GGInsights offers free monthly dumps of scraped Steam data, including game details, pricing, reviews, and tags. This data is available in various formats like CSV, JSON, and Parquet, designed for easy analysis and use in personal projects, market research, or academic studies. The project aims to provide accessible and up-to-date Steam information to a broad audience.
Despite Windows 10's approaching end-of-life in October 2025, nearly half of Steam users are still using the operating system, according to the latest Steam Hardware Survey. While Windows 11 adoption is slowly growing, it still sits significantly behind Windows 10, leaving a large portion of PC gamers potentially facing security risks and a lack of support in the near future.
Hacker News users discussed the implications of nearly half of Steam users still running Windows 10, despite its approaching end-of-life. Some questioned the statistic's accuracy, suggesting the data might include Windows Server instances or older, unsupported Windows builds lumped in with Windows 10. Others pointed out the apathy many users feel towards upgrading, especially gamers who prioritize stable systems over new features. Several commenters mentioned the potential security risks of staying on an unsupported OS, while others downplayed this, arguing that games often run in sandboxed environments. The cost of upgrading, both in terms of hardware and software, was also a recurring theme, with some suggesting Microsoft's aggressive upgrade tactics in the past have led to distrust and reluctance to upgrade. Finally, some users speculated that many "Windows 10" users might actually be running Windows 11 but misreported due to Steam's detection methods.
The Steam Brick is a conceptual handheld gaming PC designed for minimalism. It features only a power button and a USB-C port, relying entirely on external displays and controllers. The idea is to offer a compact and portable PC capable of running Steam games, shifting the focus to user-chosen peripherals rather than built-in components. This approach aims to reduce e-waste by allowing users to upgrade or replace their peripherals independently of the core computing unit.
HN commenters generally found the Steam Brick an interesting, albeit impractical, project. Several discussed the potential utility of a dedicated Steam streaming device, particularly for travel or as a low-power alternative to a full PC. Some questioned the choice of using a Raspberry Pi Compute Module 4, suggesting a Rockchip RK3588 based device would be more powerful and efficient for video decoding. Others highlighted the project's complexity, especially regarding driver support, and contrasted it with commercially available options like the Steam Deck. A few appreciated the minimalist aesthetic and the focus on a single, dedicated function. There was also some discussion of alternative software options, such as using a pre-built Steam Link OS image or exploring GameStream from Nvidia. A significant point of discussion revolved around the lack of a hardware reset button, with many suggesting it as a crucial addition for a headless device.
Summary of Comments ( 36 )
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43158425
HN users generally praised the project for its transparency, usefulness, and the public accessibility of the data. Several commenters suggested potential applications for the data, including market analysis, game recommendation systems, and tracking the rise and fall of game popularity. Some offered constructive criticism, suggesting the inclusion of additional data points like regional pricing or historical player counts. One commenter pointed out a minor discrepancy in the reported total number of games. A few users expressed interest in using the data for personal projects. The overall sentiment was positive, with many thanking the creator for sharing their work.
The Hacker News post "Show HN: I scrape Steam data every month and it's yours to download for free" generated a fair number of comments, mostly focusing on the legality and ethics of scraping, the potential usefulness of the data, and suggestions for the project.
Several commenters raised concerns about the legality of scraping Steam data, particularly given Steam's terms of service. They pointed out the potential for Steam to take action against the scraping activity or even against users of the data. One commenter suggested checking the robots.txt and respecting rate limits to mitigate some of these risks. Another pointed out the potential legal grey area, noting that court cases regarding scraping have had mixed outcomes.
The usefulness of the provided data was also a topic of discussion. Some users questioned the value of monthly snapshots, suggesting that more frequent updates would be more beneficial for certain types of analysis, such as tracking game popularity or pricing changes. Others suggested potential use cases, such as identifying trending games or analyzing the effectiveness of marketing strategies. One commenter even proposed integrating the data with existing game discovery tools.
Many commenters offered constructive feedback and suggestions for the project. These included:
A few comments expressed appreciation for the project and the free availability of the data, while others questioned the motivation behind the project and the long-term sustainability of providing the data for free. Overall, the discussion highlighted the complex issues surrounding web scraping, the diverse potential applications of readily available data, and the importance of community feedback in shaping data-driven projects.