoly is? What, if it is actually quite different in different countries, and if somewhere company can be declared to wield monopolistic powers even if it only commands 25% of the market?

And if you, actually, want to discuss it, there are people who'd say that if AMD disappears tomorrow Intel still won't be a monopolist, because Via exists. I beg to differ.


Where are you getting that number from? (I don't know why you mentioned Microsoft or Sony in this context)


http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=26158

because i quoted 2 people with 2 different statements?

from this:

https://galyonk.in/steam-sales-in-2016-def2a8ab15f2

total PC gaming market is $30bn +
total Steam revenue is very likely below $5bn

based on the money PC gaming is generating, Steam has a tiny marketshare



we could also use total player marketshare

Intel was estimating 700 million PC gamer in 2014
Nvidia is estimating 300 million Hardcore PC gamer and a total of 600 million

so also not close to 70% marketshare




edit: also your article is from 2009 and talks about "digital distribution"

 

[Salty Rice]

Not much of a difference.

PSN is like mostly PS4, 1000 PS3s and 2 Vitas nowadays.

 

[DalikSkywing]

I read the snippet in the OP, unless I'm interpreting it incorrectly?

Steam has more than double users of PSN anyway, this thread is about number of users that played a game in the last month, we don't have a metric like this for PSN.

*

 

[petran79]

I log onto Steam all the time but I'm not counted because I haven't played a game in the last month.

Steam Offline mode is also not taken into account. I play offline on my laptop yet log on to Steam smartphone app

 

[The Hamburglar]

Nope. Devs can generate keys for free and sell them wherever they want AFAIK.

Thought so.

Can't remember the last time I bought directly from steam. There massively overpriced and their sales arent good anymore.

 

[Lister]

I read the snippet in the OP, unless I'm interpreting it incorrectly?

Yes, you are not interpreting correctly, but it's easy to, so I don't blame you.

The issue, a spointed out, is different metrics. PSN is talking about monthly active users, while the Stema slide is talking about monthly active PLAYERS.

Steam's MAU is > 2 timess the MAU PSN reports. We don't have an AMP metric from PSN.

 

[llien]

When you talked about a monopoly in an english sentence on an English board you obviously meant the Kurdish definition and not the very clearly defined and factually incorrect english one.

I would appreciate if you wouldn't put words in my mouth.

That article is from 2009.

You think Steam's market share in 2017 is much lower than back in 2009?

Your first warning sign should have been that it is an interview with a now defunct digital distribution service

There aren't that many sources on the subject, unfortunately.

total PC gaming market is $30bn +
total Steam revenue is very likely below $5bn
based on the money PC gaming is generating, Steam has a tiny marketshare

Thanks, now I get where you are coming from.
From the $30bn that you have quoted, $10 billion is World of Warcraft alone. Do you think it is relevant to include it in analysis?

Nvidia is estimating 300 million Hardcore PC gamer and a total of 600 million

Those are interesting numbers, considering that less than 50 million discrete GPUs are sold annually.

also your article is from 2009 and talks about "digital distribution"

It's a fair point about 2009, unfortunatelly I couldn't find a more recent study (and I don't think that Steam's market share significantly went down between 2009 to 2017).
"digital distribution" is exactly what I had in mind.