Has Steam innovated enough to maintain it as a 'platform' of choice outside of library?

Deleted member 12790 · Jul 9, 2018

Not seeing nearly enough love for what Steam does on the developer side of things. Steam is an API.

It is the stuff valve does for developers which is way, way beyond other competing store fronts. Even for things not branded as "valve" or "steam." Like SDL? That essentially exists today solely thanks to valve and steam. They are essentially the sole entity funding it.

Deleted member 6949 · Jul 9, 2018

I've been buying most of my pc games on Steam since Half-Life 2 released, but lately I've been getting them on GOG whenever they are available there. I just don't have a lot of respect for Valve as a company right now.

Fatmanp · Jul 9, 2018

It needs a UI overhaul to catch up with the competition but it's leagues ahead everywhere else.

Deleted member 12790 · Jul 9, 2018

Fatmanp said:
It needs a UI overhaul to catch up with the competition but it's leagues ahead everywhere else.

None of its competition has a UI like BPM.

Dusk Golem · Jul 9, 2018

Krejlooc said:
Not seeing nearly enough love for what Steam does on the developer side of things. Steam is an API.

It is the stuff valve does for developers which is way, way beyond other competing store fronts. Even for things not branded as "valve" or "steam." Like SDL? That essentially exists today solely thanks to valve and steam. They are essentially the sole entity funding it.

I will vouch for this as someone who's released several small games, Valve also provides some great features from the developer side, they justify their 30% cut of the profit much more than many other stores do (30% is the average cut for like everything game related).

UI is up for debate, but in terms of actual features Valve is long and ahead of its competition. The closest would be GOG, as GOG does have a few things that Steam doesn't, there's obviously of course the appealing to some DRM-free stuff, plus some stuff, like their curated library/focus on older games, and a non-intrusive optional client, appeal to some types of people more. But Steam I think has a lot more going for it, and I think many people who use Steam and other clients really wish other clients had various features that Steam does.

Deleted member 12790 · Jul 9, 2018

Dusk Golem said:
I will vouch for this as someone who's released several small games, Valve also provides some great features from the developer side, they justify their 30% cut of the profit much more than many other stores do (30% is the average cut for like everything game related).

UI is up for debate, but in terms of actual features Valve is long and ahead of its competition. The closest would be GOG, as GOG does have a few things that Steam doesn't, there's obviously of course the appealing to some DRM-free stuff, plus some stuff, like their curated library/focus on older games, and a non-intrusive optional client, appeal to some types of people more. But Steam I think has a lot more going for it, and I think many people who use Steam and other clients really wish other clients had various features that Steam does.

Stuff like VOGL is actually pretty damn cool. It really, really helps. What they did for linux as far as using steam itself as essentially a standard library to build against has dramatically helped that front, too.

Deleted member 10601 · Jul 9, 2018

Gimme tags, Steam!

BernardoOne · Jul 9, 2018

It's basically the only client that even tries to have more than extremely basic features and has a shitload of them that will never appear in the other client, so yes, absolutely.

Muad'dib · Jul 9, 2018

Steam is leagues and leagues beyond the competition when it comes to features, community hubs for each game and portals for each developers, curators, tags, workshop, trading, refunds. It's a universe of its own while the competition is just a simple online digital store and nothing more.

If anything Steam is the only client that keeps innovating while the others like Origin and Uplay don't even bother, they know all they have to do to get clients into their poor ecosystem is to lock their games exclusively behind their storefronts like EA and Activision/Blizzard does.

Dusk Golem · Jul 9, 2018

Also, one thing I'll mention is Steam updates its actual features more often than any other game client I know. Within the last month for example Steam finally made it so that developers on Steam can have individual developer pages on Steam, and that users who like a certain developer can follow them and get notified when the developers they follow release new games.

gagewood · Jul 9, 2018

Hoping the client/library overhaul comes soon. Once that happens Steam will probably unlock all kinds of potential, but for now it seems like the client is holding them back. I suppose they've been trickling various updates onto the website before they do a full client update, to make sure everything works and integrates properly.

Ge0force · Jul 9, 2018

Dusk Golem said:
The closest would be GOG, as GOG does have a few things that Steam doesn't

Any details about this? Obviously GoG doesn't allow DRM, but what are the other differences with Steam from a developers point of view?

Aniki · Jul 9, 2018

I'm very happy with the features we have.

Alexandros · Jul 9, 2018

Steam input alone is a huge game-changer.

Hamster Plugin · Jul 9, 2018

Steam is usually the "main friends list" in the PC gaming space. Even if I want to play a non-Steam game, I'll ask friends via Steam chat if they want to play, and only then switch to that other launcher where the game is at.

Bjones · Jul 9, 2018

Way too many stores there.

- I primarily use steam. Steamlink goodness. Majority of the games I want are on there.
I havnt had a complaint while using steam.

- Origin and blizzard once in a blue moon.

- Windows store only because of play anywhere.

But I'm not signing up for any more pc stores!

fuzzyset · Jul 9, 2018

Steam link / streaming + controller support is really unmatched in the space.

Nintendo · Jul 9, 2018

Uplay is the best client IMO. I wish Ubisoft sell 3rd party games on it.

It offers %20 discounts sometimes even on preorders.

Vorador · Jul 9, 2018

My only issue with Steam is that sometimes the interface doesn't refresh, for whatever reason. Minimizing and restoring does the trick, so it is a minor issue.

I attribute it to the GPU acceleration part of Steam being pretty shitty.

GameZone · Jul 9, 2018

fuzzyset said:
Steam link / streaming + controller support is really unmatched in the space.

Jupp.

I tried this with Battlefront 2 yesterday, using a Xbox One controller trough Bluetooth and my Steam Link after adding a shortcut in my Steam library. It obviously worked fine for a non-Steam game, but I wish I didn't have to go trough the shortcut bullshit though.

Aiustis · Jul 9, 2018

I'll buy on GoG before steam
The UI is pretty clunky

Rathorial · Jul 9, 2018

The answer is a pretty easy yes, and one could even more easily say they're the ONLY client on PC really innovating still.

GoG is the closest to competition they have with DRM-free as a unique selling point, but the rest of the clients out there are just repositories for certain publishers to sell their own games so they can avoid paying Valve a 30% sale cut. I've seen little to no innovation from any of these clients, just partially copying features Steam already has.

Despite how numerous other clients are from console-focused publishers, Steam still the only one that has a Big Picture Mode meant for playing on the TV, and can be ENTIRELY controlled with a gamepad to launch titles that are marked with controller support. They created their own gamepad with the most robust and customizable input API I've seen, and then made that API compatible to all the other major third-party controllers. Then you have Early Access, user guides to games, one-click subscribe Steam Workshop mods, Family Sharing, easily superior sorting options and wishlist features, baked in discussion forums per game, selling Trading Cards if you want free money, Steam Curators, Steam developer pages, etc. Barely any of these features have even been copied in other clients.

I would agree that Valve needs to overhaul and clean-up their default UI, but their beta update in the last month shows they're already starting with the complete revamp of the friends list. Steam Skin makers already see that a big change is coming in that area.

See little reason to use other clients unless I have to for access to certain games, which I don't mind...but every other client is so far behind Steam in so many areas it's not even funny.

Kthulhu · Jul 9, 2018

Steam is still the best IMO. The others are improving, but Origin, Battlenet, and the Epic Launcher are focused on exclusives where as GOG and Steam sell a bunch of games.

I despise Uplay, Twitch, and the MS Store and wish I didn't need them.

Crayon · Jul 9, 2018

Steam is light years out ahead of any major gaming company and/or platform.

zombieshavebrains · Jul 9, 2018

Why does it need to be a swiss army knife? It has friends and it has all the games. What else do you want OP?

IMACOMPUTA · Jul 9, 2018

Steam crashes all the time.
This, as well as other random issues while streaming to other devices and using BPM, cause me massive headaches. You definitely need to have a wireless keyboard nearby to avoid trips to the basment.
A lot of my complaints are Windows' fault, but still. I wish there was a better, rock-solid alternative to Steam In Home Streaming.

Also, wishlists are incomplete in BPM. Why?

Mobius and Pet Octopus · Jul 9, 2018

Steam is still great. But so are the other platforms tbh. Or no platform at all. You don't actually need steam to play paladins. You don't need any client. You can just run that shit like it's an app and it's not better or worse for it. We don't actually need steam or platforms nearly as much as we think we do. And I think Steam didn't save PC, it amplified it for sure, but PC gaming would still be strong without steam. Anyway, getting away with this post... Steam is fine. It is still improving in small ways. What else can you ask for. It cannot re-define the PC gaming experience every 5 years. Granted I feel like the openness may have gotten a little out of hand, it's still all good I think.

Deleted member 1656 · Jul 9, 2018

justiceiro said:
For me it sounds like op just want a interface update even if doesn't change anything. Change for the sake of change is not smart.

Deleted member 2840 · Jul 9, 2018

Huh

Vorador said:
My only issue with Steam is that sometimes the interface doesn't refresh, for whatever reason. Minimizing and restoring does the trick, so it is a minor issue.

I attribute it to the GPU acceleration part of Steam being pretty shitty.

I thought that was only me. It does bugs me the fuck out when it happens.

Evolution of Metal · Jul 9, 2018

Rathorial said:
I would agree that Valve needs to overhaul and clean-up their default UI, but their beta update in the last month shows they're already starting with the complete revamp of the friends list. Steam Skin makers already see that a big change is coming in that area.

See little reason to use other clients unless I have to for access to certain games, which I don't mind...but every other client is so far behind Steam in so many areas it's not even funny.

The client refresh is disappointing. Still no docking, always having the trio of garbage windows :(

Steam is great because it has a ton of third party crutches: Discord for communication/social, third-party apps for controlling the PC with the controller, youtube for guides, review videos/articles for curation, mod-websites for mods, reddit/discord for communities, inventory browser extension for managing Steam inventory, grey market keys for lower prices, humble bundle for cheap games, Twitch/Youtube for streaming and so on. Without them, Steam would choke on its own bloat and trash features, where Blizzard App or Uplay are sleeker and faster base-user experiences which don't rely on the community/third-party programs to be great.

Steam used to be a hub for gaming, but most of the features are only good for memes now (Broadcast, reviews, groups, curation, cards, awards, sales). Other clients aren't trying to become Steam, many features are redundant, we have Discord/Reddit/Twitch/Youtube, so you have to evaluate clients keeping all the mainstream trends in mind.

k0decraft · Jul 9, 2018

Steam is king, I expect next-gen consoles to copy alot of their feature sets.

However, the UI could use some work, I want a better Big Picture Mode, achievement system overhaul among other things.

quotethis · Jul 9, 2018

I love Steam but we're long overdue for an interface change. The app also needs to be an actual app and not just webpages built into this client that I launch.

Dinjoralo · Jul 9, 2018

I agree with all the mentions of Valve's many useful features that so many people just seem to ignore. To be honest, I wonder how much of that 30% that the bigger publishers avoid by having their own storefront that they actually keep. I'm sure it's a net positive, since otherwise they wouldn't bother, but I'd think some of those savings are immediately spent on things like servers, distribution, client development, community and social features, etc. that Steam would otherwise take care of for them.

Krejlooc said:
None of its competition has a UI like BPM.

Big Picture Mode is really nice for having a TV-centric interface, but I feel like it needs some work. Lots of stuff with new store and community features don't seem to really work, not to mention it being a tad ugly. It's also just weird how stuff like Steam Input and viewing games by filesize/install location are married to BPM, with attempting to change them on the desktop bringing up a huge BPM window. I'm really hoping whatever Valve does for the client update drops the idea of a completely separate tenfoot UI with its own rendering system and all that, in favor of having one UI that can adapt to both desktop and TV use, kind of like with Windows 10's tablet mode. I'm also hoping it looks as nice as the new chat sections do. They feel so reactive, and stylish.

And for god's sake, get rid of the shitty desktop interface with two inches of bezels and so many duplicate buttons like for fucks sake, you have had so many opportunities to improve it, but you just won't.

L4DANathan · Jul 9, 2018

Steam definitely has the best UI and feature set, as many problems as it has. Most of the PC clients simply lack far too many features to compete with it. The main problem is that none of the other platforms are actively trying to compete, they suffer from the main publisher problem of "If we can't have everything, we won't try anything."

HP_Wuvcraft · Jul 9, 2018

Steam does a lot of small stuff that adds up. For as janky as it is, and for as showing its age as it is, it is still the king.

Fularu said:
Twitch is going to be massive as a stirefront

Twitch integration, catalogue browsing through streams, direct interactions sorh popular streamers, free monthly games for subscribers and so on

Yup. If Twitch plays their cards incredibly right, they could give Steam a run for their money.

Being able to buy the game as you watch it streamed? Genius.

Chromie · Jul 9, 2018

Nabs said:
Have you checked out the new Chat Update?

I really HATE the new sound effects. Way too damn loud and effects for things like friends launching a game. Needs some customization.

defaltoption · Jul 9, 2018

Flandy said:
Everyone I know who uses Steam complains about the Steam client and how Valve hasn't changed it
They still keep only buying their games on Steam unless forced to use a different launcher

This 100% at least for me, I hate other launchers but not because I like steam, steam is stagant and feels like 2008 I hate using other launchers because my games library gets split up. That's the only reason I don't use something else with better features. Plus while steam has mediocre features for everything the other launchers usually excel at some things and are nonexistant in terms of features in other areas. So you have to pick your poison.

Deleted member 22713 · Jul 9, 2018

One of my only real contentions with Steam is having to comb through and modify the style sheets to change font size - would love to just be able to set it to large in the UI somewhere.

Only use GOG Galaxy out of extra convenience downloading/installing vs web browser. Wish Humble had something similar (and GOG Galaxy were on Linux); not super interested in time logging/achievements on any platform though.

itch.io's client is pretty decent.

Uplay tends to be dysfunctional at best.

tuxfool · Jul 9, 2018

lovesgoodgames said:
That's the only reason I don't use something else with better features

Like what?

lovesgoodgames said:
Plus while steam has mediocre features for everything the other launchers usually excel at some things

Some examples would be nice.

Bhonar · Jul 9, 2018

Flandy said:
Everyone I know who uses Steam complains about the Steam client and how Valve hasn't changed it
They still keep only buying their games on Steam unless forced to use a different launcher

what the fuck

what exactly do u need from a download client, besides just downloading and launching a game?

a download client SHOULD NOT HAVE BLOAT anyway!!1

Moebius · Jul 9, 2018

The library is very unmanageable if you have a lot of games. It really needs a better library viewer.

neon_dream · Jul 9, 2018

I wish my PS4 or Switch had half the features Steam does.

As for the other PC platforms? I wish they had half the features Steam does.

Epilexia · Jul 9, 2018

The Steam client is still galaxies away from the competence. I think for example in the configurable controller profiles, something that makes me to play even the no Steam games through the Steam client. Playing for example in a GPD Win, in which a lot of times you need to change the button layouts, it's very important.

I think in my second most used client, Itch.io.

In comparison, I don't have these options like configurable controller profiles in the Itch.io client.

But at the same time, there are a lot of things that still can be improved in the Steam client. For example, I can't access to my custom controllers profiles while I'm offline. And in a portable system like the GPD Win, you will be a lot of time offline.

So I will say: the Steam client is the best in the current PC market, thanks to options like Big Picture or the controller profiles, or the flexibility of adding games from other stores.

But it's still far away from the perfection of the Nintendo Switch UI.

Other example of this difference in QOL options, with a bad online connection and thousands of games in your library, Steam Big Picture is very slow, and a lot of times will not display the images of the games.

Kiunch · Jul 9, 2018

Steam workshop for easy modding, built in forum/community, screenshot management, streaming to friend, controller support, refund, VR, big screen mode.

I can't imagine myself using anything else.

Vicious17 · Jul 9, 2018

Zealuu said:
Steam as a video game launcher/platform remains unparalleled largely because of its feature set, but as a storefront I feel like it keeps getting progressively worse.

This. With the relatively recent addition of "give us 100 dollars, and get your game on Steam" sifting though the piles of garbage has become practically impossible. Especially for relatively unknown indies that might be good because they get burried in trash.

Most recent examples I found are "Ambition of the Slimes", which was recomended here, and "Boot Hill Heroes", whichbis basically Earthbound but set in the American Wild West. Both of which are amazing, and I, or anyone I know never heard of.

TemplaerDude · Jul 9, 2018

Steam is a crumby platform that needs to be overhauled in so many ways, but it's still more comfortable for me to use than the competition. So I'm a hypocrite.

sredgrin · Jul 9, 2018

About the only way their competition is improved is in customer service response times.

DaciaJC · Jul 9, 2018

Steam is so far ahead of every other launcher and library manager in terms of features that it's not even funny. Origin I use because I'm forced to in order to play Battlefield. Steam I use daily to take and manage screenshots, search for and download mods, sell junk on the marketplace, remap my DS4 controls for a particular title, and talk with others in game-specific forums.

Deleted member 4044 · Jul 9, 2018

Everyone has different use cases, so I suspect people that use In-Home Streaming or the Curator system will say yes. For me, the answer is no. I want better social and connectivity features as part of the client. Battle.net got a huge overhaul last year ahead of the Destiny 2 launch with parties and better voice chat that I find far superior to Steam's. Additionally, I find the Steam client to be pretty archaic looking at this point.

Vicious17 · Jul 9, 2018

DaciaJC said:
Steam is so far ahead of every other launcher and library manager in terms of features that it's not even funny. Origin I use because I'm forced to in order to play Battlefield. Steam I use daily to take and manage screenshots, search for and download mods, sell junk on the marketplace, remap my DS4 controls for a particular title, and talk with others in game-specific forums.

Also this.

Lets put it this way, I have steam start up with my computer. There is almost never an instance when my PC is on, and Steam isn't running.

Origin, Uplay, Battle.net, and whatever else only get turned on when I have to, and even thennI immediately make sure they're off when Im done.

Has Steam innovated enough to maintain it as a 'platform' of choice outside of library?

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