News Valve Dropping Steam Support on Old macOS Versions

[Admin]

Valve will stop supporting macOS El Capitan and Sierra in Sept. 2023.

Valve Dropping Steam Support on Old macOS Versions : Read more

 

[PlaneInTheSky]

This is why I prefer DRM-free GoG. You actually own those games and you don't need a launcher to play them.

The excuse that it only affects % of people when Steam drops support for operating systems is ridiculous. The whole problem with Steam is that you don't own the game and Steam can pull support from under you like a rug.

Windows 8 was still being sold on PC not too long ago, Windows 7 is still being used on 13% of all PC according to an ArsTechnica article from 2022. Yet Steam already pulled support. Meanwhile I can still play on 30-year-old consoles without a problem.

And Valve has an ulterior motive for dropping support on older OS. Valve wants you to buy those new $70 games, they don't want you to buy $1 games of the past. Steam has a major incentive to push people to upgrade their PC so they can sell them the latest most expensive games. I don't like being pushed to spend, dropping support for Windows 8.1 that early is an extremely aggressive tactic from Valve, it bodes badly for the future.

 

[Eximo]

Based on the article it seems like they don't have much choice if Chrome won't work on these older OS versions going forward.

Support for Windows 7 already ended, that Steam will still work through next year is pretty impressive. Windows 8 didn't reach very many computers before 8.1 took over, and most people should have updated to 8.1 when 8 support was ended all the way back in 2016. Windows 7 in 2020, and Windows 8.1 in Jan. 2023. Windows 10 is already 8 years old...

Also, if you are a Steam user, they aren't taking anything away, just have to buy a slightly more up to date computer. Which people regularly do.

 

[hotaru251]

I do wonder if someone will sue over this stuff.

Steam should have a way to dl games w/o using its chrome features.

Some ppl dont care about the overlay/social features/etc.

 

[Eximo]

A command line client, yes, this must become a thing.

 

[anonymousdude]

Based on the article it seems like they don't have much choice if Chrome won't work on these older OS versions going forward.

Support for Windows 7 already ended, that Steam will still work through next year is pretty impressive. Windows 8 didn't reach very many computers before 8.1 took over, and most people should have updated to 8.1 when 8 support was ended all the way back in 2016. Windows 7 in 2020, and Windows 8.1 in Jan. 2023. Windows 10 is already 8 years old...

Also, if you are a Steam user, they aren't taking anything away, just have to buy a slightly more up to date computer. Which people regularly do.

That's my understanding too. Unless Valve wants to rework the Steam so it doesn't use Chrome. Also you don't even have to buy a more up to date computer. Windows 10 activates with basically any windows key so if worse comes to worse you can just upgrade. Even if you don't activate it still works. You just have the watermark about windows not being genuine and you lose out on some personalization options.

 

[Sippincider]

macOS and OS X consisted of just 1.41% of systems running Steam

Ouch. With a user-share slice that thin, I'm surprised Steam sees a need to support Mac at all.

 

[ezst036]

macOS and OS X consisted of just 1.41% of systems running Steam

Ouch. With a user-share slice that thin, I'm surprised Steam sees a need to support Mac at all.

That number is nominally larger than the percentage that is often times seen for Linux users. However, supporting MacOS is probably a requirement seeing as how many people are switching to Macs these days.

https://gs.statcounter.com/os-market-share/desktop/worldwide/#monthly-200901-202303

Windows has been in a steady but surely decline since pre-2010 and now is less than 70%. Valve does have its own Linux OS, but Apple is the clear winner here.

 

[kal326]

A command line client, yes, this must become a thing.

Not sure if missing the /s but this is already a thing. At least on Linux for sure. Use it all the one for game server installs that install and update off Steam.

 

[Eximo]

Not sure if missing the /s but this is already a thing. At least on Linux for sure. Use it all the one for game server installs that install and update off Steam.

Not being sarcastic, but it doesn't seem like all games are supported. That is intended for hosting a game server on something like a headless computer or a server accessible only via terminal.