It was a demonstrative analogy. I really didn't think I'd need to explain that.Wafflemarine said:
Though I do find it telling that you feel there is absolutely no reason for them to trust us, but apparently a lack of trust on our end is "paranoia."
Poll: Does Steam look better after the Xbox One?
- Thread starter exobook
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Though I do find it telling that you feel there is absolutely no reason for them to trust us, but apparently a lack of trust on our end is "paranoia."
I don't see the "Paranoia" in fearing for your info when subjected to intrusive DRM. I don't believe that Microsoft is data mining for the evil shadow government.
However, there have been cases of sensitive data being leaked. Playstation network being the most recent one.
Now, inputting credit card data into the console is something you just shouldn't do.
Still, i would very much like to have *some* statement about the security of this new machine. Some acknowledgement that microsoft has taken care of potential issues would be better then nothing.
Regarding the question in the poll: Nearly everything looks better then what we know about the xbone.
However, there have been cases of sensitive data being leaked. Playstation network being the most recent one.
Now, inputting credit card data into the console is something you just shouldn't do.
Still, i would very much like to have *some* statement about the security of this new machine. Some acknowledgement that microsoft has taken care of potential issues would be better then nothing.
Regarding the question in the poll: Nearly everything looks better then what we know about the xbone.
I'd prefer no DRM at all, but the way things are going, it seems to be a losing battle. There's still GOG, I suppose, but Steam seems to treat its customers with some shred of dignity, so that's pretty cool.
I don't use it very heavily, but it always provides a quick way to get some good indie games for dirt cheap, and I'm likely going to stick with it with the dying viability of new consoles.
I don't use it very heavily, but it always provides a quick way to get some good indie games for dirt cheap, and I'm likely going to stick with it with the dying viability of new consoles.
Steam has been looking good for some years now and they have actually improved over the years.
The fact thatit's FRM is as clear as ever, but I don't think we can keep thinking of DRM as bad by definition. For those of us who game on PC Steam offers a service that patches games automatically to make sure games always stay up to date. It offers a buy and install directly feature which is also quite neat.
It's not perfect, but as far as DRM goes it's the best I have seen because it actually gives me something I can enjoy rather than being simply an inconvenience. It's not as open as consoles used to be when it comes to lending out games or second hand games which is the only negative point I can think of(granted that I am ignoring the paranoia around digital sales).
The fact thatit's FRM is as clear as ever, but I don't think we can keep thinking of DRM as bad by definition. For those of us who game on PC Steam offers a service that patches games automatically to make sure games always stay up to date. It offers a buy and install directly feature which is also quite neat.
It's not perfect, but as far as DRM goes it's the best I have seen because it actually gives me something I can enjoy rather than being simply an inconvenience. It's not as open as consoles used to be when it comes to lending out games or second hand games which is the only negative point I can think of(granted that I am ignoring the paranoia around digital sales).
I've never seen Steam as DRM. I've always seen it as a registration/download service. I can microwave my discs and fill my computer with sand and I'll still have access to my favourite games if I've bought them on Steam.
I own a Wii, and I'd be more than happy to buy a Wii U when they release something I want on it. I'd like a PS3 or 4, as well, but I'm a little divided because I'd only buy it for one or two games. I've never had anything against Microsoft, either, but nor have I ever wanted an XBox. Any game I would have wanted to get it for has always been available on the PC. The XBox One hasn't done anything to change that, and now I am more than a little wary of the 'features' they have on offer.
I own a Wii, and I'd be more than happy to buy a Wii U when they release something I want on it. I'd like a PS3 or 4, as well, but I'm a little divided because I'd only buy it for one or two games. I've never had anything against Microsoft, either, but nor have I ever wanted an XBox. Any game I would have wanted to get it for has always been available on the PC. The XBox One hasn't done anything to change that, and now I am more than a little wary of the 'features' they have on offer.
Just the fact that I have to sign into an account to play my game even if I bought the game and have it I cant play it because I have to sign into an account, dosent matter that I have the game in my hand. Also no internet no games even though I have already bought them. I prefer the GOG model where you buy the games and then can do whatever the hell you want with them and play them however you want its just so much simpler.NightHawk21 said:
Also first time I used steam it slowed down my already piece of shit laptop to a crawl making things extremely difficult in the end I had to uninstall it but then I couldnt finish my game, which was annoying. But yeah its just adds stuff that does not need to be there thats what annoys me and it forces itself on you and I wont stand for much of that which may lead to me quitting gaming altogether eventually but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.
I also dont like the fact that they could in theory take all your games off you I know its unlikely but the potential is there and it shouldnt be.
It seems like the xbone has all the downsides of Steam with none of the upsides.
At least you can always use cracks to get your game out of Steam as well.
At least you can always use cracks to get your game out of Steam as well.
A few corrections :exobook said:
- With XOne, you can install games to as many machines as you like. It's done by profile, not by machine. The only difference is that one machine has a much longer Offline mode. You can also redownload ANY game you have registered, any number of times.
- Steam's offline mode is limited too. You just get 2 weeks instead of 24 hours.
So no, Steam doesn't look any better. It looks pretty much the same.
Of course, I'm already very happy with Steam, and use it extensively, so ...
Never really tried myself, but I've heard the offline lasts anywhere between 1 month and forever. Also? 2 weeks is a hell of a lot more than 24 hours.9thRequiem said:
I don't want a gaming PC because it is too much trouble. You fiddle with so much just to get the game settings just right for your computer while a console lets you just put in a disc and play.
I also don't like the control method. I am more comfortable with a controller than mouse and keyboard.
I will say, however, that I have been interested in the steam box for quite some time. I would like to see how that turns out.
I also don't like the control method. I am more comfortable with a controller than mouse and keyboard.
I will say, however, that I have been interested in the steam box for quite some time. I would like to see how that turns out.
I've been using steam for a while. I really can't complain; I've had no memorable problems with the service and the sales! My god, the sales.
As for the new Xbox, I'm glad I gave up on consoles at the start of the current generation.
As for the new Xbox, I'm glad I gave up on consoles at the start of the current generation.
I would say give it another try and keep an open mind. Most of the problems you list are problems with modern PC gaming (and even somewhat distant past PC gaming) rather than just steam.Maximum Bert said:
The account issue is true, but you really only have to sign in once, then you can set steam to remember your credentials and its really just 1 extra button click to access your games. This still works even if you don't have it to start up on boot (which is something I would never recommend for any program).
Steam also has an offline mode. You simply have to be online to get the game and do any updates. I believe GOG uses a similar model where you have to download the game then you never need to go online again.
As for the performance issue, I would suggest you try again. I don't know what laptop you're using or when you tried it, but steam doesn't have too big an impact. For reference my laptop was like $500 at bestbuy 2 years ago and I don't notice any performance drops.
The fact that they could take all your games away, I total agree with, but I feel that's not exactly a problem with steam, but more with modern gaming in general. Nowadays with most games having an online component, companies can almost remotely shut off the whole or at least a significant portion of the game. Going back to GOG, it is possible too that they do the same thing as well. Envision a scenario where they don't meet profit margins and have to shut down. What happens to all the games you purchased? In all likelihood you would probably have a small window of time to download as many as possible before they become permanently unavailable. I believe steam said at one point they would do the same sort of thing, where they would open up all the games in your account for download, but that may have been a rumor as I didn't read an original credible source on that.
I have been thinking about this for a while. I've been a console gamer in the past, most recently with the Xbox360, but in the past year or two I've been increasingly using Steam on my laptop (it's a perfectly fine computer but by no means a gaming PC - it has one of those virtual graphics cards instead of a virtual one). I've just been floored at how cheap everything is, I recently counted and the $100 Steam credit that I got for Christmas has bought me 24 games by my count so far- if I had been buying console games it would have been 2-3 at best. For bigger newer releases though, I've needed to use my 360 such as for Xcom and Bioshock Infinite. For these times I buy games on Amazon for usually about $40 shortly after it comes out. However, with all these new hoops that at being presented with the Xbox One, I might not be able to buy games for less that $60. Given all the other inconveniences with online requirements, and lack of backwards compatibility I've been toying with the idea of just not getting a new console and transitioning fully to PC gaming. I'll need to get a better computer to do so, but I'll need to spend hundreds of dollars at the very least to get the Xbox One anyway.
After the announcement conference I made my decision. Steam-ward ho!
After the announcement conference I made my decision. Steam-ward ho!
I'm not a fan of that image, one of the parts about the Xbone(paying full price for a used game) isn't totally confirmed yet, and PC games never being capable of trade is a crock of shit, because back in the days when it was primarily disc based, you could trade them like you can with current consoles. Only when the online stores came along and the use of buying physical copies of PC games became obsolete did we lose the ability to trade our PC games with other people.Snotnarok said:
If the Xbone was entirely digital, while it still would need some tweaks, it would be a hell of a lot more acceptable. Allowing other people to play games on your library is an amazing feature(for a digital store) that I would love online stores like steam to implement. However, because it is still a physically based console(you still use discs for your games, though that's dropped somewhat as a requirement thanks to the last generation), these are faults for it. The console was supposed to be for the accessibility, now the Xbone is losing that accessibility. If the gaming community can stamp that our here, we'll still keep consoles the way they are, allowing for it to be great on its own.
The fiddling thing is becoming less and less true by the day, particularly with new games on steam. I'm using a medium range laptop (Intel I5 3210M, Nvidia gtx 650m) and I've never had to do anything to make a steam game work, the newest PC games I own on steam being Bioshock infinite, Dishonored, Borderlands 2 and Xcom: enemy unknown.Brotha Desmond said:
All worked excellently without me having to do anything, just as easy as putting a disc in a console. Some older games may require google fixes but it's almost always extremely easy and these are games you can't play on modern consoles most of the time anyway because of a lack of backwards compatibility.
Hell, Nvidia are even making software that sets the graphics settings of games to an appropriate level for your machine, saving you 30 seconds when you boot up a new game! Overkill to be honest but it works pretty well for me.
As for the controller thing, you can play literally any PC game with an xbox controller if you're willing to get some other software (Xpadder springs to mind) but new games have native controller support most of the time- I played through almost all of bioshock infinite on my tv with a controller because it looked so damn good on the big screen. Steam is constantly being updated and will tell you if a game has full controller support (from hitting play to closing the thing) or partial controller support (can play with a controller, but may require M/KB to start up / menus) Steam itself can now be fully navigated with a controller and has much better messaging / friends features than xbox live any day.
Sorry for the extended rant, but it really is not hard to play PC games and I don't know how that's become such a big thing.
OT (finally): Steam is good because it has a functional offline mode (at least for me, YMMV and all that) and has games far cheaper than consoles because of the nature of digital distribution. I see it the same as GOG, I sign in once to get a game up to date and then can (and do) play it offline for extended periods of time. With my spotty internet connection, steam is fine. Daily checkups would not be. That said, GOG is amazing and Heroes 3 is one of the greatest things I have ever played, thank you GOG.