3 ms·

Kinda. On Steam I can still play games I bought 18 years ago. Still walled garden, but they act way better.

garciansmith 4mo ago
True, but Steam still controls Steam and they can change their terms whenever they want. But for now it's ok, at least. And their hardware is happily open: I've played a bunch of games I got on GOG, DRM-free, on my Steam Deck, for example.
- Fire-Dragon-DoL 4mo ago
  I don't disagree with you, but open hardware DOES make a difference, in the worst case scenario I can turn the hardware into a GOG machine, or into a PC. Also if they ever lock my library, I am turning to piracy (I have 1000+ games)
  - garciansmith 4mo ago
    Agreed, for sure. Open hardware is the only way forward honestly. As someone who has traditionally played mostly on consoles, it does make me sad, partially because consoles are so much less finicky. But the control is worth it (and work on things like Proton has made playing older games so much smoother). Now if the RAM companies make it so you won't ever be able to afford your own hardware and every game company pushes cloud-only gaming... Well, we aren't there yet thankfully, but I fear it'll happen.
    - bsimpson 4mo ago
      SteamOS got me to migrate from a Nintendo. There's a lot that I love about it, but "choose which of these thousand settings permutations to get the game to look good without crashing" is a major chore. One nice thing about Valve/Steam leading with hardware is that it gives console-esque performance targets. If you know your device is a bit better than a Steam Deck, you can probably start at the Steam Deck preset and adjust accordingly.
someonebaggy 4mo ago
They're always good until they aren't. They can only be trusted if they don't have a way to be bad. Steam could lock down tomorrow and you couldn't do anything about it.
Shalomboy 4mo ago
Valve is in a funny position now. They lived long enough to see every one of Sony and XBOX's moats dry up by being pro-consumer where possible, but with Steam as the leader of a fungible game distribution market it may no longer make good business sense to continue to act so benevolently. We've reached a sort of gaming singularity where nearly every video game can be run on any hardware you choose or be streamed over the network to a thin client. PlayStation and XBOX consoles are basically dedicated gaming PCs that can only run Sony or Microsoft's version of Steam. DirectX is losing ground too thanks to Proton and Vulkan, so Microsoft won't have the last laugh there either. If Valve controls the store you purchase games from, the software which runs the games, and the operating system running the software, they are an ODM contract away from becoming Sony's PlayStation division, and look where they are now.
- wongarsu 4mo ago
  Steam still has to deal with Epic being willing to throw billions at trying to dethrone Steam, and Gog being alive and well and being in the perfect position to say "we told you all along that you shouldn't have to trust Steam, buy your DRM free games here". Also every big publisher wanting to pull their own games to their own storefront and only being forced to crawl back because gamers refuse to leave Steam And even if they somehow arrived in a market position where being less benevolent would make more money: Valve isn't publicly traded, nobody is forcing them to make the most profitable move. As long as Gabe and the other owners prefer being benevolent they can continue doing it (not that they are all around benevolent. "consistent" and "usually choosing the side of the customer over the side of the publisher" is maybe the better framing)
  - ChoGGi 4mo ago
    > As long as Gabe and the other owners prefer being benevolent they can continue doing i I think Gabe prefers hanging out on his yacht nowadays looking at fish, his son is the one running Valve?
- kibwen 4mo ago
  One point in Steam's favor (not to suggest that Valve is above reproach) is that it doesn't impose any DRM. If games have DRM, that's the publisher's decision.
wing-_-nuts 4mo ago
Till Gabe dies and valve is bought out by private equity
- quantumink 4mo ago
  Imagine if Gabe went the Yvon Chouinard way? (founder of Patagonia refused to IPO, never sold controlling stake, recently left the entire company to an environmental conservation trust - certified LEGEND) Gabe seems like the kinda guy who is in the Game for the love of games. It would be a legendary legacy indeed to commit Valve and it's profits to a trust which defends digital rights and freedom.
- ChoGGi 4mo ago
  Gabe's son is apparently the one steering the ship now. He's hanging out on his yacht looking at fish.
Henchman21 4mo ago
I’m wondering what happens when Gabe dies?
- Fire-Dragon-DoL 4mo ago
  It's been discussed a long time. Nobody knows, but apparently he had been preparing his son for it. Don't quote me on that, it's what I heard
  - a96 4mo ago
    That's still a terribly small bus factor.
    - Fire-Dragon-DoL 4mo ago
      Indeed the danger is there, but their hardware is open, so there is always the option to switch. Also piracy will go rampant if Steam stops being a good actor. That being said, what alternatives you have? GOG lacks support for Linux, Sony cares doesn't care for you, Nintendo likes to s** all over you and their most passionate fans, Microsoft killed itself. There is just no other option

True, but Steam still controls Steam and they can change their terms whenever they want. But for now it's ok, at least. And their hardware is happily open: I've played a bunch of games I got on GOG, DRM-free, on my Steam Deck, for example.

Fire-Dragon-DoL 4mo ago
I don't disagree with you, but open hardware DOES make a difference, in the worst case scenario I can turn the hardware into a GOG machine, or into a PC. Also if they ever lock my library, I am turning to piracy (I have 1000+ games)
- garciansmith 4mo ago
  Agreed, for sure. Open hardware is the only way forward honestly. As someone who has traditionally played mostly on consoles, it does make me sad, partially because consoles are so much less finicky. But the control is worth it (and work on things like Proton has made playing older games so much smoother). Now if the RAM companies make it so you won't ever be able to afford your own hardware and every game company pushes cloud-only gaming... Well, we aren't there yet thankfully, but I fear it'll happen.
  - bsimpson 4mo ago
    SteamOS got me to migrate from a Nintendo. There's a lot that I love about it, but "choose which of these thousand settings permutations to get the game to look good without crashing" is a major chore. One nice thing about Valve/Steam leading with hardware is that it gives console-esque performance targets. If you know your device is a bit better than a Steam Deck, you can probably start at the Steam Deck preset and adjust accordingly.

someonebaggy 4mo ago

They're always good until they aren't. They can only be trusted if they don't have a way to be bad. Steam could lock down tomorrow and you couldn't do anything about it.

Shalomboy 4mo ago

Valve is in a funny position now. They lived long enough to see every one of Sony and XBOX's moats dry up by being pro-consumer where possible, but with Steam as the leader of a fungible game distribution market it may no longer make good business sense to continue to act so benevolently. We've reached a sort of gaming singularity where nearly every video game can be run on any hardware you choose or be streamed over the network to a thin client. PlayStation and XBOX consoles are basically dedicated gaming PCs that can only run Sony or Microsoft's version of Steam. DirectX is losing ground too thanks to Proton and Vulkan, so Microsoft won't have the last laugh there either. If Valve controls the store you purchase games from, the software which runs the games, and the operating system running the software, they are an ODM contract away from becoming Sony's PlayStation division, and look where they are now.

wongarsu 4mo ago
Steam still has to deal with Epic being willing to throw billions at trying to dethrone Steam, and Gog being alive and well and being in the perfect position to say "we told you all along that you shouldn't have to trust Steam, buy your DRM free games here". Also every big publisher wanting to pull their own games to their own storefront and only being forced to crawl back because gamers refuse to leave Steam And even if they somehow arrived in a market position where being less benevolent would make more money: Valve isn't publicly traded, nobody is forcing them to make the most profitable move. As long as Gabe and the other owners prefer being benevolent they can continue doing it (not that they are all around benevolent. "consistent" and "usually choosing the side of the customer over the side of the publisher" is maybe the better framing)
- ChoGGi 4mo ago
  > As long as Gabe and the other owners prefer being benevolent they can continue doing i I think Gabe prefers hanging out on his yacht nowadays looking at fish, his son is the one running Valve?
kibwen 4mo ago
One point in Steam's favor (not to suggest that Valve is above reproach) is that it doesn't impose any DRM. If games have DRM, that's the publisher's decision.

wing-_-nuts 4mo ago

Till Gabe dies and valve is bought out by private equity

quantumink 4mo ago
Imagine if Gabe went the Yvon Chouinard way? (founder of Patagonia refused to IPO, never sold controlling stake, recently left the entire company to an environmental conservation trust - certified LEGEND) Gabe seems like the kinda guy who is in the Game for the love of games. It would be a legendary legacy indeed to commit Valve and it's profits to a trust which defends digital rights and freedom.
ChoGGi 4mo ago
Gabe's son is apparently the one steering the ship now. He's hanging out on his yacht looking at fish.

Henchman21 4mo ago

I’m wondering what happens when Gabe dies?

Fire-Dragon-DoL 4mo ago
It's been discussed a long time. Nobody knows, but apparently he had been preparing his son for it. Don't quote me on that, it's what I heard
- a96 4mo ago
  That's still a terribly small bus factor.
  - Fire-Dragon-DoL 4mo ago
    Indeed the danger is there, but their hardware is open, so there is always the option to switch. Also piracy will go rampant if Steam stops being a good actor. That being said, what alternatives you have? GOG lacks support for Linux, Sony cares doesn't care for you, Nintendo likes to s** all over you and their most passionate fans, Microsoft killed itself. There is just no other option