MyRealName wrote on Mar 3, 2025, 07:25:
I mean, why pay less on GOG to own the installer when you can pay more to rent it?

I haven't looked at GOG in years, last time I looked they didn't have integrated mod support, update news and patch notes.

Has this changed? because I abso-fucking-lutely love steam for these quality of life features.

It's fucking great to get on at 10pm after a long long day and have a game updated and the developer has a big update patch notes that super simple for me to find.

Gabe is 62. Inevitability, when he dies, retires, or sells his part of Valve it will be interesting to see if there is chaos at Valve or if it just runs along without noticing. Accordingly to Wiki, he is believed to own about 25% of Valve.

I mean, why pay less on GOG to own the installer when you can pay more to rent it?

It says a lot that a Google News search for Epic Games Store is 99% freebies whereas there's a wide variety of news about Steam.

I'm not gonna white knight, they already have my money. I really hope the other online gaming "stores", outlets, platforms...whatever you want to call em, catch up to Steam and give them a run for their money. More competition in this space is always good, it's better for us consumers and it's better for game developers, especially indies.

GG, Gabe et. Al.

^D^

JTW wrote on Mar 2, 2025, 20:44:
I really wish Epic hadn't screwed it up. They don't need to be Steam (not every front end needs to be an everything-including-the-kitchen-sink utility suite), but what they have needs to be functional, and have the tools related to that functionality.

Because in the end, Epic was right about one thing: Having a Steam monopoly isn't a great thing, and it's likely to bite us all in the ass eventually.

Oh, they could still compete if they focused on platform features and merit—actually building something better than Steam. But as we've seen with Epic's antics—whether it's the way they've handled EGS or their attempt to side-load a mobile payment processor—they have no interest in taking the long, difficult road. Instead, they'd rather strong-arm their way to dominance through exclusivity deals or piggyback off the hard work Apple and Google have already built.

Ever since Epic Games Store launched, I've had zero respect for Tim's direction, and if that platform ever crumbles into nothing, I won't shed a tear. Maybe one day, a company with solid business acumen, a genuine desire to compete on merit, and a real understanding of how not to alienate PC gamers will come along and challenge Steam the right way. I'd welcome that day. I've always been for genuine merit-based competition. It's good for us.

This comment was edited on Mar 3, 2025, 03:59.

I really wish Epic hadn't screwed it up. They don't need to be Steam (not every front end needs to be an everything-including-the-kitchen-sink utility suite), but what they have needs to be functional, and have the tools related to that functionality.

Because in the end, Epic was right about one thing: Having a Steam monopoly isn't a great thing, and it's likely to bite us all in the ass eventually.

I remember when people used to say steam was lying about their numbers. Pretty sure steam is one of the few that isn't trying to twist or exaggerate their numbers.

I hope gabe is doing succession plans, because if it ever gets sold or goes public, the enshitification is gonna suuuuuck.

Big numbers, congrats to Steam. It’s a fantastic platform I got 20 years worth of games on my account (a few on other platforms of course) across many PC builds and it’s nice to know if I ever go handheld with Steam Deck 2 someday most will run on it there too.

FUCK YOU TIM!

It's safe to say that Steam is one of the biggest gaming platforms—and easily the largest PC gaming platform that's been consistently active. I have plenty of thoughts on the Steam vs. EGS debate, but at this point, it feels like rehashing the same arguments everyone's already made. We all know what Steam offers and what EGS does (and doesn't) bring to the table. There's a zero percent chance of EGS ever catching up to Steam, let alone surpassing it, despite Tim's delusional predictions.

I did that.