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Valve Says 67.74% of Steam Users Are Now on Windows 11
Winsage
May 4, 2026

Valve Says 67.74% of Steam Users Are Now on Windows 11

67.74% of Steam users have transitioned to Windows 11 as of April 2026, with a month-over-month increase of 0.89 points. Windows 10 holds 25.63% of the market share, creating a gap of over 40 percentage points between the two operating systems. Windows 11's adoption on Steam has grown from 41.95% in December 2023 to 70.83% in December 2025. A notable drop in Windows 11 usage occurred in February 2026, but the April statistics indicate a recovery. The shift to Windows 11 is influencing developer decisions regarding DirectX 12 and optimizations for the operating system.
Microsoft confirms April Windows updates cause backup failures
Winsage
May 4, 2026

Microsoft confirms April Windows updates cause backup failures

Microsoft has acknowledged that the April 2026 security updates have disrupted the functionality of various third-party backup applications using the psmounterex.sys driver, raising concerns among users. The issue primarily affects software leveraging the Volume Shadow Copy Service (VSS) snapshots, leading to failures due to VSS service timeouts. Notable impacted products include Macrium Reflect, Acronis Cyber Protect Cloud, UrBackup Server, and NinjaOne Backup, used on Windows 11, Windows Server, and Windows 10 devices. Disruptions can manifest as failures to mount backup image files, errors or timeouts when browsing or restoring from backup images, and error messages related to VSS timeouts. Microsoft updated its support documentation to clarify that the April updates included a security hardening change that added psmounterex.sys to the vulnerable driver blocklist to protect against a high-severity buffer overflow vulnerability (CVE-2023-43896). Affected users are advised to upgrade to newer application versions with updated drivers and not to uninstall or pause the security update. Users can check if the Microsoft Vulnerable Driver Blocklist is blocking a driver by looking for Event ID 3077 in the Code Integrity Operational log. Additionally, Microsoft has alerted users that some Windows Server 2025 devices may boot into BitLocker recovery mode after installing the KB5082063 update and has issued out-of-band updates to address installation failures and restart loops affecting Windows Server systems after the April 2026 updates.
Windows 11 Gamer Base Grows as Linux Slips in Steam Survey Data
Winsage
May 4, 2026

Windows 11 Gamer Base Grows as Linux Slips in Steam Survey Data

As of April, Windows 11 represents 67.74% of the Steam gaming community, reflecting a 0.89% increase from the previous month. Linux-based systems have decreased to 4.52%, down 0.81% since March. The overall share of Windows-based gaming PCs has climbed by 1.14%, totaling 93.47% in the gaming sector. Windows 11 is favored by gamers for its game compatibility and user-friendly interface, while efforts to enhance Linux support for major AAA titles face challenges due to the complexities of the Linux ecosystem. Companies like Valve are working on tools to run Windows-exclusive games on other platforms.
Google finally explains why AICore uses so much storage
AppWizard
May 4, 2026

Google finally explains why AICore uses so much storage

Google's AICore app enhances on-device AI capabilities for Android users, offering features like text summarization and proofreading. The app's significant storage usage is by design, as it temporarily retains both old and new versions of AI models during updates for reliability, which can lead to storage consumption of up to 11GB. This approach aims to prevent disruptions in functionality during updates. Once the new update is stable, the extra storage will be released automatically. Users are concerned about storage limitations, particularly on devices with 128GB base storage, and are advocating for a standardization of 256GB base storage for AI-enabled Android phones.
Valve breaks down the issues causing Steam Machine launch delay
AppWizard
May 4, 2026

Valve breaks down the issues causing Steam Machine launch delay

Valve's Steam Machine, a compact gaming PC running on SteamOS, was initially set for an early 2026 release but is facing delays due to supply chain challenges, particularly RAM and SSD shortages. Lawrence Yang, a UX designer at Valve, expressed disappointment over the situation, noting that these shortages are impacting all products that rely on those components. Despite the delays, there are rumors of a significant shipment of game consoles to Valve warehouses, suggesting a potential full launch of the Steam Machine this summer. The Steam Machine is one of three hardware launches Valve has planned for the year, alongside the Steam Controller and the Steam Frame VR headset.
Circle to Search update lets Google look beyond your screen content
AppWizard
May 4, 2026

Circle to Search update lets Google look beyond your screen content

In the Google app beta update (v17.18.24), the Circle to Search feature has been rebranded to "Ask about screen." This update enhances user experience by allowing searches to automatically include URLs, page content, and PDF data, providing richer context for AI-generated results. Users can now see a search box labeled “Ask about screen,” which emphasizes the ability to “Search with more context.” During testing, users have successfully uploaded URLs and PDFs while using this feature in apps like Google Chrome and Files by Google. The update is currently being rolled out to beta users, with potential incorporation into the stable version depending on feedback.
In the 33 months since Baldur's Gate 3 launched, it's hardly ever fallen out of the top 5 most-played games on Steam Deck
AppWizard
May 3, 2026

In the 33 months since Baldur’s Gate 3 launched, it’s hardly ever fallen out of the top 5 most-played games on Steam Deck

Baldur's Gate 3 has been a popular game on the Steam Deck for 33 months, only dropping out of the top five most-played games for four months. It has consistently remained in the top ten during its absences. The Steam Deck features a public leaderboard for most-played games, updated regularly. Despite hardware limitations, Baldur's Gate 3 offers a satisfactory gaming experience, particularly due to its turn-based mechanics. Historical data on its performance is sourced from Gaming on Linux, Steam Deck HQ, and Steam Deck Gaming.
ProxySQL Releases 3.0.6 And Advances AI Integration Roadmap
Tech Optimizer
May 3, 2026

ProxySQL Releases 3.0.6 And Advances AI Integration Roadmap

ProxySQL has released version 3.0.6, introducing a multi-tier strategy with three tiers: Stable, Innovative (3.1.x), and AI/MCP (4.0.x). Version 3.0.6 enhances PostgreSQL support, improves authentication mechanisms, updates Prometheus metrics, and refines macOS support. The Innovative tier features an embedded time-series database and a traffic observer. The AI/MCP tier explores native integrations for proxy-level Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) and autonomous database management.
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