Each month, Valve releases the results of its hardware survey, and the outcomes are normally predictable, particularly in the case of what graphics playing cards most individuals are utilizing. Most months, an Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 – or an equal XX60 class card from one other technology – is on prime. And whereas the RTX 4060 is technically the highest GPU on Steam proper now, this time it is the cell model.
Since December 2024, the RTX 4060 for gaming laptops has grown from 4.19% of Steam’s userbase to 4.99% of it. That looks like a minor change, however in the identical timeframe the RTX 3060, which has been the the preferred graphics card for some time shrunk from 5.01% to 4.72%, permitting the cell GPU to take the lead. That is the primary time in my reminiscence {that a} cell graphics card was on the prime of the listing.
Why Gaming Laptops? Why Now?
It is no secret that graphics playing cards are getting dearer. Even the RTX 4060 is leagues dearer than its equal was within the pre-RTX days. And whereas gaming laptops actually aren’t low-cost, if you take the marked-up costs retailers connect to GPUs into consideration, it really begins to make sense to simply seize a gaming laptop computer and name it a day, particularly should you want greater than simply a graphics card.
The Nvidia GeForce RTX 4060 for laptops is not probably the most highly effective GPU on the earth, both, however it’s nonetheless sufficient to play most video games at 1080p with out a lot of a wrestle, moreso should you disable niceties like ray tracing and allow DLSS. It isn’t stunning that is sufficient for lots of people, particularly as we begin to take care of the prospect of the whole lot getting dearer.
That is in all probability additionally a consider why the one current-generation GPU that makes it into Valve’s report is the RTX 5070 Ti, and that is coming in with simply 0.27% of the playerbase. That places it behind the GTX 1030, an inexpensive graphics card that launched 8 years in the past, and it was dangerous again then.
I have been listening to gaming laptop computer producers inform me for years that gaming laptops are the long run or no matter, however now {that a} laptop computer GPU is sitting securely on the prime of the Steam {Hardware} Survey, I am really beginning to imagine it. In spite of everything, when the whole lot prices an arm and a leg, it begins getting actually onerous to justify dropping $1,000 on a graphics card, even when it comes with Multi-Body Technology, or no matter Nvidia’s subsequent huge factor will likely be with the RTX 6080.
The Way forward for PC Gaming
The magic of PC gaming is that it is versatile. Whereas taking part in video games on PS5 requires you to have one particular piece of {hardware}, you possibly can principally configure a PC nonetheless your coronary heart (or price range) requires. There are video games on the market like Murderer’s Creed Shadows that may deliver the RTX 5090 to its knees, however that is not why PC gaming is superior. As a substitute, the indie video games that spring up out of nowhere are the place the true magic occurs, and you do not want super-expensive {hardware} to faucet into that.
I do not suppose high-end gaming PCs are going wherever, however this {hardware} survey makes it fairly clear that the area of interest is shrinking a bit bit. As a substitute, mid-range gaming laptops and handheld gaming PCs are beginning to seem like the way in which many individuals will have interaction with PC video games going ahead.
Over the following yr or so, as RTX 5000 laptops develop into extra frequent and the AMD Z2 Excessive powers up next-gen gaming handhelds, it should be fascinating to see if desktop graphics proceed to shrink, or if this was only a transient hiccup. Solely time will inform.
Jackie Thomas is the {Hardware} and Shopping for Guides Editor at IGN and the PC elements queen. You’ll be able to comply with her @Jackiecobra