Steam vs Origin (EULA, privacy and whatnot)

[Vigormortis]

I remember how frustrating it was having Steam when it started! Half-Life 2 was a nightmare to play, you had to be connected to the internet to play it and had to have steam (I know cos its Vavle).

....Isn't that still applicable? I know third party launches in offline, but I thought it had to be connected for Valve's proprietary titles.

Um...pretty sure that's not true. I just recently played Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 in offline mode. You can play pretty much any game on Steam in offline mode. Except, of course, for the MMOs.

 

[SpartanBlackman]

Valve is a nice company that cares about the customers.
EA bans you for asking customer service if you can talk to their manager.
I wonder, which do I trust more with my information...

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Um...pretty sure that's not true. I just recently played Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 in offline mode. You can play pretty much any game on Steam in offline mode. Except, of course, for the MMOs.

Well I'll be damned. I wonder how long it's been since they took that block off.

 

[twistedheat15]

Let's not forget that EA had the nerve to have a "can't sue us" policy.

I mean really, how much more defensive can you get? If you have nothing to fear, then you won't need a "can't sue us" policy.

You're going to see more and more of that, because it's become permissable. Two of the three console producers have also done it.

But seriously, are you really going to go with "only guilty people have something to hide?"

I agree, this is the U.S. we're talking about, where people sue people over really, really, really stupid things. They even win sometimes. A "can't sue us" policy just makes sense in such an environment, as abusive as it is for users.

I'm American and your comment offended me! I'll see you in court for verbal abuse, slander, and finger cramp damages!!

 

[Awexsome]

Really there is no difference right now. Save for EA's platform being newer, less refined and hated just because it's EA and Valve's being the biggest thing there is for PC, a lot of experience behind it and plenty of rabid fanboys behind it.

There were some shenanigans out of the gate by EA but those were overblown even at their worst and now have been fixed and are no longer physically an issue. If it's still an issue for people who choose to be blind to it.

The only difference I see now is that Origin has a significantly higher number of haters. Nothing else.

 

[Lilani]

I have to admit, both look vague and non-threatening, of course that might be due to a good lawyer.

Yes, but we like Steam, so it's good.

We hate EA, so Origin is bad.

Both of their reputations are not entirely unearned. With Steam, Valve has a consistent history of good customer support, and has always done their best to make sure the process of buying and owning games is as convenient as possible for the customer. EA, and especially Origin, has a consistent history of dealing with customers in extremely tedious and petty manners. A system that automatically bans people for swearing on the forums, even if it's a post they didn't write but happens to mention their name. Making it to where customers can buy games twice without offering to give it as a gift or even warning them they've already purchased the game. Region locking games in digital form when the exact game is available in physical form in that same region. All you have to do is read the bug report board on the Origin forums. It's amazing how they managed to screw up something so simple. Valve has proven right in front of everybody's eyes that the key to success is to make the process as simple and noninvasive as possible.

 

[Vigormortis]

Um...pretty sure that's not true. I just recently played Half-Life 2, Team Fortress 2, and Left 4 Dead 2 in offline mode. You can play pretty much any game on Steam in offline mode. Except, of course, for the MMOs.

Well I'll be damned. I wonder how long it's been since they took that block off.

The last time I remember that "block" being in place was...2005?

I could be wrong, but I can't recall the last time you couldn't play a Valve game in offline mode.

 

[demotion1]

I think we should look at the bigger picture. Steam was getting dangerously close to monopoly in online distribution and monopolies are never a good thing for the consumer - us. Competition is always a good thing because it forces companies to offer incentives to the customers so that they may buy for them. I have no doubt that if steam were to become a monopoly we would be forced to pay more money for each game, as if we were using a console.
Personally, i really like steam and i have almost all my games on it. It would be great to only have my games in one place, but it is not in my best interest.

 

[Palmerama]

When Steam first came about it was quite invasive and gradually changed! People are against Origin because Steam has had a monopoly over digital distribution for years(not to mention the main reason people don't like it is because its EA).
I remember how frustrating it was having Steam when it started! Half-Life 2 was a nightmare to play, you had to be connected to the internet to play it and had to have steam (I know cos its Vavle).

You don't know what a monopoly is do you?

How droll, yes I know what a monopoly is. And it's not a good thing. Steam hasn't been opposed like this before. All other digital distributions are specialised (like gog.com), or are from a retail chain.
I'm not saying that Origin doesn't have its flaws (and it has ALOT) but im sure it will improve (Ea can't really just rely on their own published games to make it profitable).
I wonder if Origin was created by a different publisher would it still get all the negative reaction? I'm guessing yes because people have been with Steam for years and hate change.

 

[endtherapture]

Until Origin can offer amazing sales like Steam does, it will not overtake Steam.

 

[Vegosiux]

I wonder if Origin was created by a different publisher would it still get all the negative reaction? I'm guessing yes because people have been with Steam for years and hate change.

I'm guessing yes because with an EULA like that? Well, doesn't matter how wrote it.

 

[Tayh]

I like Origin because they're trying to make a valid alternative to steam, and thus challenge valve's monopoly on the market.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

The last time I remember that "block" being in place was...2005?

I could be wrong, but I can't recall the last time you couldn't play a Valve game in offline mode.

I didn't join on the service until late 2007. If it went defunct several years prior, I wouldn't have known about it. I can find some blog posts dated July 2010 that gripe about it, so it had to be more recently.

Not that it's really that important, rather just a curiosity.

 

[Vigormortis]

The last time I remember that "block" being in place was...2005?

I could be wrong, but I can't recall the last time you couldn't play a Valve game in offline mode.

I didn't join on the service until late 2007. If it went defunct several years prior, I wouldn't have known about it. I can find some blog posts dated July 2010 that gripe about it, so it had to be more recently.

Not that it's really that important, rather just a curiosity.

Hmm. That is curious.

I'm wondering if those posts were about a bug that cropped up for a short time that tried syncing your Steam games with your Steamcloud settings even though Steam was set to offline mode.

A bug which, just so you know, was pretty damn annoying. But they did fix it fairly quickly.

 

[Vigormortis]

I like Origin because they're trying to make a valid alternative to steam, and thus challenge valve's monopoly on the market.

If you'll excuse me, I'm just gonna leave this here: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/monopoly

Since so many seem to like to throw that word around so much, I figured it was time they actually learned what it means. Especially given the often misapplication of the term.

 

[veloper]

I have to admit, both look vague and non-threatening, of course that might be due to a good lawyer.

Yes, but we like Steam, so it's good.

We hate EA, so Origin is bad.

Both of their reputations are not entirely unearned. With Steam, Valve has a consistent history of good customer support, and has always done their best to make sure the process of buying and owning games is as convenient as possible for the customer. EA, and especially Origin, has a consistent history of dealing with customers in extremely tedious and petty manners. A system that automatically bans people for swearing on the forums, even if it's a post they didn't write but happens to mention their name. Making it to where customers can buy games twice without offering to give it as a gift or even warning them they've already purchased the game. Region locking games in digital form when the exact game is available in physical form in that same region. All you have to do is read the bug report board on the Origin forums. It's amazing how they managed to screw up something so simple. Valve has proven right in front of everybody's eyes that the key to success is to make the process as simple and noninvasive as possible.

You're the first to mention the origin bans in this thread. That's the thing pisses me of the most. That's worse than potential corporate spyware, becasue it means EA don't give a shit about taking away the games people bought from them.
It also said in their EULA that they only have to maintain the games they sell for 2 years. I wouldn't be surprised anymore if EA actually start using that clause.

 

[Laughing Man]

At the very core their is no real difference between Origin and Steam, they are both designed to be gaming clients that deliver paid for content, act as a form of DRM and as much as we would hate to think it, especially in the case of Steam, sit there watching what you do so that it can then target advertisement at you with a view to make more cash.

The difference between the two is in the fine detail.

The big issue, when Origin, was announced as a requirement for the installation and usage of BF3, was a section of the EULA that suggested Origin could monitor your computer activity (even if it had nothing to do with EA and their games) and then report that back to EA. This was such a huge issue prior to the launch that it seems to have clouded some more fundamental issues as well as over shadowed a few minor issues.

First the elephant in the room, as far as I can tell Origin does not do anything Steam does not do, by that I mean they both sit there doing nothing, until it is needed. Origin doesn't sit there scanning my computer and sending reams of data back to some EA server so it may be in the EULA but just now it isn't in use.

The second elephant in the room and right now it is the one that defines Origin is the linking of forum and Origin accounts and specifically accounts taken (or rather words said) in the forums potentially rendering you unable to play your legally purchased games. As a direct result of this I will never go anywhere near the EA forums because the concept that an over enthusiastic or idiotic admin at the forums has a say on me playing my games... nope sorry that's a no go.

Beyond that the other issues with Origin are minor almost silly yet you question why are they there at all. Steam runs everytime I boot my computer, it does it's thing and until I play a game it requires very little in the way of input.

Origin, several times since I've installed it I have had to re-enter user login details, despite each and everytime I've had to re-enter them I have confirmed that the 'remember me' box is ticked. Last time I had to enter my Steam log in details... over a year ago, last time I had to enter my Origin details, three days ago followed again a day later.

Why do you have to confirm every update of Origin? Steam does the background download and update and all you do is reload Steam. Origin has to be closed, the updater run, the install windows run and loaded (just like you are installing a new program) it then needs to be restarted by the user and then you have to RE-ENTER YOUR LOGIN DETAIL and add to that it sticks a new icon on your desktop and unless you caught it it will set itself to start when your computer boots, irrespective of what ever it was set to prior to the update.

Why does Origin give you an error message that makes it look like you have gotten your Login details and Password wrong when in fact the issue is the Origin servers? How many folk have gone on to do a password recovery when in fact the issue was the Origin servers?

Why are people still calling Origin 'new' it isn't new. EADM as Origin used to be known was launched over 5 years ago, EA worked out that no one actually wanted EADM willingly so they rebranded it and forced anyone buying BF3 to use it. Origin / EADM is half the age Steam is yet the software is still in Beta and is still filled with stupid bugs and issue that, at the end of the day, make Steam a much slicker, easier and less annoying gaming client to use.