Windows 8 outpacing all Mac OS variants in Steam usage

Windows 8 is outpacing all variants of the current Mac OS by nearly three percent more usage on Steam, according to the November Steam hardware and software survey.

Windows 8 is the fourth most-used system for Steam, with a combined 4.69 percent of 32-bit and 64-bit version users, more than Mac OS versions 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8 combined. The software's popularity has increased by 2.66 percent since October.

Its previous incarnation Windows 7 shows a 0.74 percent drop for the 64-bit version and 0.11 percent drop for its 32-bit version, though it continues to sit at the head of the pack with a total of 72.56 percent running the software.

Steam's hardware and software surveys are opt-in, so the above numbers reflect volunteered responses and not complete totals. In addition, many titles in Steam's library are not compatible with Mac systems, with 328 games currently available.

Earlier this year, Valve's own Gabe Newell called Windows 8 "a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space," stating that it will push "some of the top tier PC / OEMs" out of the market.