Gearbox: Steam and Microsoft Should "Play Nice"

[Linkassassin360]

Darn. when I clicked on this I was hopeing to see Microsoft using steam prices for LIVE. They always rip you off on LIVE...
Anyways, I dont quite get why anybody who owns a copy of a game for any system cant play with each other unless they are vastly different (Like COD4 on Xbox360 and PS3, to COD4 on Wii)
It just doesnt make sense to segregate the networks like that when its all the same game. :/
Guess its all about the money... AGAIN....

 

[Mcface]

At the recent London Games Festival, Gearbox's Steve Gibson said: "[We] want people to be able to play together and right now if a guy buys a game on Games for Windows and a guy buys a game on Steam - they can't play together."

"If another guy bought it in a retail store, he can't play with the first two guys," he added.

Um... How true is this, exactly?

Not true at all I think. Unless the game uses Steamworks, and if it does you can only play the game using Steam so...

Sometimes games bought through steam play on steam dedicated servers. you have to run the exe. in the steam folder to not run the game through steam. Me and a friend had this problem when he bought borderlands retail and I had the steam version.

 

[vivalahelvig]

I have GFWL on games i bought on steam! it is uncanny!

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

With the inclusion of steam on the PS3 allow PS3 owners to play cross platform with those on OSX/Windows? I am pretty sure it doesn't...

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101384-E3-2010-Valve-Goes-PS3-With-Portal-2

Also, Steam is coming to the PlayStation Network, with cross-platform chat.

If chat's there...it sort of implies cross-platform gaming is also on the cards. Especially as Mac/PC is available and PC/XBox would be available if MS would allow it.

 

[Deviltongue]

Gearbox became the official heroes of the gaming industry when they finished Duke Nukem. Now fucking listen to them.

 

[JediMB]

Wait a second, didn't Gearbox's Borderlands multiplayer require Gamespy and was a complete kick in the penis to set up on the PC? Practise what you preach and all that.

It didn't as much require Gamespy as it required a Gamespy account. Which is the same thing as an IGN account, and probably a few others. Regardless, the process was a smooth one.

 

[UnravThreads]

Well, that was a derpy comment.

As others have noted, very few games have distributor-only "circles", and those that do tend to require a particular piece of software such as Steam. Steam and GfWL (As examples) also work together well, although one could argue that neither is necessary - GfWL arguably less so.

I've had more issues with GameSpy than I have both GfWL and Steam combined, mind you.

 

[SimuLord]

I would rather Games for Windows just went away & died. Steam ftw.

My. Thoughts. Exactly. Steam (especially with games that are Steamworks-aware) kicks the ass of anything MS has ever come up with for GFWL. I get it, MS knows its way around the console online sphere, but Valve's service is just better.

 

[Ziel]

Hasn't the whole PC/Console crossover thing been tried already? I seem to remember something about Quake 3, and controller-users getting butchered.

 

[Amnestic]

Wait a second, didn't Gearbox's Borderlands multiplayer require Gamespy and was a complete kick in the penis to set up on the PC? Practise what you preach and all that.

It didn't as much require Gamespy as it required a Gamespy account. Which is the same thing as an IGN account, and probably a few others. Regardless, the process was a smooth one.

Huh, well if you say so. I had heard it was a bit of an arse to set up, and Shamus Young's commentary [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/stolen-pixels/6725-Stolen-Pixels-139-BorderLAN] on it didn't exactly paint it in a good light.

 

[JediMB]

Wait a second, didn't Gearbox's Borderlands multiplayer require Gamespy and was a complete kick in the penis to set up on the PC? Practise what you preach and all that.

It didn't as much require Gamespy as it required a Gamespy account. Which is the same thing as an IGN account, and probably a few others. Regardless, the process was a smooth one.

Huh, well if you say so. I had heard it was a bit of an arse to set up, and Shamus Young's commentary [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/articles/view/comics/stolen-pixels/6725-Stolen-Pixels-139-BorderLAN] on it didn't exactly paint it in a good light.

Wouldn't make a very funny webcomic if the issue wasn't exaggerated greatly.

I just signed in with my IGN account, waited for my brother to register one, and then added him to my friend list and started up a game.

 

[tk1989]

With the inclusion of steam on the PS3 allow PS3 owners to play cross platform with those on OSX/Windows? I am pretty sure it doesn't...

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101384-E3-2010-Valve-Goes-PS3-With-Portal-2

Also, Steam is coming to the PlayStation Network, with cross-platform chat.

If chat's there...it sort of implies cross-platform gaming is also on the cards. Especially as Mac/PC is available and PC/XBox would be available if MS would allow it.

Now see, cross platform chat 'implies' that cross platform gaming is there, but it doesnt confirm it. I havent read anywhere else that cross platform gaming is coming. In fact, i havent read anywhere else that cross platform chat is coming either; all i have heard is that with the inclusion of steamworks PS3 owners will benefit from auto-updating, exclusive DLC and community features (i dont know what that means, access to forums/social steam profiles? Or maybe an improved friends system or something.)

 

[thiosk]

I hope they don't play nice. I hate GFWL, and hope that as the majority of folks start moving towards digital distribution, GFWL starts to fall by the wayside. Incompatibility with steam would be a great pushing point to expedite its decay.

Also, as the conversation seems to be shifting towards true cross platform gaming-- THAT scares me. See Shamus young's commentary on why Xbox live sucks-- hint-- its because we don't control the servers, so all the despicable morons can propagate unfettered.

 

[Disembodied_Dave]

Easy solution! Only buy games through Steam.

 

[elvor0]

With the inclusion of steam on the PS3 allow PS3 owners to play cross platform with those on OSX/Windows? I am pretty sure it doesn't...

http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/101384-E3-2010-Valve-Goes-PS3-With-Portal-2

Also, Steam is coming to the PlayStation Network, with cross-platform chat.

If chat's there...it sort of implies cross-platform gaming is also on the cards. Especially as Mac/PC is available and PC/XBox would be available if MS would allow it.

Now see, cross platform chat 'implies' that cross platform gaming is there, but it doesnt confirm it. I havent read anywhere else that cross platform gaming is coming. In fact, i havent read anywhere else that cross platform chat is coming either; all i have heard is that with the inclusion of steamworks PS3 owners will benefit from auto-updating, exclusive DLC and community features (i dont know what that means, access to forums/social steam profiles? Or maybe an improved friends system or something.)

Well Valve said that PS3 and PC portal owners will be able to play cross platform, so hopefully they'll extend it beyond just portal 2

 

[GiantRedButton]

I want Steam to stop ripping off European customers.

Valve doesn't set global prices except on their own games. Publishers set their own prices.

Valve was charging 20 bucks for L4D2 to Europeans when spiting Microsoft with 6.50$ for entire pack.

Huh? No l4d2 was available for 7 euros in europe too, you missed the sale i guess. In germany it was available.
They can't undercut retailers with the regular price though, they would refuse to stock valve games then.
Still The deals are usually more expensive as the dollar is alot cheaper then the euro and only the 19% vat part of it is justified.

I checked the price the same day it was made available, and for me it was 15 Euros.

Thats odd i bought it during the sale for 6 euro something. Woukd make sense to have a euro price to begin with otherwise. From which country are you?

 

[VanityGirl]

I agree with Gearbox on this. They know what they're talking about!

 

[Acidwell]

To be honest i don't think gearbox have to say this, unless microsoft do a MASSIVE amount of work on gfwl then they will be gone the same way as the windows locker service in a years time.

They need to fix:
Connection issues
Save issues
Login issues
Achievement issues
Extra pointless program issues
And Resource management issues.

 

[Cryo84R]

Without a neutral third party managing an open source architecture that is accessible by all platforms it will never happen. There is no corporate reason to ever support someone else's business over yours. It will take the likes of Firefox and years of pushing to topple the giants that are Microsoft and Sony. I strongly doubt we'll see the like for a long time now that the economy crapped out.

Edit: I'd just like to add that Apple, though not a game developer (yet) has currently lost the title of most used Smart phone to Google's Android. Android uses an open architecture. This idea does have legs but it needs heavy backing from deep pockets and major long term investing.

Android isn't a phone, it's an operating system. iOS still has more global market share, not that it matters. IPhone is still the best selling single smart phone In the US. though android as an OS has seen a surge. (Expect this to plateau in January/February.)

Not that any of this has to do with this topic, but errors must be corrected.

On topic: Long love Steam and Valve!

 

[Orcus The Ultimate]

I hope someday companies will all get their hands together and make FPS's for 500 or more, and strategy games for 50 !