Poll: Does Steam look better after the Xbox One?

[exobook]

I know a lot of people on this forum hate steam and DRM in general but after the xbox one are people looking at the service in a better light?

I mean the system atleast allows you to install games to multiple machines multiple times without any penality (excluding additional DRM included in the game). It also has an offline mode so if you find your internet down for a long period or are traveling.

It also has in effect full backwards compatability back to 1993 with the classic game of Doom (ok yes there are graphic issues in Doom on modern machines but these are solveable) and includes a number of classic games from thoughout history.

Sure you can't sell the game once your done with it but you can download it later if you want to play it again. Also the price of many games will be reduced depending on how old they are which can give you some bargins. Also there are steam sales.

Is it a perfect system? Of course not but compared to what the Xbone One and probadly what the PS4 will be in terms of consumer benefit it does give more

 

[tippy2k2]

No because then I'd have to game on my PC

I've never had any problems with Steam. I don't use it for I don't PC game very often but if Sony decides to follow Microsoft into the road to hell, I intend to use Steam (as well as others) for my gaming needs.

 

[thesilentman]

Just gonna say: the poll answers seem to not match the question. I dunno if that's fixable.

For me, Steam is always going to be the superior option. For what I plan to do and already do, I need a laptop. Said laptop always is with me. I can game on it without sacrificing anything except graphical fidelity, which I never care about anyway.

It's not perfect, coming with some nasty issues that never quite get fixed, but is really good for me. That's my 2 cents on the matter.

 

[Foolery]

Looks the same as it ever did. It has it's perks. Multiple machines, offline mode, sales, etc. But if I could trade in my steam account games, I would.

 

[Glaice]

I have been playing PC games since 1993 so it's no doubt I will value using Steam for all these years over a stupid console like the XBone (Hint: Not an Xbox user!).

You are forgetting with Doom that there's many source ports to play on various OSes, tens of thousands of user created levels, thousands of mods, dozens of total conversions, the game's source code freely available for use and a very large and dedicated fanbase.

 

[Maximum Bert]

No steam is still horrible the Xbone is also horrible I refuse to use steam and will refuse to use the Xbone purely because of the horrible systems in place that do not have to be there and just exist as a barrier between you and your product.

If PS4 follows suit I wont buy that either so I guess that would leave Nintendo and GOG. I suppose I see steam in a slightly better light than the Xbone but crap is still crap.

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

Steam still controls and monitors online usage. The only difference is that Steam has had industry presence longer than Origin and Xbox One so gamers have come to accept it as an integral part of gaming. I opposed Steam when it first came out on exactly the same grounds as gamers these days reject newer online distribution systems. SSDD - Same Shit, Different Developer.

 

[ellers07]

At this point there's very few things that don't look better than the Xbox One.

I got out of pc gaming a number of years ago, but it's starting to look like this generation might drive me back to it. Which means it might be time to start updating the computer...

 

[Wafflemarine]

Only reason to hate steam is if you want to pirate games and honestly with steam sales its pretty much pirating at times with how cheap you can get games. Been using steam since Jan 05 and all it is is digital versions of the 10000 discs I used to have for various games.

Only thing is you can't resell the games and I have no issue with this.

 

[Something Amyss]

It's still DRM, but it certainly looks better if this is to be the next generation of console security.

Only reason to hate steam is if you want to pirate games

Yes, only criminals hate DRM. And by that logic, only criminals have something to hide, so I'm sure you won't mind giving me all your personal details. I mean, you're not up to anything suspect, are you? So why would you want privacy?

 

[Frezzato]

The only way to truly compare Steam to the Xbox One DRM is if Valve required you to have a 1080p webcam pointing at your face in order to play games. Sure, they say you can play the Xbox One with the Kinect turned off, but will it work if the Kinect is unplugged? I seriously doubt it.

As evidenced by the badges to the left, I already use Steam, but not for new games. I like Steam for the older PC titles like you had mentioned. I use Steam for stuff I can't get anywhere else, just like I do for consoles. But if there's an exclusive I might want on Xbox One, oh well. I can live without that "exclusive" (*COUGH* Mass Effect 1 is a perfect example, making its way to PS3).

There's so much ass backwards communication coming from Redmond that by this point I'm sick of hearing about their stupid black spybox.

 

[NiPah]

I've bought a lot of games over Steam, a lot of good games, and I don't think any of them cost me more then $15, most were in the $5 to $10 range. If Microsoft want to push that kindof DRM I'm not going to shell out the kindof money I pay to own games, I'm going to shell out the kindof money I'd be ok with renting a game for, and Steam has done that wonderfully.
Oh yeah and over Christmas Valve gifted me Half Life 2 and Half Life 2 episode 2, it would be a cold day in hell when Microsoft gives me a free copy of Halo and Halo 2, but shit if they do I'd be all for them.

 

[Mr. Omega]

I didn't mind Steam before then. The worst thing they did recently was the whole Greenlight thing, which was well before the Xbone reveal. I wish they didn't have a near-monopoly on the PC market, but they're a decent service. So no, I guess it doesn't look better after the XB1. Makes me appreciate it a little more, but not really look better.

Does make me a lot more happy with my decision to get a WiiU, though. Here's hoping Sony doesn't screw things up at E3.

 

[DragonStorm247]

Both have a form of DRM, but the difference I see is consumer-friendliness. That, and Microsoft's approach away from gaming. Truth be told I've been meaning to transition to PC already, so this whole ordeal is really just a nail in the coffin for me.

 

[Bellvedere]

I thought you could install xbone games on multiple consoles providing your profile was logged in? Did this change or isn't that part of it identical to Steam?

Steam:
Offline mode (though you still need to go online to install and update games)
Consumer trust

Xbone:
Offline for max 24 hours while in use
Trade in used games
Loan games to friends electronically
Library is shared with members of your household

On paper Xbone has the potential to offer some better services than Steam... If you hated Steam, I don't know why Xbone would change your mind...
I was against Steam initially, I hate having to register shit just to play a game. I came round because not only can you get great deals on games, But I also found purchasing games digitally and other Steam services to be super convenient.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

The Xbox One being bad doesn't make me want to jump on the steam train. You don't own your steam games, you rent them for an unspecified period of time. It says so when you go to sign up. Some people are fine with that but I'd rather own my games. Hell I still prefer physical disks to digital downloads.

 

[Snotnarok]

Steam is not the same as Xbone DRM, Xbone has some features that are interesting but does letting 10 friends play your game really sound all that great when you can just do what you want with the discs of a console of this and prev generations?
Oh wow pubs can choose to allow used sales? ...Wait that already is going on now.

Also HUGE factor in difference between games on Steam and Xbone
Steam: Games 50-60 then go on sale up to 75% off. I got borderlands 2 for 15 bucks instead of 40-60.
Xbone: Games 60 bucks, no used games means no deals. Sales? Rare in this gen as is and without trade ins means less savings.

Which sounds like the better deal?

 

[Goofguy]

Steam has a lot more things going for it over the Xbox One. Sure, it has its DRM but it has proven to be reliable and it does have an offline mode, which is pretty clutch in my opinion. I can't sell or loan my games in Steam once I'm done but at least I can access them from any computer through my profile. I've been using Steam for many years and have had little issue with it, I don't think that will be changing in the near future.

 

[aba1]

The thing is steam is a service not a product. Steam costs nothing and is only a tool to buy digital games through while the XBone is a console which you go and buy games for to play on. Comparing them is relative but they are fundamentally different at the core.

Steam is a service through and through and doesn't try and pretend it is a product. People go into steam knowing that they won't own these games in the long term and they are essentially long term renting the games and they take the pros and the cons with it. XBone is a product that you have to pay for then they expect you to pay again for the games then you have to pay for the service after all that as well which is just ridiculous. If the XBone was free but had all these awful features people wouldn't be complaining nearly as much because it would be a at least more service and less product.