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Umm, so I guess it's time to talk about fragmentation of PC gaming storefronts. Maybe.
- Thread starter M1chl
- Start date
Man I feel like anyone who say "I don't see what the fuss is about, it's just another launcher" should probably make some effort to read some posts in the thread first to actually see what the fuss is about before saying they don't see what it's about. Ofcourse you don't see anything if you don't try to see anything -_-
Multiple people in all these threads have already talked about how this isn't just about another launcher. Most people don't even care if it's a launcher (it's why they are fine with Origin, Uplay, B.net despite preferring steam) so it's not about that.
Multiple people in all these threads have already talked about how this isn't just about another launcher. Most people don't even care if it's a launcher (it's why they are fine with Origin, Uplay, B.net despite preferring steam) so it's not about that.
Why? When they can just driveby shit post and punch some more holes in the PC/Valve threads on ERA bingo cards
The Steam ecosystem has lingering issues Valve continues to ignore. History has shown us when it comes to fixing BIG things Valve will only do with when it effects their bottom line or they are legally forced to do it.
I think the current Steam exodus might force Valve to think long and hard and actually be more hands on and try harder to please the community and thus offer a better experience for all.
We already saw days before the Epic Store public reveal they change their revenue share split slightly for the most successful games. It was a hollow, cynical attempt but hey. Someone, somewhere at Valve tried. Hopefully its a start and we move towards a better Steam and the devs that leave move back one day as well as support other stores.
I think the current Steam exodus might force Valve to think long and hard and actually be more hands on and try harder to please the community and thus offer a better experience for all.
We already saw days before the Epic Store public reveal they change their revenue share split slightly for the most successful games. It was a hollow, cynical attempt but hey. Someone, somewhere at Valve tried. Hopefully its a start and we move towards a better Steam and the devs that leave move back one day as well as support other stores.
Which publisher backed store locked in exclusives from third parties?
For some it is just a launcher and some people don't use the many features that have been listed in threads like this. Therefore that isn't shitposting. OTOH I've seen posts from ardent Steam defenders saying things like they hope the devs taking exclusivity for better promotion and royalties fail, or saying that the 24+ free games Epic will be giving away are no good because they don't have Steam trading cards. Just saying, it goes both ways.
It's not just about features it's also about regional pricing, which may not affect them but it affects several people. So saying "I don't see what the fuss is about" without checking what the fuss is about is indeed kinda shitposting because it conveys a fuck you got mine attitude.
Least they could do is atleast try to follow up a bit on what it's about, or even just read one page, before making a blanket statement and calling out others, simply because it doesn't make a difference to them.
The problem isn't that there are so many launchers/options. The problem is beginning to be that much like consoles, 3rd party games are being money hatted to only be on a specific store.
Publishers usually just put them out everywhere, or whichever worked best for them, but now we are going to start seeing a division in titles based not on quality of store or happiness of users/developers, but simply based on who pays more.
There is still a strong chance this silly shit blows over much like Microsoft's paid online for PCs (lol), but it's worrying that not only do big corporations think this is ok and how competition works, but that many consumers think it's great too (admittedly most of the people for it seem to be people who don't even use PC at all).
The potential for actual competition has existed for close to a decade already. The fact that Steam is still on top is not because they are perfect or amazing, it's because no other storefront has attempted to catch up to Steam in features, openness, location support, platform support, etc. If and when this happens, no one would give a shit. Steam isn't on top because they are buying out competition, that's what Epic is trying to do.
Publishers usually just put them out everywhere, or whichever worked best for them, but now we are going to start seeing a division in titles based not on quality of store or happiness of users/developers, but simply based on who pays more.
There is still a strong chance this silly shit blows over much like Microsoft's paid online for PCs (lol), but it's worrying that not only do big corporations think this is ok and how competition works, but that many consumers think it's great too (admittedly most of the people for it seem to be people who don't even use PC at all).
The potential for actual competition has existed for close to a decade already. The fact that Steam is still on top is not because they are perfect or amazing, it's because no other storefront has attempted to catch up to Steam in features, openness, location support, platform support, etc. If and when this happens, no one would give a shit. Steam isn't on top because they are buying out competition, that's what Epic is trying to do.
Personally, I'd like to have a unified launcher for all my games, but you can't ask that and still expect PC to remain an open platform. I wouldn't worry too much about Money hatted games, these kinds of practice won't be sustainable in the long run. Sure, it would give you a competitive edge if you have a comparable launcher vs competition. but the point is the launcher has to be comparable, so either Epic will give up the money hat, or its launcher actually getting better and crave a place for itself.
I don't know everybody else, but I do not irritate by the existence of other launchers, just lack of features etc. I mean, the MS first games came to PC are much more high profile than the current money hatted epic store indies, and yet they still won't able to get great sales mainly because of the store.
I don't know everybody else, but I do not irritate by the existence of other launchers, just lack of features etc. I mean, the MS first games came to PC are much more high profile than the current money hatted epic store indies, and yet they still won't able to get great sales mainly because of the store.
Speak for yourself. These other storefronts are just storefronts while Steam is a full featured platform with a storefront included.
You underestimate just how much work Valve put into Steam for it to be where it is today and what an astronomical task it would be for a competitor to catch up.
what are those issues? I'm genuinely interested to know.
No doubt steam has flaws but I have a hard time identifying BIG things that are wrong with it.
As a lifelong pc gamer i definitely understand and agree with it.
Instead we have to buy and boot up 3 different consoles with different UIs, controllers, fees and ecosystem features. Many realize that the competition results in a more money being invested in the industry that wouldn't otherwise be invested with pressure to keep offering more value and features.
In the end, there's no point in being angry about competition on an open platform. Valve hasn't earned the right to an aristocracy. If they continue to offer superior features and service compared to the other platforms, support them. Other companies have the right to compete.
Deciding not to purchase from another store is fine and choice as a consumer. Being angry about another store opening up is irrational.
Okay that's rediculous. I would LOVE for other launchers to match all of steams features. You're not thinking.
That's already a thing. To play FFXIV on PS4 you have to launch the launcher、login、and then the standard update before you can play. Warframe on PS4 has a launcher which checks the file integrity before you are allowed to play.
Haven't bought any games on Origin since Sim City, Uplay since Far Cry 3 (which was the Steam version that forced you to use it), Battle.net since Diablo III, and have avoided GTA V due to the Rockstar Social Club DRM, which locked me out of playing Max Payne 3 for literally years because it kept saying that my key was in use (by me) every time I tried to play it after reinstalling the game.
If the price gets low enough I will consider buying games on another store, but for me that price is around $10 or less, and I think the lowest I've seen GTA V has been $15 which just isn't worth the hassle.
There are so many great games out there, that it's really not difficult to avoid a handful of them which are locked to restrictive/bad platforms.
Meanwhile I have bought plenty of games on itch, Twitch, Humble, and GOG (though I doubt I will be continuing with the latter) because they don't incentivize developers to make games exclusive to their platforms, keys can be sold via third parties, and the games are DRM-free without requiring a launcher to play—so they integrate well with my Steam library.
Can Playnite launch all games with the Steam Overlay injected so I can use my controllers and stream to a TV?
you can. Use a password database, it's the best option you have. Also, never save your credit card info. It's not the problem of store if it's more convenient for you just to save it.
There's more than enough content on Steam, as is, to last me a lifetime of gaming. If other publishers don't want my business, that's up to them. I've tried Origin, Uplay, etc. All garbo. Even GoG couldn't really hold my interest.
Steam is nice. I enjoy my friends list, big picture mode, and I'm head over heels for my Steam controller. I trust Steam's security and know my personal information is safe with them. I've had to change my UPlay password twice after someone gained access to my account, and I don't even use their bullshit service.
I just don't care enough to migrate. Gaming isn't important enough in my life.
Steam is nice. I enjoy my friends list, big picture mode, and I'm head over heels for my Steam controller. I trust Steam's security and know my personal information is safe with them. I've had to change my UPlay password twice after someone gained access to my account, and I don't even use their bullshit service.
I just don't care enough to migrate. Gaming isn't important enough in my life.
Why would they need to improve things when they can just force people to use their store if they want to play certain games.
I don't know if you just didn't pay attention, but all recently acquired MS studios are fully honouring previously announced platform commitments for announced games. They aren't cancelling any Steam/Playstation releases etc. You comparison is fundamentally flawed.