Multiple Monitors - Hardware Survey

[Messer]

For game developers it's very nice to see the general summed monitor resolution of people who have multiple monitors, but how many gamers actually have multiple monitors? Am I missing something or should this be available in Steam's hardware surveys?

[nullable]

Maybe, and reviewing the hardware survey there is some ambiguity in the multi-monitor data. IE there's not more people running 2x1080p monitors than people running 1080p as their primary....

But the number of games that use two monitors is pretty low. Or games that require multi-monitors. I can see how the stats might be useful in adding multi monitor support... but at the same time you might also want to investigate how people are using their second monitor... it might be a non-issue.

[Messer]

You say "But the number of games that use two monitors is pretty low." and that is true, but if you have a game that you could spend 3-6 weeks on making multi-montitor support you might not do so if the player group that have multiple monitors is less than say 1%... and I was hoping that steam hardware survey could say that. To my understanding they have all the data required to composite that data.

Is the raw data available anywhere or can you contact steam directly in these matters (and if so, how)?

[wuddih]

it is way less than 1%.

https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey
this is the only data you will probably get to see.

you can not contact Steam, Steam is a product, not a company.
Valve, the actual company, might give out slightly more detailed numbers for a few limited things if you give them a proper reason to do so (e.g. you are a known journalist).

this being said ...

3840 x 1080 72.56%
3840 x 1081 0.90%
3840 x 1082 0.60%
3840 x 1083 0.62%
3840 x 1084 0.56%
3840 x 1085 0.48%
3840 x 1086 0.48%
3840 x 1087 0.52%
3840 x 1088 0.60%
3840 x 1089 0.58%

several changes in percentages show multiples of 0.02% + other indicators make it seem that one result might be 0.02%

so this might be just 5000 results. even when i am off by a few multiples of that with my assumption and it is like 10k, 20k, or even 50k ... Steam still has a billion+ users.

games that consider multi screen setups in a sensible manner are probably just serving a niche audience to begin with (e.g cockpit sims)

[Ulfrinn]

i have multiple monitors and i've never really seen any options in any of the games i have played so far that utilize both.. i think i would need to set up a virtual resolution that includes the width of all monitors.. plus a "buffer" to compensate for the bezels, and that may work.. but i use my second monitor for other stuff, like discord, and streaming information/chat

[Pocahawtness]

Nguyên văn bởi Messer:

For game developers it's very nice to see the general summed monitor resolution of people who have multiple monitors, but how many gamers actually have multiple monitors? Am I missing something or should this be available in Steam's hardware surveys?

But multi-monitors doesn't actually tell you whether people use more than one monitor to play the game. I think most people use multi-monitors just for the desktop space, and in-game they play on one monitor using the second to do other things at the same time, like display Steam Chat or Youtube Videos. I know when I used two monitors in mmo's the other was used for other stuff. It allows you to keep one eye on the game while you shop at Amazon, lol. I mean really these days there seems little point in using two monitors for the game itself since you can buy a single monitor the same width as two.

[Ulfrinn]

Nguyên văn bởi fauxtronic:

I don't think it really matters why people have multiple monitors. If a significant percentage of people have them (they don't) then it's something that developers can try to utilise. Developers have been making companion apps for tablets for years. Most of these apps are pointless and hardly anyone seems to use them anyway, but some games actually make very good use of them as a sort of second screen with additional usability features.

As someone with multiple monitors, who COULD play a game with three monitors, and like most other people with additional monitors, we didn't buy the extra screens for gaming purposes, but for productivity purposes. That is why my main screen is 165hz and my side screens are just 60s.

[Yasahi]

Nguyên văn bởi BurntByHellfire:

As someone with multiple monitors, who COULD play a game with three monitors, and like most other people with additional monitors, we didn't buy the extra screens for gaming purposes, but for productivity purposes. That is why my main screen is 165hz and my side screens are just 60s.

This sums it up pretty much. I have Twitch running most of the time on the other monitor so that I can watch something while waiting in lobby/loading etc. while playing.

When not gaming, they're used for more productive things.

[eram]

21:9 and 5:4 here :D

[kiwikev]

Steams HW survey does have its flaws, especially in the monitor screen size info.

My 22" LG W2243T 1080P shows as a 32" in steam instead with no way of correcting it (i reported the bug but they still havn't fixed it 1-2 yrs later.

[Darren]

I'm not sure how usable the number of people with multiple monitors actually is.

For example I'm a laptop user, and for certain tasks I've got a desktop monitor hooked up to my laptop. But my setup is in no way typical for stretching a single image across both screens (they aren't setup side by side, and aren't anywhere close to the same physical size because that's not how I'm using them).

As a result unless the game has some entirely separate display (say a strategic view on one monitor and a tactical view on another) my second monitor would be entirely unusable. Now I can definitely imagine there are game where having 2-3 displays could actually add value to the game.

[Ulfrinn]

Nguyên văn bởi Darren:

I'm not sure how usable the number of people with multiple monitors actually is.

For example I'm a laptop user, and for certain tasks I've got a desktop monitor hooked up to my laptop. But my setup is in no way typical for stretching a single image across both screens (they aren't setup side by side, and aren't anywhere close to the same physical size because that's not how I'm using them).

As a result unless the game has some entirely separate display (say a strategic view on one monitor and a tactical view on another) my second monitor would be entirely unusable. Now I can definitely imagine there are game where having 2-3 displays could actually add value to the game.

This is true for people with two monitors though. If you have two monitors, you can't split the image up unless you want the center to be on one monitor, and only half half periphery on the other, because you certainly don't want the gap between the two screens to be the center, and the most important part of your viewport getting split up and separated. So multiple monitors only seems to work for gaming if you have three of them.

[nullable]

Nguyên văn bởi BurntByHellfire:

This is true for people with two monitors though. If you have two monitors, you can't split the image up unless you want the center to be on one monitor, and only half half periphery on the other, because you certainly don't want the gap between the two screens to be the center, and the most important part of your viewport getting split up and separated. So multiple monitors only seems to work for gaming if you have three of them.

Well you're making some assumptions about all games. It doesn't have to be multi-screen FPS, driving, flight sim games. In fact I'm sure I played X3:Reunion and the main monitor would display the cockpit and normal game stuff, cockpit, flight etc), and you could use a second monitor for menu management and additional information.

Also you might remember the Nintendo 3DS has two screens and there's all sorts of ways you can use a second screen in games.

The second monitor would be secondary in that way, and not used for the primary game field. You could say always have a map oen on a secondary screen. Or you could run management screens (like X3). I mean there's lots of creative ways you could use a second screen if you knew it was widely available for use.

[GuRu Asaki]

In my Experience with Multiple Monitors over the Years...

Having any more then 2 Monitors, is practically an eyesore,
right now there is no Simple way to connect more then 2 Monitors
on the Computer...

& having 2 Monitors is a Terrible Setup, because you have
to deal with that Split in the Center of your screen all the time,
& it's a real bothersome to deal with...

Unless you can figure out the whole Multi-Monitor problematic
crap that falls onto PC's right now, i'd stay away from Multi-Monitors
as your more likely to waste money over it in the End result...


After so many Years, & having recently 3 Attempts at Failing
to get 3 Monitors working on my PC...

I finally said screw it, & hooked my 3rd Monitor up through USB,
& it finally works, but not in the way that I would like...


The Problem is: For 3 or more Monitors hooked up, you
need specifically an Active Cord to hook the 3 + Monitors
to your GPU, but as I have struggled to find, I could
not actually determine what Cords were actually Active
Cords, because a bunch of them don't say what type they
were, & the ones I found Online that did, I could not trust
the Products for when they had Arrived at my house...

Where as USB Cords will easily Hook up to the 3 +
monitors, but because their not Connected to the GPU,
you become now face with a New issue, where you can
still stretch the screen across all 3 Monitors, but get
absolutely no GPU Enhancements for the 3rd Monitor,
& some Games through Windowed Setting, will be
locked to the first 2 Monitors anyways, so it's just a
problematic Mess at the End...



If you know how Multple Monitors work, & know
what your looking for, & what your doing, then
I think they are Great, I would love to have a
Setup like that for myself...

But if you don't, i'd suggest staying away from
the idea all together, you'll save yourself the
head ache, & the Frustration, & the money...

[nullable]

Nguyên văn bởi ;3047182953360624932:

In my Experience with Multiple Monitors over the Years...

Having any more then 2 Monitors, is practically an eyesore,
right now there is no Simple way to connect more then 2 Monitors
on the Computer...

& having 2 Monitors is a Terrible Setup, because you have
to deal with that Split in the Center of your screen all the time,
& it's a real bothersome to deal with...

Unless you can figure out the whole Multi-Monitor problematic
crap that falls onto PC's right now, i'd stay away from Multi-Monitors
as your more likely to waste money over it in the End result...


After so many Years, & having recently 3 Attempts at Failing
to get 3 Monitors working on my PC...

I finally said screw it, & hooked my 3rd Monitor up through USB,
& it finally works, but not in the way that I would like...

That's quite a story. And nothing against you but it sounds like one part limited experience, one part limited technical ability, and one part trying to convince yourself multi-monitors have a lot of downsides so you not getting it sorted out doesn't hurt so bad. Plenty of people use them without an issue, your problems might just be your own. And your opinions, you're free to have them, they may not project onto a majority.

[[RS] WhiteHorse]

I always found it ridiculous people saying only 5% of steam players have multiple screens.
https://store.steampowered.com/hwsurvey/Steam-Hardware-Software-Survey-Welcome-to-Steam

More than 75% of us have dual screen full hds in landscape. And that is leaving out the rest of us that have dual/triple with a different amount of total resolution/layout

And before anyone tells me this is 73% of only the players with multiple screens... I point you to the vr headset statistic. It gives % vs total players.

Dual screen support is something I've been wanting in mmorpg and other styles of games since before 2010.
1 screen rendering 3D uncluttered game world, 1 screen dedicated for 2D rendering of information (statistics, activity logs, multiple chats, inventory, quest info, map) with little impact to performance.

It really shocks me why this is still not a thing in 2020. Multiple screens is nothing new :
- At home I used dual screen since 2003 and triple screen since 2015.
- At work dual screen since 2004 and triple screen since 2018.
- Nintendo provided dual screen games with both portable and home systems already years ago. It works and is nicer!