Originally posted by -Pr-
To be fair, Steam sales blow the absolute shit out of almost any sale out there. They make even Black Friday look conservative at times. They're ridiculous.That said, digital PC game sales tend to be better than console sales by their very nature.
They do. Its easily the best reason to become a PC gamer IMO.
Originally posted by Kazenji
I mainly use GOG these days. They're DRM Freealso i've heard Humble Bundle is better then Steam sometimes.
GOG.com is good, but the selection is very limited. Also, Steam DRM is barely existent. There's no checks beyond the initial installation, and it's leagues better than Origin or Uplay or the old SecuROM.
Originally posted by -Pr-
I like gog, but the library is a bit outdated in terms of actual content, sadly.humble bundle is good/better on occasion, yes, though they mostly offer steam keys anyway.
👆
Originally posted by Nemesis X
Actually I find the sales on PS Network for Plus members to be comparable to those Steam sales. PC isn't the only thing that sells stuff cheap.
I've heard this is getting better. But it's still not quite comparable. Steam also offers a leg up for indie developers, some mod hosting for Steam games, and gift giving capability. I've spent hundreds on friends during sales, birthdays, or holidays, and it beats having to ship anything UPS.
Originally posted by Stealth Moose
Also, Steam DRM is barely existent. There's no checks beyond the initial installation, and it's leagues better than Origin or Uplay or the old SecuROM.
Except for the initial update that you need to get before playing a game 😬 ......Steam would be better if they already updated most of the games before buying them
barely existent?.... 😆 😆
Originally posted by Kazenji
Except for the initial update that you need to get before playing a game 😬 ......Steam would be better if they already updated most of the games before buying thembarely existent?.... 😆 😆
Initial installations include patches to date. Any subsequent patches are to the benefit of the consumer and are released typically as soon as the manufacturers make them available.
As for it being "riddled with DRM', the usual belief non-users start with, this is some kind of knee-jerk reaction to the past crap we had to deal with like SecuROM (which most Install Wizards never clarified was in use) and EA's typical "Oh, did you briefly lose a packet? Time to log you out of single player". In comparison, Steam only attempts initial verification during installation, and that's it. There's not a limitation on installations over PCs nor is online required after installation.
In ranking it in terms of minimal DRM, it ranks just below GOG.com, well above Uplay and somewhere at the bottom Origin is squealing for attention. Of course, this is all very obvious. Five minutes using the application or reading a Wikipedia page would tell you as much.
Originally posted by ares834
They do. Its easily the best reason to become a PC gamer IMO.
yup. anyone else remember what it was like trying to buy PC games before Steam came along? ****ing nightmare here in Europe, with so many stores only stocking the bare minimum.
Originally posted by Kazenji
Guess i like alot the older games more to some of the newer stuffalso GOG is working on getting more newer stuff rather then it being all solely about old games.
Steam has older games too.
Originally posted by Kazenji
Except for the initial update that you need to get before playing a game 😬 ......Steam would be better if they already updated most of the games before buying thembarely existent?.... 😆 😆
On average, Steam games are installed with updates included. It's addons that usually require updates, like high res texture packs and dlc, or new actual patches.
Are you getting your info from bad places? Is it outdated? Or do you really just dislike Steam? If it's the latter, that's fine. You don't HAVE to like Steam. Spreading bad information is kind of dicky, though.
Yes,
There is a reason why Steam does so (I forgot) but it has something to do with the developers using a specific version of each piece of software and how it is needed.
I guess on regular installations (from disc) that it would be installed automatically. I am not sure why there is another step.
But other than that, each version you download automatically has the newest version of the software. I have never came across a game needing to dl an update once you install it through Steam. There might be a couple of games that use proprietary software (like Uplay) that download the update.
Originally posted by Smasandian
Yes,There is a reason why Steam does so (I forgot) but it has something to do with the developers using a specific version of each piece of software and how it is needed.
I guess on regular installations (from disc) that it would be installed automatically. I am not sure why there is another step.
But other than that, each version you download automatically has the newest version of the software. I have never came across a game needing to dl an update once you install it through Steam. There might be a couple of games that use proprietary software (like Uplay) that download the update.
Speaking of, I was wondering something: If I buy a game through steam that would use uplay if I bought it retail, does it use both? or just steam? Like, say, the Assassin's Creed games.
I have most of the AC titles and they launch via Steam shortcut and Uplay comes up. I haven't explored an alternative but it seems Ubi is one of the few non-EA, non-MMO Steam titles that does this. However, Uplay is very memory friendly and non-intrusive, so I don't let it bother me. They even give you unlocks for the game through gameplay, like tokens earned playing AC: Brotherhood let you unlock characters, armor, and wallpapers. There's no exchange of money in this case.
Yeah. It still sucks but whatever.
There is still a few games out there that use Windows Live and it operates differently (the game runs then it logs into Windows Live) but the idea is the same.
Even though I rather have Steam games work like regular games without added interfaces it is kind of cool to get XBOX Live Achievements while playing PC games.
XBL has largely been discarded thankfully and companies like 2K and Capcom have chucked it. I had neglected to mention it and it is perhaps even worse than Origin. At least EA hasn't broken my games with patches; XBL rendered my copy of Bioshock 2 unplayable online because it keeps trying to patch and then repeatedly fails. There's a 19 character alphanumeric error code that no one in MS knows how to address. It's a crime against humanity.