Poll: Origin v Steam with battlelines drawn, where r u?

[viranimus]

What makes you think you own any of your physical copies? The only thing different between digital and physical games is the disc. You own the piece of plastic and a license, it's ignorant to think otherwise.

If I were to modify my single player game with a disc could the publisher stop me? If I told the publisher to go fuck themselves and accused them of legitimized copywrite infringement and piracy could they stop me from using the purchased disc or invalidate the data on disc? Can the publisher prevent me from selling the item at my discretion? There is an astronomical world of difference between physical possession and digital licensing.

However I was not even discussing the merits of physical vs digital media. I was discussing the difference between a subscription license such as what one gets with Steam and a License of property such as one gets with say GoG or Gamers gate. The problem is ignorance abounds because people assume Steam is a benevolent benefactor and are completely oblivious to the fact that in their discretion steam can invalidate every purchase youve ever made through them and give you absolutely nothing in return because you have bought a subscription and individual licenses within that subscription, you OWN absolutely nothing. People buy into this without understanding exactly what they are doing or what can possibly happen. This is why this generation has made the old adage "A fool and his money are soon parted" so unbelievably relevant because people are perpetuating a system like this like it is a golden god, when its actually hurting the customer, and hurting the industry.

Steam is NOT the only one guilty of this. Origin is no better (and in fact they are worse because they proactively "retire" licenses) So I reassert, as far as I am concerned I hope both of them annihilate each other into oblivion because the gaming world would be better for it, even if its too thick to realize it or comprehend why.

 

[Piorn]

I'm fine with whatever service works (I'm looking at you, GfWL, EA, Ubisoft, basically most of them)

What I'm not fine with, however, is memorizing multiple clients, account names and passwords. This is the only reason I play many titles just once, because after half a year, I don't remember how, or where I need to log in to play it.

I have alot of games on Steam, it's handy and it works.

 

[Android2137]

Rooting for Steam. But I kinda did speculate on this kind of future (i.e. individual publishers setting up digital distribution and trying to compete with each other like car dealerships). And if Origin is what it takes for me to buy ME3, then I'd rather wait for the reviews and buy it retail off Amazon or something.

 

[redisforever]

STEAM! Woo! Love my Steam. It's fantastically convenient. I don't want to have to change. I don't need to think by this point. All comfy.

 

[theevilgenius60]

It's funny how EA pulls all of their products off Steam, but Left 4 Dead GOTY edition and Left 4 Dead 2 are for sale on Origin. I mean, yeah, it's the disc format that EA publishes, but, come on.

 

[Voodoomancer]

You don't see Coke and Pepsi having some kind of decisive showdown, and one crumbling afterwards.

It's commerce. Competition is good, it means lower prices (hopefully). I'm going with either one, depending on the games, I have an EA account anyway.

 

[Jnat]

whatever, I'll buy BF3 from orgin, and I will have fun playing it. more than that I do not care.

 

[Atmos Duality]

Lets see, should I back in unethical, sleazeball corporation that's been directly responsible for the elimination of several talented studios, or the guys who made Half Life, Left4Dead and Team Fortress 2?

Not a hard choice for me.

 

[lumenadducere]

There needs to be an option which says "we don't have enough information on what's happening to make a good call."

Competition is frankly good for the market - as more people make the transition towards digital distribution, it's going to be crucial to keep competition so no one distributor gets strange ideas in their head. But the problem here is that Valve has been entirely silent on the matter and EA is putting the blame on Valve's head, saying that Steam's new TOS dictates that you can't have a competing DLC model unless your game uses Steam as its integration. But given the fact that a bunch of other non-EA games on Steam use other pricing models and still remain on the service, this claim by EA goes out the window.

So we don't know anywhere near enough to figure out which side is in the right - assuming either of them are. Everyone is going to make a choice based on their love or hate of Valve and Steam, which is disappointing. People need to be more savvy with their consumption and start paying attention to what's actually going on instead of blindly following brand names.

 

[thirion1850]

Steam will win, but it's a shame. There should be competition for it, otherwise it's a monopoly.

 

[pwned123456]

im going for steam. ill probably get physical copies of mass effect 3 and battlefield 3 if their not on steam

Battlefield 3 is not going to be on Steam, and even if you get a retail copy, you will still have to use Origin.

I'll use Steam, since I've used it for years and it works great. EA can try to compete, but they'll need to do better than a horribly-optimized copy of Steam. Plus the fact that they're trying to force you to use it just pisses me off.

Wait you have to use origin for bf3! Damn it!
i was hoping to avoid origin entirely.
ah well c'est la vie

or if you are desparate enough on console they cant make you install origin

 

[Von Strimmer]

I'm going with EA for one very simple reason (even though I am a console player) if they go down in flames budget gets pulled from all their subsidiary companied who make games I enjoy. I would buy far more from EA than Steam. It isn't about favourites it's who does supply and demand for what I want.

THIS STATEMENT WAS MY OPINION AND MY OPINION ALONE! DON'T HATE ME!

 

[Setupdown]

I hope when they launch Origin, EA has it's site DDOS'd to hell. Seriously. I'd love that.

 

[Redlin5_v1legacy]

Steam will crush Origin. Not really tied loyally to steam, it's just the obvious choice.

 

[Mute52]

Hmm let me see

I buy a bunch of games on both platforms
For some reason i'm unable to access the internet/computer/my account for 2 years.
I finally am able to log back on.

Which platform deleted my account and all the games i paid money for?

Yeah, there's a reason Steam's on top

 

[brainslurper]

That is extremely stupid, not putting BF3 on steam. Seriously. That is most of their profit on the PC gone.

 

[viranimus]

Snip

LOLWHUT!?!? No they cannot because they wouldnt know and would have no justification for even trying to find out. No they cannot because if I wanted to buy up dozens of copies of a game, the publisher cannot use that to seize those games from me should I decide to save one to play the game and No, because once a disc is finalized you cannot write more data to the disc.

Ok first off your Capped ESPECIALLY needs to be modified to the phrase ONLY IF. Secondly.. your basing your statements on very specific instances that are at least not yet (thank god) all encompassing. Your also mistaking my words and implying Im referring things that Im not.

Next, its only in digital distribution and instances of unneeded DRM scams that you have this sort of contract your referring to and this is all the more reason why connecting games to internet connectivity has hurt everyone involved. In that respect the plug needs to be pulled.

You may choose to think its absurd to get up in arms over digital distribution, but Im actually not against digital distribution. I am against using digital distribution as a way to bypass the same laws that govern and protect lawful purchases and ownership rights. I think its absurd to watch people meander and wallow in complacency and NOT get up in arms about it because it creates a dangerous precedent that is already starting to undermine the development and growth of not only this industry but also the entire economic structure.

Do I think steam is particularly evil? Absolutely not. Do I think that Steam has and IS creating an extremely dangerous precedent that an extremely ignorant and shortsighted generation of consumers is proliferating, you better believe it.

So this makes the 3rd different way Ive said this, So Im beyond my point of redundancy. Ive said my peace and Ill repeat it once more. I hope the current leaders in Digital distribution destroy themselves so that a better form that offers the proper level of ownership rights can rise from its flawed ashes.

 

[brainslurper]

http://www.myconfinedspace.com/2010/05/31/tank-catapult/
That. Somehow.

 

[Estelindis]

I don't even like or use Steam (I was miffed by not being able to get Civ 5 any other way), but even I prefer them to Origin. And I am a huge fan of Bioware, whose games are published by EA. If Origin can't even win over someone like me, I don't see them succeeding in the long term.

Ultimately, however, any publisher who still makes physical copies of games available regardless of digital distribution platform is fine with me.