Poll: Steam, how do you feel about it?

[Engarde]

Digital distribution is the enemy.
Valve is the enemy.
Therefore Steam is one of the biggest enemies of gaming.

Explain.

You really need someone to? You don't own the game, you are renting it. You can never resell it so if you dislike it you are just screwed. The prices will never go down because shelf space and retailer competition is not a factor. You will be paying $50 for a game 5 years after it's release. Ever notice how prices of download only games (like VC, WiiWare, 360 Arcade) never decrease in price? Know why?

In response to what you have said:

You don't own the game, you are renting it.
I am happy with borrow forever as opposed to own.

No resales on games I dislike
This, I will concur, has some merit. There is not much I can do if I do not like it yes, but of course, I can at least try and make an effort and purchase from friend recomendations and reviews and whatnot. But yes, there is that odd chance, has not happened to me yet.

No resales on games I like
This does not bother me at all as a matter of personal preference. I like to hold onto my games and replay them, so by the time I would consider selling them, they would be worth a grand two dollars. So that does not bother me at all.

Prices never going down
I have never thought about this as it has never ended up a problem for me. All my purchases are either:
-A- Games bought on release for the usual price, as one would pay retail
-B- Cheaper indie games and whatnot that only cost me tiny amounts, and I consider it worth it anyway.
I can see how it would be a problem, if, say, I wanted to buy, say, Mass Effect 2 now, and in that realm, yes, digital does fall short, but as I say, not bothering me.

 

[Engarde]

Digital distribution is the enemy.
Valve is the enemy.
Therefore Steam is one of the biggest enemies of gaming.

Explain.

You really need someone to? You don't own the game, you are renting it. You can never resell it so if you dislike it you are just screwed. The prices will never go down because shelf space and retailer competition is not a factor. You will be paying $50 for a game 5 years after it's release. Ever notice how prices of download only games (like VC, WiiWare, 360 Arcade) never decrease in price? Know why?

In response to what you have said:

You don't own the game, you are renting it.
I am happy with borrow forever as opposed to own.

No resales on games I dislike
This, I will concur, has some merit. There is not much I can do if I do not like it yes, but of course, I can at least try and make an effort and purchase from friend recomendations and reviews and whatnot. But yes, there is that odd chance, has not happened to me yet.

No resales on games I like
This does not bother me at all as a matter of personal preference. I like to hold onto my games and replay them, so by the time I would consider selling them, they would be worth a grand two dollars. So that does not bother me at all.

Prices never going down
I have never thought about this as it has never ended up a problem for me. All my purchases are either:
-A- Games bought on release for the usual price, as one would pay retail
-B- Cheaper indie games and whatnot that only cost me tiny amounts, and I consider it worth it anyway.
I can see how it would be a problem, if, say, I wanted to buy, say, Mass Effect 2 now, and in that realm, yes, digital does fall short, but as I say, not bothering me.

Sorry about missing your post earlier, browsing in multiple tabs and not paying much attention.

 

[SalamanderJoe]

Well I've used it once. I bought Audiosurf and then it said I needed Steam. First it annoyed me because I had to go download it...and second because I didn't have the Internet...

 

[Cryo84R]

Steam let's me game on the best computer ive ever owned. My iMac!

 

[Pegghead]

I love it, it's very convenient for all my pc games.

 

[TheYellowCellPhone]

Steam is a godly invention, ranking up their with duct tape.

 

[Delusibeta]

Honestly, competition in the DD market. Is that a joke?

Steam owns the DD market on PC, no one else even comes close. On the consoles, the market is owned by the platform owners.

Steam has deals but other than that, the normal prices are full retail price and if they ever come down, it's only because retail comes down. Without retail, they'll never come down except during sales.

You can see the future of DD by looking at the consoles, does WiiWare ever drop in price? Do 360 Arcade games? No, because they have no competition which is where we are heading. Even now many retail games require Steam, how long before the disc is nonexistant.

Yes, the PC game used market is dead, thanks to DRM! DD is DRM and soon the console used games market will be dead.

As for broken CD's and lost product keys. This isn't a problem for responsible people, don't break your discs and type out your product keys in notepad file (then print it). This is a solution to a problem that most people don't have. You probably don't have that problem, why let yourself be manipulated into thinking you do. Ex, They are talking you out of buying a car and paying a taxi service everywhere.

The problem the WiiWare and Arcade has is that it's very restricted in terms of price. It's either A, B, or C. Full games don't/won't have this problem. To use an example, the new Medal of Honor game is available for £35 from EA themselves and Direct2drive, and, unusually, for £30 from Steam. Battlefield Bad Company 2 is £35 from EA... but £20 from Steam, Direct2drive and Gamersgate.

You'll be surprised how much influence Steam's competitors have. Weekend deals, for example, AFAIK was an Impulse invention.

Frankly, I think you're a bit paranoid.

Steam let's me game on the best computer ive ever owned. My iMac!

..and without Steam you couldn't?

Yes, probably. The number of Mac games pre-Steam was insignificant. Now Valve has ported over most of their back catalogue (up to Half Life 2). Hopefully, it'll prompt more Mac ports (for example, Assassin Creed 2's just got a Mac port).

 

[Android2137]

I personally don't care for it much, but I personally can't handle hot very well and... Oh! You mean the game library from Valve! I'm sorry!

All joking aside, I love it. It gives me access to games and demos that I wouldn't have normally.

 

[RowdyRodimus]

I don't care either way. I hate digital distribution and I don't like Valve, so I'm not going to use it. But hey, good for all you folks that like it. Everyone has different tastes but as long as we can all get our favorite flavor I have no problem with it.

 

[Pielikey]

Best digital distribution platform / instant messaging application ever.