Is Steam the modern day PS2?

[themistermanguy]

When it comes to gaming, people usually focus on the big 3 video game consoles from Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. But lately a new platform has been rising that honestly is starting to give consoles a run for their money. I am of course talking about Valve's Steam. Steam, beginning in 2003 as just a digital retailer for PC games, has since grown into what is essentially a gaming platform in and of itself. Because Steam can be installed and booted on to any PC or Mac, it gives Valve and 3rd parties a userbase consoles can only dream of having. It's online is completely free, and has all the features of PSN and XBL plus more, and can even use any USB or Bluetooth controller. But by far the best part about Steam is it's game library. I feel it's much more well rounded than any of the big three consoles. It's not lacking in any of the big AAA games *Wii U*, it's not shameless marketing vehicle for blockbuster games with meaningless "timed exclusives" *Xbox (pre-Phill Spencer)*, and it doesn't promise games, only to have you wait 3 whole years to get any of them *PS4*. It's catalogue is huge, spanning from every genre, and has nearly every major 3rd party publisher on board. It's even THE testing ground for new and innovative games from people like indies through programs like Steam Greenlight. No matter what your into, there's a game on Steam that satisfies what ever craving your having. And it manages to do all of this without needing some haphazardly slapped together control gimmick, $60 a year online subscription, or pure marketing hype. In a way, Steam could be considered the modern day PS2 in this sense, and now that Steam is accessible from living rooms via the Steam machines, Valve has the potential to change the console landscape forever. So do you consider Steam the modern day PS2?

 

[Maximum Bert]

Steam is nothing like a (modern day) PS2 they are so different in structure and type that they are hardly comparable. Steam is a shop/platform on a PC PS2 is a prior Sony console. So I guess my answer is no I do not consider it the modern day PS2 as its like comparing apples and oranges.

If Steam required you to buy a separate machine that was not upgradeable and had tons of support from third parties with a largely curated library of mostly quality games that worked out the box and millions upon millions bought it so that it dominated all other platforms then I may consider it the modern day PS2.

 

[Laughing Man]

Steam could be considered the modern day PS2 in this sense, and now that Steam is accessible from living rooms via the Steam machines, Valve has the potential to change the console landscape forever. So do you consider Steam the modern day PS2?

Lol, no.

Sony managed to make the PS2 a success by giving the people something they wanted, they marketed the device like crazy and brought exclusives and product that people actually wanted. Valve on the other hand is doing the exact opposite, the Steam machines themselves are a dead concept, they were a laughable concept when the idea was first floated around 2 years ago since then tech has moved on to the degree that you would have to be insane to buy a cut down PC that gimps your Steam library by virtue of the OS that is installed.

Valve has also proven without shadow of a doubt that it doesn't really understand it's customers any more, the paid for mod concept they tried to float earlier last year was a failure, I mean a comical slap yourself in the face failure and the fact that valve never outright owned up to the whole concept being a money grubbing cash grab attempt and are STILL trying to get the concept launched shows how far they have lost touch with their customer base.

Greenlight is a joke, I mean an utter fucking joke, not a joke that's funny but the sort of joke that just makes you close your eyes dip your head and shake it while gently sighing to yourself, I used to enjoy watching Jim Sterling's Greenlight videos section but it has now gotten to the stage that I can't watch it any more. The fact that Valve have chosen to take no quality control over their service is a volume speaker of itself and say what you want about Sony but I doubt they would allow anything as shit as some of the 'games' that appear on Steam Greenlight to appear on the PS Network.

The refund policy that Valve has just given us, a service that EA of all people have given to their games for the past several years it never felt like Valve gave this service as a basic consumer right, it always felt like they gave the service because they knew they couldn't get away with the year on year reports of shit customer service and the fact that they were one of the few DD services that offer NO workable or reasonable refund or return policy.

It's obvious that people are no longer as happy with Valve and Steam, the sales this year have been terrible, long time fans of the service are now pointing out the long time flaws and are no longer being blinded by the once dazzling sales (either because they have grown tired of them or because they are no longer that shiny) or more likely because their are now enough decent alternatives to Steam that they can get cheap games any time of the year and no longer have to wait.

The reality is Steam is not the next PS2, Sony saw a market and not only shaped it but grew it to create the massive success that the PS2 was Steam on the other hand has become tiresome and boring, their sales are boring, their attempts at bleeding cash out of it's user base are tiresome, it's general treatment of it's user base is tiresome and it's market is being encroached on by other services that offer games and deals at a better price. Valve attempts at trying to enter the Hardware market with the Steam machine are nothing short of laughable and may even be the actions of a company that really don't know where to go next, if anything they are the exact opposite of Sony at the launch of the PS2.

So NO Steam is not the next PS2, not in anyway shape or form.

 

[themistermanguy]

Steam is nothing like a (modern day) PS2 they are so different in structure and type that they are hardly comparable. Steam is a shop/platform on a PC PS2 is a prior Sony console. So I guess my answer is no I do not consider it the modern day PS2 as its like comparing apples and oranges.

If Steam required you to buy a separate machine that was not upgradeable and had tons of support from third parties with a largely curated library of mostly quality games that worked out the box and millions upon millions bought it so that it dominated all other platforms then I may consider it the modern day PS2.

I understand that Steam isn't a console. But as I mentioned before, Steam has grown and evolved so much to where it can stand on its own as a platform within a platform. It's gotten to the point where Steam effectively became PC gaming, and it only continues to grow, even to the point of it becoming a PC OS altogether through Steam OS.

The reason I'm comparing it to the PS2 is because the PS2 was the platform with the largest software library on the market at the time. It had nearly every 3rd party publisher releasing something for it, and had all of the big blockbusters as well as a lot of unique, experimental games. In that sense, Steam feels like the PS2 not because of market dominance or being a console, but the software library.

 

[distortedreality]

If the only link that you're trying to ge make between the two is the size of their respective libraries, I don't see a ton to talk about really.

Yes - big libraries. Many games. Much fun.

/thread.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

Is steam a platform or is it just a shop? Its a pretty awesome shop with great sales. But its not a platform like PC gaming is. Mind you its also sneaky DRM to keep track of your games and keep you from reselling them and causes a lot of games to require internets but at least its less shitty drm than most of them.

 

[Cryselle]

It's weird that you would be talking about Steam as if it's something new, given that it's 12 years old. It predates the PS3/360/Wii launches after all. And unfortunately, it actually seems like it's surviving mostly upon momentum at this point, since the it's so heavily flooded by shovelware and bad early access that it's becoming ever more difficult to find decent games in all the mess. Competitors like GOG are becoming ever more attractive, and even EA's Origin (which used to be practically a curse word to gamers) doesn't seem quite so bad anymore. UPlay is still horrible though.

 

[themistermanguy]

Is steam a platform or is it just a shop? Its a pretty awesome shop with great sales. But its not a platform like PC gaming is. Mind you its also sneaky DRM to keep track of your games and keep you from reselling them and causes a lot of games to require internets but at least its less shitty drm than most of them.

Steam is basically a platform within a platform. Yes, it distributes PC games, but it also has it's own online multiplayer framework, as well as the ability to manage games, message friends, launch games, and even turn off or reboot the whole PC all from big picture mode in the App itself. Yes, it's running on a PC, but saying it's just a shop isn't doing it proper justice IMO.

It's weird that you would be talking about Steam as if it's something new, given that it's 12 years old. It predates the PS3/360/Wii launches after all. And unfortunately, it actually seems like it's surviving mostly upon momentum at this point, since the it's so heavily flooded by shovelware and bad early access that it's becoming ever more difficult to find decent games in all the mess. Competitors like GOG are becoming ever more attractive, and even EA's Origin (which used to be practically a curse word to gamers) doesn't seem quite so bad any more

Shovelware never stopped the PS2 from being considered on of the best platforms of all time to most people. But I do agree that Valve could do more to help find good games.

 

[1981]

If you mean that Valve is trying to encroach on console manufacturer's territory with their Steam-branded hardware and OS, then yeah, definitely.

Not sure how it's going. It's been a while since they launched the Steam Machine beta program. The development can take a while, but if they're not idiot-proofing things, the market probably isn't very big. If I want to play from my couch, I just connect a controller and switch the video output to my TV. I'm guessing the main reason people buy a console is that they don't know how to do this. They don't want a wannabe console they don't know how to use.

 

[NoPants2win]

I decided to do a bit of research before posting knee jerk reactions and I found out that Sony sold over 150 million units. Steam has a little over 125 million accounts. I thought for sure the number of steam accounts would crush the PS2 install base but I was not correct. Is anyone else surprised to learn this? I'm so shocked I derailed my own post.

From a numbers perspective the OP would appear to be correct but theres some holes my steam account just doesn't fill. Will collectors still take pride in collections of games that can be reproduced instantly and in unlimited number? How do I put a steam game under my Christmas tree? Will I be able to find those hidden gems an ever growing and endless library? Where is my handheld steam?

 

[Christian Neihart]

I am still waiting for Valve to clean up it's crap indie section/ early access program. And for them to improve their customer support.

 

[Snotnarok]

What made PS2 amazing at the time was it was a big upgrade as a video game system and a 'cheap' DVD/CD player, on top of this it was backward compatible. Heck, you could even use the same controllers from the PS1 on most games. PS2 was doing things the competition wasn't doing in any regard (minus being an next gen system). Heck you needed a remote to use the Xbox as a DVD player as I recall.

It was a wild new thing to have a movie player and game player at the time.

Steam is great for having nice integration of features into games, it automatically keeps your games up to date, it'll repair installs, and has wild sales that make it affordable to get into games. I mean back before this you had to go to a website and download the update and install it...that is if you were aware of said update...

 

[Chaos Isaac]

Man. Steam is terrible. The PS2 is not.
So. Yeah, no.

Plus the PS2 doesn't put me at risk any time I want to download a fucking game.
Oh no, another mysterious flaw in the system that could screw people over. Great. What a wonder the digital age is. Sure, physical discs are obsolete. I'm being sarcastic now.

 

[fenrizz]

It's obvious that people are no longer as happy with Valve and Steam, the sales this year have been terrible, long time fans of the service are now pointing out the long time flaws and are no longer being blinded by the once dazzling sales (either because they have grown tired of them or because they are no longer that shiny) or more likely because their are now enough decent alternatives to Steam that they can get cheap games any time of the year and no longer have to wait.

The biggest reason why I did not spend much on this year's Steam sale is that it's always the same games, and I already bought them on previous sales.

Wolfenstein? Bought it on the summer sale
Bioshock series? Bought it two years ago on the winter sale
Assorted Valve games? Had them for years

The list goes on and on.

The more sales I attend, the more I realise that I've already got most of the games I'm interested in, and the new releases are almost never cheap enough for me to consider them.

 

[Joccaren]

Seems kind of a strange comparison. Steam would be more akin to classic brick and mortar stores in that day and age than it would the PS2. The PS2 was a console, a platform. Steam is not a platform. You can not run a game on a Steam. You can use Steam to Purchase and Install games, but you can't use just Steam itself to run a game, with Steam being the foundation on which the game runs. You need a computer too. Its like the fact that Internet Explorer isn't a games platform. Arguably Java or W/E could be, as it can be installed on almost all platforms and is all that is required to run games programmed on it, whether on a tablet, PC, printer or phone - but even that's debatable these days as Java is losing its significance and cross-platform uniformity, more these days such internet games are just using the PC as the platform, and Java won't run them on a number of other platforms, removing its ability to call itself the foundation more than just the programming language used.

If you want the platform, it is the Computer. The "Platform within a platform" would be Windows, required for the running of a majority of games, even if you have to emulate it to do so. Steam is a storefront. It is not a platform. It has a lot of games it sells. So does EB Games and Gamestop, do we call them a platform even though they have been practically the face of console gaming for years, especially before downloadable games became a thing?
No. They are a storefront. Not a platform. Same goes with Steam.

Computers are not the new PS2 either. They are what they have been for the last 20 years or so at this point, a platform with infinite backwards compatibility and near infinite cross-platform emulated compatibility, with the largest library of games, largest ubiquity as a platform, even if many don't use it to play games, greatest versatility and home of the majority of non-AAA publishers and devs, especially indies. And more, but I think we already get the picture.

If your only comparison is that it has a lot of different types of games that Steam sells, I again have to point you towards Gamestop or EB Games. Those are its equivalent. The PS2 is not, and as soon as you drop the 'lots of types of games', the comparison falls apart, and as said, focusing only on the 'lots of types of games', there are plenty of other comparisons that can be made.

 

[Something Amyss]

They're ubiquitous and have inherent flaws? That I could get behind.

Otherwise, not much. Oh, lots of games. But that's true of the PC platform in general.

 

[Hairless Mammoth]

Hmm, I seem to remember having to adjust the lens in Steam just like the early PS2s. Wait, that doesn't sound right.

The only real comparisons I see between Steam and the PS2 are the large install base each has/had in their respective fields, they are a way to play games, and they both came out in the early 2000s. Otherwise, they are totally different animals, PC distribution service VS 6th gen console.

Just looking at the well rounded library category for the 6th gen, the Gamecube and Xbox (well, somewhat with the Xbox) had an overall balanced library of different genres. Most home consoles in general have balance to their libraries, with the Wii line being the exception.

From a numbers perspective the OP would appear to be correct but theres some holes my steam account just doesn't fill. Will collectors still take pride in collections of games that can be reproduced instantly and in unlimited number? How do I put a steam game under my Christmas tree? Will I be able to find those hidden gems an ever growing and endless library? Where is my handheld steam?

Good questions in this digital age. Let me see if I can answer them.

1)*voice of the legion* NO. We will never give up our physical goods. Preorder DLC is not the way to satiate our thirssst to collect.

2) That's easy. Buy a Steam card, print out the game's store page, and put both in a Christmas card or a small box with something else (preferably not just coal for some extra weight). Bonus points for that mehtod: the giftee isn't forced to buy that particular game, but knows you spent time thinking about what to get them.

3) Honestly, I never really scan any online storefront (console or PC) for new games to try, there too many thrown out in the front pages per month alone (many of which are of dubious quality). I usually go with what franchises I know I like, what hits the news and looks interesting, and what some Youtube personalities suggest.

4)If that horribly named S-Mach Zero thing ever comes out, there's your handheld Steam. Even if it doesn't play what you want it too, maybe it will even spark some competition, and a better unit will come out in a few years. (I'll stick with a laptop, an aging PSP and a 3DS to portable game for now.)

Now, I'd like to know where my handheld PS2 is.

 

[Hazy992]

In the sense that they both have a vast library with tonnes of great games, but the low barrier of entry meant there's also a ton of absolute dreck, then yes I agree.

 

[themistermanguy]

Seems kind of a strange comparison. Steam would be more akin to classic brick and mortar stores in that day and age than it would the PS2. The PS2 was a console, a platform. Steam is not a platform. You can not run a game on a Steam. You can use Steam to Purchase and Install games, but you can't use just Steam itself to run a game, with Steam being the foundation on which the game runs. You need a computer too. Its like the fact that Internet Explorer isn't a games platform. Arguably Java or W/E could be, as it can be installed on almost all platforms and is all that is required to run games programmed on it, whether on a tablet, PC, printer or phone - but even that's debatable these days as Java is losing its significance and cross-platform uniformity, more these days such internet games are just using the PC as the platform, and Java won't run them on a number of other platforms, removing its ability to call itself the foundation more than just the programming language used.

If you want the platform, it is the Computer. The "Platform within a platform" would be Windows, required for the running of a majority of games, even if you have to emulate it to do so. Steam is a storefront. It is not a platform. It has a lot of games it sells. So does EB Games and Gamestop, do we call them a platform even though they have been practically the face of console gaming for years, especially before downloadable games became a thing?
No. They are a storefront. Not a platform. Same goes with Steam.

The reason I say Steam is as platform within a platform is because Steam isn't just a store. Unlike GameStop which simply just sells the products, Steam provides online multiplayer for games, as well as gives you the ability to manage the games installed, message friends, manage game data, launch games, browse the web, even turn off or reboot the whole computer all from the Steam client in big picture mode. Whereas a brick & Motar retailer just sells you the game, but doesn't offer any other services to go with it. So yes Steam is a platform, even if it's not a physical platform like a PS2 is. Also most games on Steam don't see a physical release, and most PC gamers I know usually don't bother with physical PC games.

Windows isn't the platform within a platform, it is THE platform. It's basically required to be a PC. Otherwise, you'd have a Mac, or a Linux, which while technically are still PCs, they're not usually associated with the term. The thing with the computer, especially the PC is that it's a completely open environment. With the ability to download anything from any website, you can have multiple ecosystems and platforms within one empire, such as, Steam. A game acquired from Steam requires Steam in order to play, same applies to competitors like Origin. The point is, even if it's running on a PC, Steam is the platform used to play the games acquired from it's store.

 

[DoPo]

or a Linux

This is literally the first time I've ever heard or seen anybody calling a computer with Linux installed "a Linux".