The best DRM system in the world starts to un-rent games

[User was nabbed fit]

Oh, so VO is to Steam what Xi is to OnLive

Nice PR-pamphlet there, indeed. As to people wanting options, I can -once again- recommmend GamersGate. You can download the game files and store them just as easily as if you'd have d/l them from GOG and there's no additional DRM involved - all the games have the DRM that the developer put it. Unfortunately they are bit pricey and don't have firehouse sales that often if ever.

Yeah, because OnLive is totally comparable to STEAM, right? STEAM being massively popular, massively profitable, and actually works. Tell me, does that apply to OnLive too? No, I don't think so. Supporting something that's actually proved itself is quite different to supporting a turd like OnLive.

STEAM. Good for what it is. Which is cheap games. No point in buying new releases from STEAM because you can always get them cheaper from retail stores (including online ones).

 

[~*´¨¯¨`*·~-.¸-AIN'T]

Don't understand the arguments. I buy from Steam because it's cheap. If my games get taken away then I'll just pirate. Big deal.

 

[LordDenton]

Don't understand the arguments. I buy from Steam because it's cheap. If my games get taken away then I'll just pirate. Big deal.

It's kinda sad how you Steam sheep believe Steam is cheap. If I go and do a comparison now, at least 98% of game on Steam will be more expensive than their counterparts on Amazon. Not to mention that on Amazon you also get a disc, box, and manual, while with Steam you only get a fucking download (you know, the same offering as The Pirate Bay).

But then again, Steam does target retards, so I'm not surprised their user base is... slow.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

Yes, Amazon is always cheaper than those regular 50-75% off deals.

REATRDS!!!! MORANS!!!! IMMA BIG BOI

 

[User was nabbed fit]

I've heard that STEAM is actually cheaper than retail in some countries (even with new releases). So don't just ignorantly look at it from a narrow, purely American point of view. As for myself, it is true that I can find most new games cheaper in retail, so that's what I do. However, there are plenty of 75% off deals on STEAM throughout the year... and in those cases, they are often good or decent deals. I can't remember spending more than about five to ten bucks (tops) for a STEAM game for those two very reasons.


There's a lot of butthurt about STEAM here. If you don't like it, don't use it. There's no need for such a religious fanatic-type condemnation of people who do. Save your drivel and stop trying to be a Kodex Kool Kid. Some STEAM users have their reasons, and not all of us purchase blindly.

tl;dr mind your own fucking business.

 

[el Supremo]

I guess, if I still have had my steam account, I'd like to convince myself how cool and dandy the STEAM is. Maybe even, who knows, I'd be preaching out, about it's greatnes. Loud enough on drown my own doubts about this shoddy service.

 

[User was nabbed fit]

I guess, if I was a terrible newfag, I'd like to try and fit in with all the Kodex Kool Kids too. Maybe even, who knows, skyway would take me under his wing! Surely that would be enough to make any newfag think he is wanted by anyone here.


I think the funniest ones are the so called "former users" of STEAM. You'd have to be pretty stupid to start using a service without looking into the terms and conditions first. If you think that requiring periodical connections to the net is a shoddy service, then you probably shouldn't have agreed to use STEAM. Maybe some people would've saved themselves some butthurt by doing some research on what they were blindly throwing their money at.

 

[Admiral jimbob]

The only people fervently preaching are the ones who're ridiculously obsessed with how Steam is like Satan but worse.

 

[el Supremo]

I guess, if I was a terrible newfag, I'd like to try and fit in with all the Kodex Kool Kids too. Maybe even, who knows, skyway would take me under his wing! Surely that would be enough to make any newfag think he is wanted by anyone here.


I think the funniest ones are the so called "former users" of STEAM. You'd have to be pretty stupid to start using a service without looking into the terms and conditions first. If you think that requiring periodical connections to the net is a shoddy service, then you probably shouldn't have agreed to use STEAM. Maybe some people would've saved themselves some butthurt by doing some research on what they were blindly throwing their money at.

Start using a service. Now, that sonuded seriously. The thing is, I did not started to use any service. I just have bought a game and had to jump through several hoops before it let my play.

Besides, if I, or someone else, dare to complain about having to be online all the time, some random STEAM apologist would stated something like "you can put it in offline mode, gosh". You know that. No strings attached?

 

[User was nabbed fit]

If those hoops include using STEAM, then, yes, you did start using its service whether you wanted to or not. Perhaps you should've looked into it a bit more before getting and installing the game, as well as STEAM itself?

 

[Pelvis Knot]

All of you stating that Valve could go down without releasing a permanent offline mode - possible. But do you really believe a scene crack of the client wouldn't come in 24 - 48 hours after that?

Anyway, I was a pirate up until Christmas 2009 - when I heard about GOG, and their Christmas sale.

I tried Steam in May last year, when they gave Portal away. Since then I spent 43$ I believe, mostly on deals like 2.50$ for Deus Ex, 7$ for M&B Warband, a few bucks on X-Com... Games I couldn't find on GOG really. I spent around 150$ on GOG.

The reason I was a pirate was convenience(the pirates sent the games in mail) but mostly money.
Original games in Croatia in the late nineties had a price of 80 - 100$ (at least what I saw in stores), while the average wage in Croatia was perhaps 600-700$ (Croatia also has relatively high costs of living compared to nations with similar income). There was also a slight problem of travelling 50km just to get to the store. So no, I never even considered buying an original game.
Digital downloads (including TPB) have a tremendous price advantage here, I don't know if the concept of bargain bin even exists here (I remember I saw some BG compilation a few years ago for 45$).

There is a third reason I prefer digital, even if I could choose a hard copy instead: digital downloads come without a box, without some shitty "manual" and without a shitty optical disc.
They only take space on my HDD, and not in my room.


* I used USD as it is valued now, it was much stronger back then so the prices were probably not as outrageous as they seem.

 

[Karmapowered]

I like Steam.

Never had an issue with them.

Not that it matters, but am also using GOG and GamersGate.

 

[Metro]

you guys are all such tools for the corporations.

Everyone is unless you live in a self-made shack in Montana with no utilities like the Unabomber did.

 

[Mangoose]

Don't understand the arguments. I buy from Steam because it's cheap. If my games get taken away then I'll just pirate. Big deal.

It's kinda sad how you Steam sheep believe Steam is cheap. If I go and do a comparison now, at least 98% of game on Steam will be more expensive than their counterparts on Amazon.

During the sales, retard.

I buy from Amazon or wherever else if it's cheaper at the moment.

Retard.

 

[waywardOne]

i know that i've bought a few games via Steam; however, i couldn't tell you what they were because they were wiped from both my hard drive and my brain. expense and convenience are non-issues if the games still suck, and if a game doesn't suck i want the physical source.

 

[Clockwork Knight]

Start using a service. Now, that sonuded seriously. The thing is, I did not started to use any service. I just have bought a game and had to jump through several hoops before it let my play.

http://store.steampowered.com/subscriber_agreement/

STEAM® SUBSCRIBER AGREEMENT


This Steam Subscriber Agreement ("Agreement") is a legal document that explains your rights and obligations as a Subscriber. Please read it carefully.

1. REGISTRATION AND ACTIVATION.

Steam is an online service ("Steam") offered by Valve Corporation ("Valve").

You become a subscriber of Steam ("Subscriber") by installing the Steam client software and completing the Steam registration. Additionally, as a Subscriber you may obtain access to certain services, software and content ("Subscriptions") available to Subscribers. Conclusion of this contract between Valve and you takes place as soon as you access the Steam service after accepting this Agreement.

Dunno bro, sure looks like a service to me

 

[LordDenton]

Don't understand the arguments. I buy from Steam because it's cheap. If my games get taken away then I'll just pirate. Big deal.

It's kinda sad how you Steam sheep believe Steam is cheap. If I go and do a comparison now, at least 98% of game on Steam will be more expensive than their counterparts on Amazon.

During the sales, retard.

I buy from Amazon or wherever else if it's cheaper at the moment.

Retard.

Uh uh. Most of the time Steam sale = regular Amazon pricing.

And of course you get a manual + box + disc with your Amazon purchase, whereas Steam gives you a limited version of what Pirate Bay provides you for free: a fucking download infected with DRM. So why even bother with Steam?

Anyway, I wouldn't have as much of a problem with Steam if it wasn't infecting my physical purchases. Wanna play Empire Total War off a disc? Tough luck, the disc is tainted with Steam. Can't play the game without installing Steam, creating a Steam account, and activating the game on it. And this is advertised as "a good thing" by the publisher.

And this possible only because of you Steam retards who are too stupid to understand the value of money.

 

[Mangoose]

Uh uh. Most of the time Steam sale = regular Amazon pricing.

no

 

[kris]

I have lost all my Valve's faith, when the games (entire HL series) became unplayable one beautifull day. They were supposedly put into offline mode weeks erlier, when all of the sudden the Steam demanded an internet connection, before it will let my play my games. While I, and my laptop, have been far away, in the wilderness.
After I finally returned to a civilisation, I promptly sold my account, just after re-activating it, and proceeded to hate the steam with burnig passion from that day on.

Similar experiences have put me in the position that I will not buy games that demands an internet connection to start. That means I am really on the fence with the Starcraft 2 expansions...

 

[Admiral jimbob]

Uh uh. Most of the time Steam sale = regular Amazon pricing.

Blood Bowl Steam sale = $10
Blood Bowl Amazon price = $30

Sure thing bro

STEAM EATAETARDS froth froth

 

[Pegultagol]

The only truly bad thing about Steam is that its runaway success and its effect on used games market have convinced major players in the industry to start their own copycat online distribution and activation service, with terrible consequences for the paying user.

Maybe Valve should start selling physical version of the games sold as well, with the disc mailed to your address for a small charge at checkout, along with the downloaded content that can be played right away. That would really light the fire on the asses of retail channels and has a miniscule chance of happening, although it'd be amusing to see Valve buying up an airplane hangar or something to make room for the storage.

For all its intents and purposes, I think the optical media era is more or less over; the next era of games might come in 32GB flash memory cards that would at least make your graphics cards with 2GB VRAM to work for its watts. Or something like OnLive will get more popular making it possible to access a wide variety of games on a subscription service renewed periodically. Valve will sit pretty in the middle, until the day you eventually outgrow games.

 

[baronjohn]

The only truly bad thing about STEAM is that it exists.

 

[commie]

The best part will come when some years later when Steam will already be a hard to crack hardware based DRM it will close its doors.

And all the morons who gave them money suddenly will learn that they will never play those games anymore. Will never see that good looking hat and badass diamond-studded monocle they bought for their Team Fortress 3 character for $25 a piece.

And they will do nothing because there are zero laws in any countries to control the digital distribution.

In fact you just buy a time-limited license to play the game

This. It's even worse when companies put online activation/steam whatever on physical store bought copies. What the fuck is this shit? Right now if I want to pay a game from the early 90's, I can pop in the CD, boot int Dosbox and away I go. Never mind that the company hasn't existed for 10 years or more. Good luck playing half the store bought stuff these days(the fact that very little of it is worth playing again in a decades' time is not the issue) in the future. This isn't even about whether Steam will close down, but it's protocols may change, older OS will stop being supported making it impossible to play these older games because Steam won't work etc. What the fuck then?

 

[Clockwork Knight]

And this possible only because of you Steam retards who are too stupid to understand the value of money.

>>spends money on videogames
>>chastises people for not understanding the value of money

lulz

 

[Luzur]

you guys are all such tools for the corporations.

Everyone is unless you live in a self-made shack in Montana with no utilities like the Unabomber did.

i dunno about you but game developer corporations isnt that big in my life.