Steam has also a guarantee for how long their services will be running.
EDIT: I can't find a source though. Could anyone help me?
I would love to hear the source behind this because it is a pretty outlandish claim.
Steam has also a guarantee for how long their services will be running.
EDIT: I can't find a source though. Could anyone help me?
There never really has been a second hand game market on the PC, even long before Steam became popular. So while low sale prices are nice (Steam prices at launch are often higher then retail prices), it doesn't do much towards taking away a need that has not really existed since the 90s.
.While true, buying a Steam game disc clearly states the game will need the steam platform to activate it. Non steam games you can trade it with no problem, but it's always a risk because they might have just kept the CDKey for themselvs.
I still don't see this as a point. There's no trade in section for PC games because for as long a I can remember, every game has a CD key and no store is willing to accept a game in case the key has been used.
Steam is not DRM, you can play many games you downloaded from steam without even running the Steam client. Yes some games have aditional DRM on top, but that has nothing to do with Valve or Steam.
Very very few games are completely DRM free on Steam. Pretty much every big release is guaranteed to not be DRM free on Steam. Can you name any big DRM free games?
When was the last time you actually tried it?
I can't remember but it didn't work when I needed it.
- Steam has also a guarantee for how long their services will be running. (Thanks Septimius)
Not really. It's for sure more likely to last longer than consoles but you can't guarantee this. This is an issue for both platforms.
Hopping on my escape goat.
Actually you could. Most PC games I played when I was young where either lend from friends or rented from stores.- Steam is a digital distribution platform. No one really expects to sell or trade in digital purchases, we use steam with that already in mind, however when I buy a freaking game console disc, no matter where I bought it, I sure as hell expect it to work.
Why not change expectations? You can buy a PC game on disk and not be able to trade it in either. I guess you could never do it on PC so it's not shocking but since you could previously do it on consoles, the change is even worse. However, I don't see this as a good point.
I think the reason why it never hits home is because the right explanations as to why they're not the same really aren't being brought forth very often. No offense to the OP, but from the standpoint of the people screaming that XBone isn't any different from Steam, most those are actually some pretty weak arguments. Saying it's not like Steam because it's just crappier and not as well done isn't really the point.
What needs to be emphasized is this: Steam is not a console. It is not trying to force anyone to do anything. It is merely one method of distribution of PC game content, a method that people choose to use because its benefits outweigh the restrictions. You can still buy almost every PC game you want in a store, and never tie it to a DD system.
The fact that this is a choice is extremely key here. Since Steam is not the only venue where PC games can be purchased, and since digital distribution lacks some of the incentives of physical media (particularly with regards to degree of ownership) they need to price competitively and do flash sales. Things that benefit the consumer.
PSN and XBox Marketplace are DD services like Steam. Albeit, poorly managed services that don't do much to make them significantly enticing over the alternative of purchasing physical copies in a fairly competitive marketplace. Nobody has a problem with this being an option.
What Microsoft is doing with the XBone is not trying to mimic Steam. They've already done that last generation. What they are trying to do is to eliminate any alternative methods of purchasing games by tying them all to the same system with the same restrictions. This makes it so that people no can no longer choose to buy games off of their version of Steam. They essentially have to. And when that's the case, consumers will have to suffer the restrictions without being able to reap the benefits. The benefits for the consumer won't be there, because with no alternative, the platform holder has no incentive to offer them.
I bought Crysis 3 for $60 on Steam.
Isn't that just wishful thinking? I don't think it has ever been fully confirmed.Steam has a written policy stating they would remove authentication requirements if Steam as a service shuts down and all games will remain playable. Sony and Microsoft have not done this yet.
I was never into gaming before DRM so maybe a loooong time ago it was cool to do.Actually you could. Most PC games I played when I was young where either lend from friends or rented from stores.
But I have the impression that this was different in other countries, as I've read this multiple times in discussions like this. At least technically there wasn't anything stopping you from lending/renting/selling used PC games before the whole DRM trend started (MP games could be an exception).
I bought Crysis 3 for $60 on Steam. I can't trade it in, I can't lend it to a friend, I can't sell it, I don't own it....Yeah, this is absolutely nothing like the situation on the Xbox. I don't see any similarities there at all. What kind of retard would compare the two?
lol no
Steam is a digital distribution service, as of now you can't sell your digital media anywhere weither it's be Steam, PSN, iOS or whatever. Until selling your digital media become an option there is no point in arguing otherwise.
I bought Crysis 3 for $60 on Steam. I can't trade it in, I can't lend it to a friend, I can't sell it, I don't own it....Yeah, this is absolutely nothing like the situation on the Xbox. I don't see any similarities there at all. What kind of retard would compare the two?
Isn't that just wishful thinking? I don't think it has ever been fully confirmed.
Beautiful post and I hope you don't mind me referring to this post in the future.I think the reason why it never hits home is because the right explanations as to why they're not the same really aren't being brought forth very often. No offense to the OP, but from the standpoint of the people screaming that XBone isn't any different from Steam, most those are actually some pretty weak arguments. Saying it's not like Steam because it's just crappier and not as well done isn't really the point.
What needs to be emphasized is this: Steam is not a console. It is not trying to force anyone to do anything. It is merely one method of distribution of PC game content, a method that people choose to use because its benefits outweigh the restrictions. You can still buy almost every PC game you want in a store, and never tie it to a DD system.
The fact that this is a choice is extremely key here. Since Steam is not the only venue where PC games can be purchased, and since digital distribution lacks some of the incentives of physical media (particularly with regards to degree of ownership) they need to price competitively and do flash sales. Things that benefit the consumer.
PSN and XBox Marketplace are DD services like Steam. Albeit, poorly managed services that don't do much to make them significantly enticing over the alternative of purchasing physical copies in a fairly competitive marketplace. Nobody has a problem with this being an option.
What Microsoft is doing with the XBone is not trying to mimic Steam. They've already done that last generation. What they are trying to do is to eliminate any alternative methods of purchasing games by tying them all to the same system with the same restrictions. This makes it so that people no can no longer choose to buy games off of their version of Steam. They essentially have to. And when that's the case, consumers will have to suffer the restrictions without being able to reap the benefits. The benefits for the consumer won't be there, because with no alternative, the platform holder has no incentive to offer them.
You bought Crysis 3 on Origin.