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[alabtrosMyster]

PC launchers who don't include an Xbox version for a bought game have no right to exist.

Steam has only accomplished one thing, creating an extra barrier between me and my games. Nuisance at best, and genuine hinderance at worst. Luckily more and more games appear in the MS Store nowadays thanks to Game Pass.

Oh crap, we have a bot here.

Gamepass is the worst form of these things.

 

[Platinumstorm]

Launchers in general have been terrible for pc gaming. It splits up player bases for games.

My favorite example of this is killer instinct. You have one group on Microsoft game store, and another group on steam.

While Steam probably isn't a monopoly, its community features probably are; there's really nothing like it on the market; the next closest being discord.

I would also argue that if challenged, gaming companies in general might have to allow for play between different launchers, because that is an insurmountable competitive advantage for steam.

We're likely fortunate that Valve is a private company with an owner who cares about gaming.

I've never had a problem with any other game launchers functionality, but I do hate ubisoft's launcher.

 

[Kenpachii]

Launchers in general have been terrible for pc gaming. It splits up player bases for games.

My favorite example of this is killer instinct. You have one group on Microsoft game store, and another group on steam.

While Steam probably isn't a monopoly, its community features probably are; there's really nothing like it on the market; the next closest being discord.

We're likely fortunate that Valve is a private company with an owner who cares about gaming.

I've never had a problem with any other game launchers functionality, but I do hate ubisoft's launcher.

Reason why gog is useless. Bought divinity 2, online crickets. Bought it on steam, tons of people.

 

[RoboFu]

Anyone can sell their game directly for practically free. So no there can be no monopoly on pc.

The thing is steam provides so many services for consumers, developers, and publishers plus visibility for their games.

The big problem with egs and others is those services are either subpar or don't exist.

 

[Buggy Loop]

That is just pure BS. Steam has way too many useful features that would be annoying as fuck to be without, as we used to be.
Hell the reason Steam exists is because Valve hated how every time they released an update for counterstrike, it took a week before everyone could play because people had to download patches manually from websites like fileplanet and did that slowly.

The moment I used Steam to connect to a friend's multiplayer game just by clicking on his name and then "join in game" I knew Steam was brilliant.

Most of "DRM" on Steam is basically a logon and license handshake. Same thing that consoles have been doing. It's keeping achievements/cloud saves. It's DRM light. In fact most games allows the removal of "steamworks" which effectively makes it DRM free. Witcher 3 for example is DRM free once steamwork is disabled. In fact steamwork is entirely up to devs and Steam does not enforce it, but why would devs opt out if a —no-steamworks argument will remove it?

I wish I could have a fiery passion against DRM but I never found a reason to. I much prefer the ease of use it provides versus handling game folders and exe and patches manually and store this shit somewhere because clearly, the whole point of DRM free is to continue gaming after the infrastructure of men collapses and you can still access Fallout 2 in your bunker while poor Steam users lost the chance to have first world problems in a collapses society (somehow still have electricity though?)

 

[justiceiro]

As someone who grew up installing dozen of that launchers that asian MMO required, these complaints are so funny, lol.

Sorry op, but nothing beat free games.

 

[Trazyn the Infinite]

Most of "DRM" on Steam is basically a logon and license handshake. Same thing that consoles have been doing. It's keeping achievements/cloud saves. It's DRM light. In fact most games allows the removal of "steamworks" which effectively makes it DRM free. Witcher 3 for example is DRM free once steamwork is disabled. In fact steamwork is entirely up to devs and Steam does not enforce it, but why would devs opt out of a —no-steamworks argument will remove it?

I wish I could have a fiery passion against DRM but I never found a reason to. I much prefer the ease of use it provides versus handling game folders and exe and patches manually and store this shit somewhere because clearly, the whole point of DRM free is to continue gaming after the infrastructure of men collapses and you can still access Fallout 2 in your bunker while poor Steam users lost the chance to have first world problems in a collapses society (somehow still have electricity though?)

DRM is DRM. If you have to "log on" to play a game at any time, its bullshit. Its why GoG is and will always be superior to Steam. The only reason DRM exists is to annoy consumers and give publishers peace of mind that they are "fighting the good fight" against thieves, without actually doing anything other than preventing said thieves from playing it for a couple days until the inevitable crack.

There is literally no reason to ever have it. It only serves to hamper consumers and gives them less choice. There is zero upside.

 

[poppabk]

I'm old school. No launchers should exist period. Shortcuts to .exe's is all anyone ever needed.

Don't want to go back to this shit thanks.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Most of "DRM" on Steam is basically a logon and license handshake. Same thing that consoles have been doing. It's keeping achievements/cloud saves. It's DRM light. In fact most games allows the removal of "steamworks" which effectively makes it DRM free. Witcher 3 for example is DRM free once steamwork is disabled. In fact steamwork is entirely up to devs and Steam does not enforce it, but why would devs opt out of a —no-steamworks argument will remove it?

I wish I could have a fiery passion against DRM but I never found a reason to. I much prefer the ease of use it provides versus handling game folders and exe and patches manually and store this shit somewhere because clearly, the whole point of DRM free is to continue gaming after the infrastructure of men collapses and you can still access Fallout 2 in your bunker while poor Steam users lost the chance to have first world problems in a collapses society (somehow still have electricity though?)

biggest argument against DRM is when:
-It hampers use (affects performance, locks you out of the game for no good reason, etc)
-Makes game unplayable after its abandoned by devs (Most affected by this are always online games)

Personally i don't mind Steam's DRM that much. Its doesn't really give me much trouble and its easy to bypass. Still, i always go for completely drm free when i can since they're the most unlikely to give me trouble.

Denuvo can get fucked in the ass with sandpaper tho.
And MS store deserves to die a slow painful death and have its grave farted on.

 

[Kenpachii]

Anyone can sell their game directly for practically free. So no there can be no monopoly on pc.

The thing is steam provides so many services for consumers, developers, and publishers plus visibility for their games.

The big problem with egs and others is those services are either subpar or don't exist.

Exactly

 

[Gamezone]

I totally agree. When I see a game using Origin I usually wait for a sale before picking it up.

 

[Guilty_AI]

I totally agree. When I see a game using Origin I usually wait for a sale before picking it up.

I almost bought NFS Heat when it was on sale for 95% off, then i remembered it used origin.

 

[jshackles]

They have a right to exist because PC is open to all.

But I have a right not to use them.

 

[Sanepar]

Nothing should exist besides steam

 

[Fuz]

I'm so sick of all the launchers on PC.

And guess who is to blame for that.

 

[ScHlAuChi]

Valve needs competition, they sit on a mountain of cash and do barely anything with it.
No, I´m not saying the Steam Deck or Valve Index is nothing, but compare that to what Epic does with Unreal Engine 5.
That engine is not only the future of gaming, but also movie production.
Valve´s engine is a decade behind the competition, and yet they invest nothing!

 

[Fuz]

It literally wasn't until origin/uplay stepped in that steam started improving rapidly; origin was the first to offer refunds (and to this day has the best refund policy), and both it and uplay allowed you to choose where to install the game and had a bandwidth limiter. Steam had none of those things (and some other things I'm blanking on right now) and it's pre-load system is still fucking dogshit.

steam STILL don't allow you to chose a fucking install folder.

It's a piece of trash that gets praised because for people is "their favourite team <3".

 

[64gigabyteram]

Most of "DRM" on Steam is basically a logon and license handshake. Same thing that consoles have been doing. It's keeping achievements/cloud saves. It's DRM light. In fact most games allows the removal of "steamworks" which effectively makes it DRM free. Witcher 3 for example is DRM free once steamwork is disabled. In fact steamwork is entirely up to devs and Steam does not enforce it, but why would devs opt out of a —no-steamworks argument will remove it?

yeah this is the thing... I hate DRM but steamworks doesn't really do much and it benefits me more than anything, it's playable offline, it works with achievements, online play, etc. I wish that steamworks weren't a requirement and moreso just a DLL you put into a game directory if you want some extra features

steam STILL don't allow you to chose a fucking install folder.

i mean choosing what drive you'd like to install your games on is good enough, no? You'd basically organize all of your games in a single folder anyways so whtts the big deal

 

[Fuz]

i mean choosing what drive you'd like to install your games on is good enough, no?

No.

 

[dotnotbot]

OP sounds like a Hitler of game launchers

 

[TintoConCasera]

I miss having my pc's desktop full of videogame shortcuts.

 

[gothmog]

Paper DRM was the best. Code wheels and manuals with codes on certain pages were the best. There has always been DRM on PC games for the most part.

I think steam is the best tradeoff we have seen around DRM. Keys allow flexibility around how rights are distributed and sold. That keeps prices reasonable. The rights are cross device which makes it portable. And the games are patched.

 

[poppabk]

steam STILL don't allow you to chose a fucking install folder.

It's a piece of trash that gets praised because for people is "their favourite team <3".

It doesn't? I have steam games installed all over the place. Pretty sure you can specify a folder.

 

[Umbasaborne]

Its just a launcher, you wont lose your gamer cred if you use the epic store, i promise. I swear, launcher warz are just as silly as console warz

 

[Thirty7ven]

PC gamers who rave on about it being an open platform, the ability to mod games and buy keys but then go on and act like they can't be bothered to use another launcher are certified insane. Clown shoes.

It's a PC, take the hint already.

 

[SmokedMeat]

If you're going to exist, then you need to bring something to the table. Don't be lazy, forced bullshit like Rockstar, Take 2, Bethesda, or Origin.
As for Epic, they made the mistake of catering to publishers over players. And fuck Epic for being the only fuckers to pay to lock games away from competing stores! Fuck Epic for removing my choice. There's a big reason why PC gamers are shunning Epic, so console gamers can stay in their lane and shut up. Funny thing is Timmy Epic's complaining about Google doing exactly what he does. That fucktard.

But yeah, outside of Steam/GoG nobody else does it right.

I'll still give props to Uplay though as they at least make an effort. I especially like how their game rewards cross over among each other. That and earning points that translates to discounts in the store. That's nice.

I'll even give props to Microsoft for having cross buy.

 

[nemiroff]

PC gamers who rave on about it being an open platform, the ability to mod games and buy keys but then go on and act like they can't be bothered to use another launcher are certified insane. Clown shoes.

It's a PC, take the hint already.

Way over the top like a twelve-year old suddenly discovering puberty. No one is going to fall for your retarded trollbait.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

OK Stalin. Some more orders how the economy should function?

 

[Topher]

Does a launcher exist if no one is there to install it?

 

[Guilty_AI]

OK Stalin. Some more orders how the economy should function?

Weekly videogame time is now mandatory.

 

[Platinumstorm]

steam STILL don't allow you to chose a fucking install folder.

It's a piece of trash that gets praised because for people is "their favourite team <3".

I have some of my games in a specified folder on my secondary HD, and some on my primary in a specified folder. I think they could do better with customization, but it's certainly not an end-all-be-all.

 

[yurinka]

I think it's ok with everyone having their own PC client, but I think that there should be some app to link there all of them and merge all their friends, chat, trophies etc system.

 

[Fuz]

It doesn't? I have steam games installed all over the place. Pretty sure you can specify a folder.

I have some of my games in a specified folder on my secondary HD, and some on my primary in a specified folder. I think they could do better with customization, but it's certainly not an end-all-be-all.

How? Doesn't it automatically puts them under a steamlibrary/steamapps folder?

 

[Long Far Gone]

15 years from now Epic Games is probably going to be the preminent launcher on PC. I suggest you stock up on tissues now for all the tears that will ensue.

 

[wipeout364]

How? Doesn't it automatically puts them under a steamlibrary/steamapps folder?

Yes it does install to a specific folder but you can have one of those folders on every drive in your computer I believe. You might be able to have more on a single drive but I haven't tried that.

 

[twilo99]

Why? I like options.

 

[Fuz]

Yes it does install to a specific folder but you can have one of those folders on every drive in your computer I believe.

Yeah, so no, it doesn't let you install where you want. My point stands.

 

[I Love Rock 'n' Roll]

Options are bad. PC "gamers".

 

[jshackles]

Yes it does install to a specific folder but you can have one of those folders on every drive in your computer I believe. You might be able to have more on a single drive but I haven't tried that.

Correct. Steam installs to "library" locations (rather than specific folders). You can create a Steam "library" anywhere you want - even multiple libraries on the same disk. (Steam -> Settings -> Downloads -> Steam Library Folders -> Add).

Each library folder you configure will create a steamapps folder with the steam.dll file, then put the actual game files in a "common" folder. So no, you can't technically install individual games to whatever folder you want, because Steam needs to use this steamapps common folder structure to facilitate downloading / decompressing / installing files. But, functionally, you can install games "anywhere you want".

 

[poppabk]

How? Doesn't it automatically puts them under a steamlibrary/steamapps folder?

You can create a folder as a steam library location and then install there. So you could create a Cyberpunk folder and then it will create a Cyberpunk/steamlibrary/steamapps/common or whatever folder structure. So I'm pretty sure you could have every game in a separate folder it would just be a pain in the ass.

 

[64gigabyteram]

I miss having my pc's desktop full of videogame shortcuts.

im gonna be real i dont like shortcuts that much anymore... i like seeing my wallpaper, especially after having bought Wallpaper Engine on steam which makes it look all animated and snazzy
start menu is where it's at, a search and youre done.

 

[ChorizoPicozo]

Da faq?

 

[Syphon Filter]

Launchers are garbage period including Steam.

 

[Gamezone]

Valve needs competition, they sit on a mountain of cash and do barely anything with it.
No, I´m not saying the Steam Deck or Valve Index is nothing, but compare that to what Epic does with Unreal Engine 5.
That engine is not only the future of gaming, but also movie production.
Valve´s engine is a decade behind the competition, and yet they invest nothing!

Valve do more with Steam than Epic does with EGS. Besides the obvious free games.

 

[Platinumstorm]

How? Doesn't it automatically puts them under a steamlibrary/steamapps folder?

Correct, but you can specify the parent folder, so it doesn't have to be in the PF folder, and you can move them in bulk. I'd actually have to google how to do it again, as I did it a few years ago. That's what I'm saying it could benefit from customization.

 

[Denton]

DRM is DRM. If you have to "log on" to play a game at any time, its bullshit. Its why GoG is and will always be superior to Steam.

Guess what, you have to logon to GOG to download their games too. Steam has hundreds (maybe thousands) of DRM-free games that works just fine, once you download them, you can delete Steam and they still work. So I would not say GOG is superior per se, it depends on game by game basis.

I miss having my pc's desktop full of videogame shortcuts.

I use desktop as my launcher precisely because there are so many launchers and gamepass games are not (or were not) easily added to Steam. I like it

 

[Trazyn the Infinite]

Guess what, you have to logon to GOG to download their games too. Steam has hundreds (maybe thousands) of DRM-free games that works just fine, once you download them, you can delete Steam and they still work. So I would not say GOG is superior per se, it depends on game by game basis.

I use desktop as my launcher precisely because there are so many launchers and gamepass games are not (or were not) easily added to Steam. I like it

All Games on GoG are DRM free and offer you the executables to download for preservation/backup.

Steam Doesn't. There is no "game by game" basis with GoG. There is for Steam. GoG wins.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Don't want to go back to this shit thanks.

Ehhh, that's still a launcher.

 

[poppabk]

Ehhh, that's still a launcher.

It was basically required for multiplayer back in the day.

 

[Denton]

All Games on GoG are DRM free and offer you the executables to download for preservation/backup.

Steam Doesn't. There is no "game by game" basis with GoG. There is for Steam. GoG wins.

And the price for that is that GOG will never have games from those studios that require some form of protection. So...yeah. What a win.

(I am glad GOG exists, but I am equally glad Steam exists, for many reasons)