Which one is your favorite PC launcher and or how would you improve them?

[Tuco Benedicto Pacifico]

- Steam is the easy winner in terms of features, interface and (surprisingly enough given its insane amount of "extra stuff") reliable performances. Also, despise being the "old guy" of the bunch, it keeps being the most forward thinking of the bunch, constantly adding and changing.

- GoG used to be barren as hell, now it has its own selling points -mostly being entirely DRM free if you choose so- and its integration of several clients, but the first function is a bit overrated (for all intents and purposes so is every single player using just Steamworks, absolutely trivial to "crack" after launch day) and the second far more cumbersome to use than the description suggests. Also, fairly bloated in terms of loading times/browsing.

- Uplay and Origin upgraded over the years from being terrible to be just pointlessly redundant and insipid to use, but mostly harmless.

- The trash tier is occupied by the Windows Store with its insanely invasive UWP thing and the EGS, that SOMEHOW manages to be the client that is BOTH the most barren of features and the most slow to load/browse. People who say they like the EGS "because it's lightweight" are probably just trolling, to be honest.

 

[Software Update]

The best platform is steam by far.

the real question is what is everyone's favorite game streaming launcher. PSNow, Stadia, or Xcloud?

 

[DammitLloyd]

Steam hands down.

-Awesome Sales
-VR integration
-Promotes mods with the steam workshop that installs mods for you!
-Big Picture
-Utilizes my 1gigabit DL perfectly.
-Actually installs the game properly with no errors that make me redownload everything.
-awesome refund policy
-forum for each game
-achievements
-DS4 support
-family sharing

these features are just the ones that I utilize on a daily basis. There's probably more that I don't know about that others find very useful, even for a developer.

 

[Deleted member 16452]

-Utilizes my 1gigabit DL perfectly.
-Actually installs the game properly with no errors that make me redownload everything.

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These two reminded me of how on EGS it will always use my full bandwidth with no way to limit it, so you learn to appreciate little things like Steam letting you set a speed limit.

 

[ThreepwoodMighty]

EGS is the worst launcher of them all. It's been one year since their great pull, yet we have no features.

 

[Deleted member 13560]

The Windows Store/XBOX App and EGS are the worst times I've had when it comes to gaming on PC. I will say EGS is better than Windows Store by a lot. I do own games on both platforms because I'm not one to just stick to one thing. But damn they are bad. The XBox App. It is so convoluted. It doesn't even show you the games that you own unless they are downloaded. You have to go to the Windows Store to see your past purchases. Which is a nightmare because it includes every individual piece of DLC for a game you have... it is so bad.

 

[Lightjolly]

i like gog galaxy 2.0 since it puts all your games in one place
i just use other launchers to download and buy now

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This, GOG 2.0 is the only one I use now

 

[Pargon]

This situation started because someone was complaining about the staff offsite. Now the staff is trolling and gaslighting us.

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Is that why this nonsense has kicked up again? Where was it getting enough attention that the staff here decided to start doing this again?

 

[Software Update]

Is that why this nonsense has kicked up again? Where was it getting enough attention that the staff here decided to start doing this again?

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https://www.resetera.com/threads/it...happened-and-were-still-playing-games.166324/

The mod made this thread because the other one was locked. Apparently one of the former mods is accusing people on Twitter, and it's related to the drama over the EGS last year.

 

[Deleted member 16452]

This, GOG 2.0 is the only one I use now

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Do they get most games now? I think I would try it after such an overwhelmingly positive reception its getting here.

 

[cardboardboxer]

My favorite PC launcher is the Oculus one right now.

I wish all VR owners could use it. Much better than Steam VR.

 

[the-pi-guy]

I hate EGS. It's very barebones and still I have had bug issues. Like the home page doesn't load properly half the time.

Steam, Origin, GOG are all fine. Steam is my go-to.

 

[AHA-Lambda]

How can we put Mods onto the ignore list?

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This one in particular, I wish.

 

[Deleted member 16452]

My favorite PC launcher is the Oculus one right now.

I wish all VR owners could use it. Much better than Steam VR.

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I wonder how their launcher was on PC and I do need to pick a VR headset before Alyx comes out.

 

[JustJavi]

Do they get most games now? I think I would try it after such an overwhelmingly positive reception its getting here.

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Try it, you'll never look back.

 

[cardboardboxer]

I wonder how their launcher was on PC and I do need to pick a VR headset before Alyx comes out.

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It's what a VR launcher should be, and when configured right can make your PC almost feel like the VR console you imagined as a kid.

Steep price though in that you then get locked in. I would never get a SteamVR only headset now (Revive isn't good enough), and I really only use SteamVR when I have to (I will with Alyx).

 

[Deleted member 8860]

The best launcher for me is just WIndows (no launcher). I don't want overlays or chat or forums or achievements or activity tracking or any of that extraneous stuff. Let me just click on a desktop/start menu icon and play my game.

 

[Deleted member 16452]

It's what a VR launcher should be, and when configured right can make your PC almost feel like the VR console you imagined as a kid.

Steep price though in that you then get locked in. I would never get a SteamVR only headset now (Revive isn't good enough), and I really only use SteamVR when I have to (I will with Alyx).

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My main debate is the Samsung one or go all in with Index.

 

[Deleted member 16452]

The best launcher for me is just WIndows (no launcher). I don't want overlays or chat or forums or achievements or activity tracking or any of that extraneous stuff. Let me just click on a desktop/start menu icon and play my game.

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EGS is literally almost 10/10 for you then!

 

[Deleted member 8860]

EGS is literally almost 10/10 for you then!

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I mean, I do have EGS, Steam, Origin, UPlay, Amazon Games, and the Microsoft Store all installed and do use them on an as-needed basis. I just try to ignore or disable as much of the launcher features as possible. I'd be happier if I could just launch the games from my desktop without EGS/Steam/etc. launching/running (EGS isn't of negligible weight, even if it is cleaner than Steam).

 

[Deleted member 16452]

I mean, I do have EGS, Steam, Origin, UPlay, Amazon Games, and the Microsoft Store all installed and do use them on an as-needed basis. I just try to ignore or disable as much of the launcher features as possible. I'd be happier if I could just launch the games from my desktop without EGS/Steam/etc. launching/running (EGS isn't of negligible weight, even if it is cleaner than Steam).

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I was happy to delete Origin when I beat Jedi.

 

[Valkerion]

I wanted to say Steam but ever since their last big update I get no pictures in the start up ad popup and it takes like 5 noticeable seconds to pop the storefront. Wonder if its a regional problem but its been like this for a few months now.

EGS is very barebones... but it loads the first try so it's got that going.

I liked Blizzard's but I only used it for Destiny 2 and Diablo 3, and I don't play either anymore.

I'm a PC casual adrift in meh storefront options at the moment.

so I choose Origin.

 

[Deleted member 16452]

I wanted to say Steam but ever since their last big update I get no pictures in the start up ad popup and it takes like 5 noticeable seconds to pop the storefront. Wonder if its a regional problem but its been like this for a few months now.

EGS is very barebones... but it loads the first try so it's got that going.

I liked Blizzard's but I only used it for Destiny 2 and Diablo 3, and I don't play either anymore.

I'm a PC casual adrift in meh storefront options at the moment.

so I choose Origin.

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Yea, EGS is the odd one that actually just works everytime, barebones as hell but just launches your game.

 

[Woodbeam]

It's what a VR launcher should be, and when configured right can make your PC almost feel like the VR console you imagined as a kid.

Steep price though in that you then get locked in. I would never get a SteamVR only headset now (Revive isn't good enough), and I really only use SteamVR when I have to (I will with Alyx).

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Sorry, but I've got to give a dissenting take. The Oculus launcher, or rather major aspects of its overall client, are absolutely awful.

When closing the launcher multiple related executables continue to run, including OVRServer, which even goes so far as to restart itself when its process is killed. While that executable is running your sensors are kept on indefinitely. As a CV1 user this means that I'd have active cameras pointing at me even when the client appears to be inactive unless I go through and make sure the process is dead, which I do by running the whole client through a batch file that stops the Oculus VR Runtime service when I close the launcher. Luckily this is simple, I'm not all that tech savvy but I don't want cameras watching me in my private space without my consent.

To make things worse, after a long break from using my headset I came back recently to discover that at some point they tied core elements of the headset's overall functionality to the Oculus Dash executable, so that you have to run it for the headset to function at all. Oculus Dash is the VR interface, and interacting with VR software through it is fine, but forcing it on users is absurd. By default it's a massive memory hog thanks to the asset-heavy Oculus Home environment it comes with. When I first got my headset I didn't have much memory (running Lone Echo on 12GB of RAM got dicey, but it worked out in the end), so I killed the Oculus Dash process whenever I used the headset. Now that's impossible. Lucky that I've gotten more memory since then, or I'd be SOL.

Oculus has easily been my worst experience with a PC software "ecosystem." It's Facebook though, so I probably should've expected it. One upside is that there isn't any lock in, so you saying that "you get locked in" confused me. Oculus headsets run SteamVR just fine, and SteamVR is built to accomodate them. The early days when Facebook actively fought against Revive, that was actual lock in, and it's something that should never be allowed to succeed. Thankfully it wasn't.



I still can't believe that a mod is posting like this, and this is apparently fine with site staff. Complete foolishness.

 

[Genio88]

I don't care about game launchers, i play R6 Siege i launch it and Uplay launches, i play Rocket League i launch it and Steam launches, whatever it is it's not a big deal to me

 

[Deleted member 16452]

I don't care about game launchers, i play R6 Siege i launch it and Uplay launches, i play Rocket League i launch it and Steam launches, whatever it is it's not a big deal to me

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What launcher you choose for whatever reason should have never been a thing like it was.

Steam is still king and this thread is evidence.

But it could still get better too!

Improved big picture mode would melt me.

 

[DSP]

my desktop. I double click on the icon and it goes right into the game, no middle man, no overlay nonsense. Sadly only gog works like that these days.

 

[molnizzle]

How are people still using Playnite? It's so goddamn unreliable. "Error importing library" all the time. I re-authenticate, it's fine, go to import again, get an error. My Playnite UI is filled with shit I've uninstalled and missing stuff I have now. Completely useless program.

 

[MythicReclaimer]

My main debate is the Samsung one or go all in with Index.

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Experiences will differ but mine in particular with the Windows Mixed Reality based Samsung Odyssey+ concerning compatibility and tracking was mostly absolutely atrocious. Returned it and recently got a Rift S and the experience has been night and day-like in a positive way.

 

[Deleted member 45414]

Head in the sand, huh...

A thought on what steam can do better in the future, Steam has to work on it's image when it comes to the business to business front, since there's an almost animosity when you look at developers (somewhat understandable) and press (this I don't get, outside of personal biases, I guess).

 

[Conkerkid11]

Origin is the worst out of all of them. I appreciate the fact that they're releasing their shit elsewhere now, but I don't understand why they insist on making us deal with their pos client still.

Uplay's alright. They've got this great feature I wish Steam would use where a game's page displays a bunch of stats specific to what you've done in that game.

Haven't used EGS since I finished BL3. I dunno.

Battlenet is ass. It's the only thing on the entire planet that actually shuts my internet off if I don't cap its download speed. There's loads of threads about it. Hasn't been fixed in years. That and the dumb thing where for some reason it keeps old versions of clients whenever it updates. That shit adds up.

One thing I've noticed with basically every client is they all used to have features allowing you to link things like Facebook and add friends from there, but that feature vanished off the face of the planet and nobody seemed to notice.

 

[Kurt Russell]

My favorite PC launcher is the Oculus one right now.

I wish all VR owners could use it. Much better than Steam VR.

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I wish I could buy their games when not on deep sales, considering they don't have regional pricing, and only take "generic" payment systems. I also have some other issues with stuff like the Oculus app installing itself on the C drive unless you look up a specific command (what year is it?!) and that you can only download the downloader, which then proceeds to download like 8gb of data. Something went wrong mid download? Good luck, try again. Need to uninstall and reinstall for troubleshooting? Time to redownload the whole thing!

 

[Speely]

I like Steam. Being able to switch to Big Picture and set up my own control options/configurations is great, and I've never had any issues with the other features. I like the Discovery Queue and being alerted when wishlist items are on sale. My friends are on there, too, so it's easy.

 

[Deleted member 16452]

This thread made me aware of them and I tried the twitch/amazon launcher and its kind of my worst rated now.

 

[ShadowAUS]

This thread made me aware of them and I tried the twitch/amazon launcher and its kind of my worst rated now.

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Yeah it's pretty awful, the only reason I use it is because they rolled Curseforge into it. Other than that, it's not great.

 

[Deleted member 16452]

Yeah it's pretty awful, the only reason I use it is because they rolled Curseforge into it. Other than that, it's not great.

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It is truly horrendous.

 

[Bufbaf]

GOG, then epic. Steam is too slow and crowded with stuff I don't care for, and Uplay etc are just useless overall, only serving one particular publisher. they keep getting better though.