Account - Settings - Giveaways
https://www.steamgifts.com/account/settings/giveaways
I would suggest adding operating system-based filtering for giveaways on SteamGifts (Windows, Mac, Linux, SteamOS) to ensure users view games they are capable of running.
Problem:
🤔…？Did you check here?
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Yes, I have. The current setting only allows filtering by a single primary OS, which doesn't address the use case of owning multiple devices.
I use several devices with different operating systems and performance capabilities. Not every game is suitable for every device—even if it's technically compatible. For example:
A lightweight indie game might run great on my Steam Deck (SteamOS)
A demanding AAA title would need my Windows gaming PC
Some strategy games work better on my macOS laptopWhat I'm proposing is OS visibility on each giveaway, not a blanket filter. This would let users make informed decisions per giveaway based on which device they intend to use, rather than being forced to choose one OS for their entire feed.
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I would NOT recommend that setting for anybody ... it is bugged 8 years ago and I don't think it has been fixed.
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But how many people actually have this kind of issue? While overall of course a filter would be a cool feature for those few who have this issue, ultimately I think that is for a strong minority. I for one check the games I enter on steam anyway, so I easily see if it would be good for steamdeck or for PC. And how many people really will look specificaly for something for mac? And I dont think that its even worthwhile to count how few play only on mac.
So ultimately this is such an edge case, I dont even think anyone should spend time on implementing (or fixing) such a feature.
PS.
About "benefits":
Less wasted rolls and rerolls
Fewer moderation messages, comments, and clutter
Less rerolls by what? by 1 or 2 every 2 months? Same for moderation - I would love to see actual moderator opinion here - I strongly feel this is such a little issue that actually fixing it would make extrimely low impact on reroll and moderation issues. This is not to critizie the idea - just my two cents that these "benefits" really do not help getting your point across. This is just reaching.
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With respect, your response is a masterclass in mistaking personal habit for universal behaviour.
Let's dismantle this: You check Steam manually before entering giveaways. Congratulations, you've identified the workaround that proves the problem exists. The moment a user must leave the site to verify basic compatibility, you've already failed at UX design. SteamGifts has this data via Steam's API. Forcing thousands of users to individually hunt for information that could be displayed at-a-glance isn't efficiency; it's institutionalized laziness disguised as diligence.
The "strong minority" claim collapses with minimal scrutiny. Steam Deck alone has sold millions of units, every single owner toggles between SteamOS and potentially other devices. Mac gaming revenue hit $2B+ last year. The Steam Hardware Survey shows Linux is the fastest-growing segment. These aren't edge cases; they're markets you're deliberately ignoring because you don't belong to them.
Your "1-2 rerolls every 2 months" figure is pure imagination, yet you demand moderator data while providing none yourself. Meanwhile, every reroll creates multiple notifications (creator, winner, mod), clutters threads with "I can't run this" comments, and burns goodwill. Multiply that by thousands of invisible users who quietly abandon the site rather than complain, and you're not measuring "impact" you're measuring only what you can see from your single-OS tower.
The most revealing line: "I don't think it's even worthwhile to count how few play only on Mac." That's not pragmatism; it's admission that you'd rather make policy by gut feeling than by data for users you deem unimportant.
PS: Features that scale for minorities tend to improve experiences for majorities. It's called inclusive design. You should look it up, manually, since that seems to be your preference.
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With respect, your response is a masterclass in mistaking personal habit for universal behaviour.
Right back at you. You are talking about a personal issue and saying that its a universal problem. Ok - can you prove it? How many people really have the deck, PC and mac and choose games based on which platform to play them on? If there really are that many - I have nothing against such a feature. As I see it now - you are doing exactly what you are accusing me of. Scaling your own personal issue to something global.
I dont check the steam because I have this issue. I check the game because I want to see if I would like to play it. So while at it, I check if its verified with the deck. Sure - as I said, that would be cool to see something like this directly on SG. My only concern and question here is - is it really that widespread issue? I get the games not based on which platform it works best on, but whether I like it. I will then decide whether to play it on PC, laptop or steamdeck depending on other factors.
Also strong minority - you are once again projecting universal behavior to one small site. Of course the deck has sold well and there are a lot of linux gamers. So - how many scale to SG? You are assuming the proportions are same for SG users. But is it? How does gaming revenue on Mac even remotely connect with people winning games here on SG? Dont just throw numbers around.
Also thinking that there are many rerolls due to this is pure imagination on your part. I actually ask for input from moderation. Yet you just claim it out of thin air.
Inclusive design is useless if it eats up resources and overburdens already tired staff fixing non existant issues. This is not a paid site and moderated by freelancers.
No need to be overly edgy, all I am saying is - prove it. Why didnt you make a poll asking how many people actually have this issue? Why dont you ask for input from staff if they actually have issue with this? You outright claim that this will reduce rerolls and moderating. No proof here.
As I said - for all I care, go ahaed - make the feature. Reach out to cg, offer your work hours to implement and moderate this feature. If I am in minority here - all fine and well. Sometimes its important to understand if a feature is actually going to help majority or its going to be a burden on resources just because you claim inclusive design, which is just useless buzzword.
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You've moved from 'this is a tiny minority' to 'prove the exact size of this minority on SG specifically', which is the essence of the Motte-and-bailey argument. First, you stated that the problem does not actually exist; later, when evidence showed that it does exist, you are now asking for a level of detail that only the SG staff can provide. This isn't a case of intellectual rigour; that's what intellectuals look like. This is what obstructionism looks like, dressed up as empiricism.
Your "I check Steam for game quality" admission is the smoking gun. You're already doing manual OS checks as part of what you do, so the cost is ubiquitous-you're just desensitized to it. The difference is that you find that cost acceptable, while users with multiple devices properly recognize that as duplicate work that should be automated. When a user leaves a platform to answer a simple question about compatibility, that's not a feature request—it's a bug report.
The "resource burden" rationale is mere conjecture masquerading as factual assertion. You have no visibility into SG's architecture and backlog but somehow know that the above would place an "overburden" on volunteers. Most of the UI enhancements are just simple API requests to already existing interfaces on Steam. You have opted to ignore the entire process and now believe that the tenets of inclusive design are "pointless" if they are hard to implement.
Here's what bothers me: you pose this as if it's serving a minority, but it serves everybody. Windows users, for example, gain clarity on Deck verification, SteamOS users gain Mac compatibility information, and so forth. Universal design benefits everybody by reducing ambiguity. This is what you can't see because you have defined "help" as "only things that help me, right now, in ways I immediately recognize."
Finally, to be asked to polling before recognizing the issue in UX is ridiculous. Should we have polled people before adding features like the search buttons, wishlist tab, or any improvement in UX? Platform integrity doesn’t have to go through a popularity contest. The notion that you have to have quantitative validation for the "worthiness" of Mac/Linux/Gaming Deck users speaks volumes about assumptions rather than user need.
If you believe that SG’s user base for Mac, Linux, or Deck is negligible, then disprove it. Otherwise, your entire argument is based upon discomfort with features that you would never use, your definition of bias, rather than any actual analysis.
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I did not state the problem did not exist. Both times I simply asked you if it really is that widespread.
You did not prove anything in either of your comments.
I AM NOT AGAINST THE FILTER. My sole question - is it worth it? IF it is, nothing against it. The key word here - I THINK it is not widespread. I have not experienced it and I feel its the same for others.
You are just now constantly assuming something out of what I said, getting worked up from it and constantly moving away from what I asked. You are pretty much doing the same thing - assuming the issue and scale of it.
as hbarkas said - cg is in hibarnation and such a feature wouldnt be implemented most likely anyway. As zpangwin said - linux runs most of games anyway. I mean every feature provides some kind of quality of life. At no point I was arguing against that.
Lets say - I like achievements. Everyone uses them and most of the players in some way follow that. Ok - I would like to see it showed in SG. It will help everyone - everyone will be able to check if the game has achievements right here. Of course it will help everyone, but is it needed as an extra thing? I dont think it is. Thats about it. If cg or someone else would be actively working on the website, I would have nothing against fully fledged filtering system. Dont project that I am in some way against it.
I have no interest in refuting your claims. I am still quite sure people come here to win games irrigardless of the system it runs on. Thats my point. So while of course seeing tags or filters for system it works on would be useful for everybody, your reaosning for it is IMO completely useless use case.
I dont have any discomfort with any of the features or argument against them. A simple question - are you sure so many people run into this issue. Thats it. Instead of asking me to disprove it, prove it first. Read the room - no one is actively updating the site, even if its simple API request.
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You're not "just asking questions." You are engaging in the concern-trolling ritual. Your initial response was dismissive in every way: "strong minority," "edge case," and "I don't think it's worthwhile." Those aren't inquiries. These conclusions are disguised by question marks. You back down and say, "I'm just curious about scale," in the hopes that no one will notice that you've already determined the scale is unimportant.
It is astounding how hypocritical this is. Your entire argument is based on "I have not experienced it and I feel it's the same for others." That is not data, but you insist that I provide proof of the precise number of SG users impacted. That is subjectivity wrapped in projection. You only need to look at Steam's own hardware survey, gaming market trends, and common sense to determine that multi-device ownership exists. However, since "I feel" seems to be enough proof when it's your feeling, you won't.
Citing Zpangwin's Linux comment and CG's lack of activity is just diversion. Current development bandwidth has no bearing on an idea's viability. We talk about enhancements to determine what would improve the site, not to plan its implementation. According to your reasoning, the entire suggestion forum ought to be closed since "cg is in hibernation." You are clinging to any excuse to uphold your initial dismissal, as evidenced by the fact that you bring this up now that your other arguments have failed.
It is intellectually dishonest of you to compare your accomplishments. One functional barrier that determines whether software runs at all is OS compatibility. Accomplishments are aesthetic metadata. It would be equivalent to saying, "We should not label allergens because some people also care about calorie counts." While one adds trivia, the other avoids waste and frustration. This is precisely the type of false equivalency that prevents constructive dialogue.
"Read the room" reveals a lot. Discourse is not what you want. You're looking for conformity. Your own echo is the room you are reading. The fact that a number of people have commented on this thread—including those who recognize its value, indicates that the room is bigger than what you personally experienced. However, you reject them since they don't support your prior beliefs.
You claim to have "nothing against" the feature, but you've spent several paragraphs erecting obstacles: it's a minority issue, it doesn't require resources, it's unproven, the site is already dead, I'm just curious. Neutrality is not that. That's opposition disguised as civility.
You could have started off by saying something like this: "I haven't personally encountered this, but I can see how it might benefit some users." To be honest, it might be a low priority given the limitations of development. Rather, you decided to present a legitimate UX enhancement as a pointless burden, insisted on impossible proof while providing no evidence of your own, and now pretend to be the reasonable one merely posing harmless queries.
It is not my responsibility to demonstrate the existence of multi-device gamers. They do. It is your responsibility to explain why a feature that makes things clearer for everyone, lowers friction, and is consistent with Steam's own data should be rejected just because you don't think it's necessary.
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Sure thing buddy, I am a troll here.
I am partly sure you use AI for your philosophical rants anyway.
As I said - I am not here to refute your arguments. Its obvious you are impossible to talk with. So you can take your ego and go and hallucinate somewhere else. Half of the bullshit you wrote out I never said. You take a sentence and totally disconstruct it in a way it shines bad light on what I said so you can try to sound smarter in the argument.
Just so we are clear and no one misunderstands your useless rant - No, I dont think this is as big of an issue as you make it out to be. You base it on unproven benefits which I called out, yet you try to make it out as I described the site as dead and that I write the idea off from my own personal experience. Which is not the case and if you somehow interpreted is as that - you need to check your comprehension skills.
So good luck with whatever, try to use less AI in your arguments. No one likes a smart ass who twists words and throws assumptions around.
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You lost the opportunity to diagnose ego and speculate about AI. People act in this way when they are unable to defend their stance.
The exact phrases you used are retained: "strong minority," "edge case," "I don't think it's worthwhile," and "inclusive design is just a useless buzzword." They were written by you. Take possession of them.
If it helps you sleep better, run my comments through any AI checker. I truly don't care what you think of me, and I wasn't trying to win your approval. I am concerned about the intellectual dishonesty of insisting on unattainable proof while merely expressing subjective opinions and then turning to insults when confronted.
That isn't just trolling. You've lost the plot...
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I did not lose any opportunity. This is a forum and I came to talk. And my phrases in no way contradict what I said. I stand by what I said - I think this issue is faced only by strong minorty, the need to check whether a game will be most applicable to mac, linux or windows definitely is an edge case, and I do think that it is not worthwhile to spend time on implementing even an API request to do this. I am not writing off the feature as useless and you are free to consider it needed. Sure, seeing OS is beneficial, but for arguments sake I am not sure so many people are faced with this issue.
Just for fun I did run it through AI checker. Results I got were - 70% AI text and a strong AI rephrasing. Also - who rephrases achievements to "accomplishments". Sorry, but that whole sentence is conpletely out of context and rephrased not making any sense. Do you write in another language and use translator or something?
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You did not come to talk; you came to shut down the conversation by shooting down improvement suggestions, casting doubt, and asking for internal information only SG knows. You show you fundamentally do not comprehend the suggestion, as I did not suggest that the most compatible OS would be shown, but that you would be able to sort for compatibility in the same section that you can sort for recommended and wishlist, or potentially inside those sections. Just because most people will not need a feature is a completely bogus argument, because most features are not needed by most people, but most people need some feature that is not needed by the majority.
Just for fun, I ran your responses through Originality.ai, and your responses had an average of 50 % AI-written text. Also, who uses em dashes? Only AI does that.
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Avoiding the substance of the disagreement here but chiming in because I'm a pedant...
You know AI checkers generate hallucinations just like raw text generated by LLM's, right? And that some people actually learned to write with em dashes—LLM's learned to use them from somewhere, after all. To you and everyone else reading this, please don't trust any generative AI for anything substantial. They're fun and useful, but not the ultimate solution to life, the universe, and everything.
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Not trying to put down the idea or anything. But I do question how useful this would actually be for Linux users unless explicitly looking for native games bc
Also, might be worth checking out ESGST. I know for sure ESGST can display the os compatibility for each giveaway
(Under Account > ESGST settings > section "7. Games" > there are options to display win/linux/mac compatibility for each GA). I'm not 100% sure on the filtering of GA's based on os...I think it can be done but I just got everything setup how I like it again after messing up my settings... So I'll leave that for you to test / someone else to confirm lol. Edit: I looked in the filter section and I think the os stuff is reported by ESGST as "genres" so you could probably filter genre=mac or something. Maybe?
If cg did implement on the site itself, I guess maybe you would get first party filtering... But tbh, I would much rather have the ability to hide VR-only games than to be able to filter to only things that are technically supposed to work on my OS (e.g.without proton/wine)... especially since a few native builds actually work a lot worse than just running the windows version under proton.
And AFAIK there aren't any steam games that don't work on Windows (aside from buggy garbage that doesn't work anywhere). So probably the real question would be how useful is this for Mac? Or maybe I am not seeing some other use-cases?
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This is gonna sound pedantic but I simply can't leave this go unaddressed, Steam OS is just yet another Linux distro, aka a flavor. So having it as a separate category is pretty much pointless since the games overlap is 100%, if it was a Venn diagram it would be a circle.
Also as zpangwin already pointed the Windows games that run fine on Linux thanks to Wine/Proton is a long list that keeps growing, so this would be mainly a benefit for Mac users only at this point.
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Well I personally learned something so no matter what op thinks, thanks you Axelflox :)
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I would suggest adding operating system-based filtering for giveaways on SteamGifts (Windows, Mac, Linux, SteamOS) to ensure users view games they are capable of running.
Problem:
They may be entered or created by people who lack OS compatibility, resulting in wasted points, trophies, comments, rerolls, and an exclusionary experience, particularly when it comes to Linux, macOS, or SteamOS (Steam Deck).
Proposed Solution
In
Icons/Tags to display supported OS accordingly on giveaway tiles and pages
Include OS filters in giveaway listings and searches (e.g. “Show games playable on: Windows / macOS / Linux / SteamOS”)
Data about compatibility with the store platforms (Steam)
Benefits
Increased discovery of playable games
Less wasted rolls and rerolls
Fewer moderation messages, comments, and clutter
Improved experience and support for non-Windows users
More general satisfaction of new entrants and producers
Proposed MVP
Add platform tags (Windows, macOS, Linux, SteamOS) Use OS icons for giveaways Simple filter: “Show only games compatible with my OS” At present, this task requires interaction with three different interfaces. Interacting with three interfaces increases the complexity of work.
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