GOG Galaxy Online Gaming Platform Takes On Steam

Many of you are familiar with GOG or Good Old Games from its library of low cost classic games, but you may soon come to know it as GOG Galaxy, a reinvented DRM-Free gaming platform, that has its eye set firmly on giving Steam a run for its money.

did i just hear gabe newell's belly rumble?

I don't think many if any gaming software distribution centers like GoG Galaxy, Uplay and/or whatever the one from EA is has any real chance against steam.

The only reason anyone uses Uplay or the one from EA is they force them on the users if you want to play their games.

Steam has an established service and they are branching out with steamOS. They are bringing games to Linux because of steamOS. Game companies are starting to get behind valve and steamOS with increased support for porting their games to steamOS.

I fully believe steam has the market locked up already and there isn't much room for competition. Other game distribution outlets are like a virus that sits in the bottom right hand corner of the screen on the task bar taking up memory and spamming people with ads for games every now and then, kinda like a virus.

Didn't GOG start out as a place that ported old games to be able to run in newer versions of Windows?

I don't think they have a chance against Steam, but I don't think they are going to go away either.

cyclone3d said:

Didn't GOG start out as a place that ported old games to be able to run in newer versions of Windows?

I don't think they have a chance against Steam, but I don't think they are going to go away either.

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Yeah, they were "Good Old Games", but like KFC, they decided to consolidate it to just GOG. And sadly, fewer old games are being rereleased, and they're focusing more on newer games, albeit indie. Think of it more like competing with Steam's Greenlight.

I really like GoG. Really I do. However I have had several digital services screw me over or fold over the years and it has cost me both money and games.

Right now, Steam is the only service I TRUST and the only service I will spend any meaningful amount of money with.

I do not and will not us UPlay. I do not and will not use Origin unless I have absolutely no choice. I had 20-30 games on impulse but now that they were taken by game stop I won't even look at it. I had several games on Direct2Drive but they just vanished.

I am a firm believer in voting with your wallet. Ubisoft, EA, and Game stop WILL NOT get my money.

MNKyDeth said:

I don't think many if any gaming software distribution centers like GoG Galaxy, Uplay and/or whatever the one from EA is has any real chance against steam.

The only reason anyone uses Uplay or the one from EA is they force them on the users if you want to play their games.

Steam has an established service and they are branching out with steamOS. They are bringing games to Linux because of steamOS. Game companies are starting to get behind valve and steamOS with increased support for porting their games to steamOS.

I fully believe steam has the market locked up already and there isn't much room for competition. Other game distribution outlets are like a virus that sits in the bottom right hand corner of the screen on the task bar taking up memory and spamming people with ads for games every now and then, kinda like a virus.

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As entrenched as Steam is, the beautiful thing about PC gaming is that other services CAN attempt to compete - there's at least the possibility. Consoles on the other hand, not so much.

The thing is most of the publisher are not going deal with GOG with out some forum DRM in there titles unless it an over hill game from 15+ years ago sure it nice to see CD Projekt Red do sometime.

KarsusTG said:

I really like GoG. Really I do. However I have had several digital services screw me over or fold over the years and it has cost me both money and games.

Right now, Steam is the only service I TRUST and the only service I will spend any meaningful amount of money with.

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But isn't GOG DRM-free? Seems to be exactly what you're asking for.

jwcalla said:

But isn't GOG DRM-free?

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It is.

They'll certainly get my support, CDPR is one of my favorite developers and I love the DRM free model on their GOG platform. I wish more devs/publishers were as pro-consumer minded as they are, we as paying customers would all be better off for it.

KarsusTG said:

I really like GoG. Really I do. However I have had several digital services screw me over or fold over the years and it has cost me both money and games.

Right now, Steam is the only service I TRUST and the only service I will spend any meaningful amount of money with.

I do not and will not us UPlay. I do not and will not use Origin unless I have absolutely no choice. I had 20-30 games on impulse but now that they were taken by game stop I won't even look at it. I had several games on Direct2Drive but they just vanished.

I am a firm believer in voting with your wallet. Ubisoft, EA, and Game stop WILL NOT get my money.

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Don't worry, it is only a matter of time before steam screws you too.

OT - Really sad to see GoG go the third party crapware route that steam and origin started. Absolutely no need for there to be some shit client running in the background when a browser will accomplish everything important. I'll start taking DD more seriously when they give me a digital market place that I can buy/sell/trade games through my browser and the games install locally on my hd and don't require running anything else but the game. Anything else is just bullshit treating the paying customer like a criminal while the actual pirates get the game and nothing else.

Dekoth-E- said:

Don't worry, it is only a matter of time before steam screws you too.

OT - Really sad to see GoG go the third party crapware route that steam and origin started. Absolutely no need for there to be some shit client running in the background when a browser will accomplish everything important. I'll start taking DD more seriously when they give me a digital market place that I can buy/sell/trade games through my browser and the games install locally on my hd and don't require running anything else but the game. Anything else is just bullshit treating the paying customer like a criminal while the actual pirates get the game and nothing else.

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No worries, the client is totally optional so you'll still be able to do exactly as you stated. From the gog.com site's announcement of Galaxy:

"But, here's the great thing: it is totally optional, so it's all up to you! If you do not want to play online, or use our optional client to access these features, then no worries, you will always be able to play the single-player mode 100% DRM-free, and download manually the latest updated version of your favorite title from our website."

hot damn

Isn't the purpose of being DRM free is to avoid needing another client to launch our game. I understand it's optional, but it seems like an unnecessary option to have

Dekoth-E- said:

Don't worry, it is only a matter of time before steam screws you too.

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Do you have specific information? Or just talking out of your ass? Please share your story with us all.

I've been waiting 10 years to be screwed over by Steam. Hasn't happened. I guess I'll keep waiting.

There are still many PC gamers out there who refuse to use Steam. They don't like being forced to use the client or having their games tied to the service. Even a mature, stable, convenient platform such as Steam is still DRM in the end. I have no problem using Steam (in fact I love it), but I love the hell outta GOG.com as well. I buy games using both. I refuse to use uPlay or Origin. I like what I'm hearing about Galaxy. I'd be willing to give their client a try, knowing all the while that I will never be forced to use it. Knowing me, I'll probably try it out and end up not caring for it. Either way, won't be a problem. If I was a game developer, I would release PC games on two services: Steam, and GOG.com for those who want their shiznit to be completely DRM-free and not tied to anything. I like the way GOG.com handles things already, I love their absolute commitment to everything being DRM-free, that the customers truly own the games they bought, and that they are free to use them however they wish. I really appreciated how CD Projekt RED gave you a free backup copy of The Witcher 2 on GOG.com when you buy it on Steam. I hope they do the same thing for The Witcher 3. More developers need to do that shit.

I too am of the opinion that nothing will ever be able to truly compete with Steam. However, I don't see GOG Galaxy as something that will compete with Steam, but rather as something that will co-exist and serve a different set of users. For someone like me, it will only end up complementing Steam. Basically, that's how I treat GOG.com already.

In any case, it's far too early to be trying to guess how Galaxy will work, or how things will play out. We don't have anywhere near enough information. But I am interested in hearing more about it. I'm willing to support anything GOG does, cuz they're fucking awesome, and I love their attitude and commitment to PC gaming (both classic and modern).

Buying shit on GOG.com is like legal piracy. You get all the files you need right to your hard drive, and you can freely carry them around on portable storage, make infinite copies of them, or even give them to your friends so they can play your games. They put completely trust in the customers, which is how things should be. That's the kind of company that deserves support.

People may feel that Galaxy is an unnecessary option, but the great thing about GOG.com is that they give you options. Consumer choice and freedom. The fact that Galaxy (and each of its features) will be optional and not required and not shoved down my throat is fantastic. I can choose how I play my games, and can decide on my own if I want to use the extra features Galaxy is touting. Like I said, I probably won't end up using or even liking Galaxy. But the way GOG is going about all this makes me willing to at least give it a whirl. The fact that I am even expressing an interest to try it to begin with says something.

As for uPlay and Origin, can't wait to see those pieces of shit die off. Dunno if it will ever happen, but what a joyous day that will be if it does. At least GFW Live bit the dust. The future of PC gaming should be the way I live now: Steam + GOG. At least, that's what I would personally prefer.

I can understand how people would have a problem with Steam (and Lord knows I have personally heard plenty of complaints from my anti-Steam friends), but as things stand right now, I can't imagine anyone having a problem with the way GOG.com rolls. I can't really see Galaxy hurting or improving their reputation either.

DPI said:

Do you have specific information? Or just talking out of your ass? Please share your story with us all.

I've been waiting 10 years to be screwed over by Steam. Hasn't happened. I guess I'll keep waiting.

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I don't trust Steam one bit. I've had my account hijacked twice, and both times I had Steam Guard. It was also tied using my GMail account, which I have tied to my cell phone. I didn't receive any text from my cell phone that my GMail account was compromised (and didn't see any suspicious activity on the log). I never received an email that my Steam account was compromised (which it's suppose to do). And the computer I have Steam on gets formatted every 6 months or so, and is only used for games. (I browse the internet with another computer because I'm overly paranoid).

I feel Steam is way overrated and I don't understand the obsession by it's fan boys. It has it's own problems, but unlike Origin, trying to get help from them takes significantly longer. Support does let you know though that if you get banned during the time they're resetting your account, tough luck, because they can't distinguish that IP in Russia was not you and should be ignored by VAC.

Listen, if you got your account "hijacked" that just means that you did stupid shit like sharing your login info with your family members, or your friends, or and other stupid stuff that put you into that position. It's really just that simple.

Steam rocks, everyone else can DIAF.

I appreciate the convenience of STEAM (and as hardware guys, we all should) for the simple reason that it makes reloading a newly built PC a breeze. I don't have to keep boxes or slips of paper with serial numbers / codes on them anymore.

Considering my update cycle on desktops and laptops is once or twice each year, reloading windows much less all the other software can be a pain in the ass. At least with STEAM (and hopefully GOG too), I can just load the app, then re-install all of the games from one central location.Hell, I've got Origin loaded on the PCs for the same reason.

It sucks that pirating asshats have forced this crap on the rest of us, but it is what it is, especially for AAA titles. Either you buy it as is or you don't play it at all. While like most, I don't necessarily like the DRM, I'm willing to deal with it for the games that I want / have to play.

I had a terrible experience with Steam support. It's slow and does not keep you informed about the issue. It either fixes it or not, but you won't hear a word from ther.

Other than that, Steam is fine, and I do like the sales. But competition is always good, and GoG has a good reputation.

Thuleman said:

Listen, if you got your account "hijacked" that just means that you did stupid shit like sharing your login info with your family members, or your friends, or and other stupid stuff that put you into that position. It's really just that simple.

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And this is part of my issue with Steam. The blind loyalty. I didn't give my password to anyone, and as stated above, this machine is pretty much kept as secure as possible from a consumer perspective. Bad things happen, and that's part of life. Like most identity theft, no one ever thinks it can happen to them until it happens to them. Until that time, there's a lot of victim blaming. And I'll agree, much of the time the victim was partially involved. But if someone wants something bad enough, they can get it. There's no such thing as true security in the computer world if it's connected to the outside world. When it comes to security, Steam isn't perfect, nor is Linux, nor is Mac, etc., despite how often the zealots place blame on the competitors.

I love STEAM and haven't used any other service until about two weeks ago. I purchased Giants Citizen Kabuto off of GOG because no one else had it. I had never heard of Origin until someone told me about a sale. Since them I have gotten 5 games from them and will be getting another tonight. They have been consistently cheaper than anyone else.

Nytegard said:

And this is part of my issue with Steam. The blind loyalty.

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No shit. People seem to forget that Steam WAS Origin: It was a piece of software nobody asked for or wanted, that they only grudgingly accepted because it was mandatory to play a game they wanted (HalfLife 2). It grew on account of being the first digital distribution service.

These days they make tons of money for very little effort. They could afford a large and competent support staff but they don't have one because they don't have to.

But man, fanboys just LOVE Steam and HATE anything else, no matter how much like Steam it is. Steam is the One True Way(tm) and nothing else is ok for them. It is really annoying and is part of the reason Steam can get away with what is really very poor customer service.

It is also not very healthy for a company to have a monopoly on game sales, as some seem to want. All the fanboys need to remember: At some point Gabe Newell will get tired of running Valve and retire, or he'll die. At that point, someone else will buy Valve. What if that is Sony? Or Disney? Or Apple?

Consider that when you wish for all things to be Steam all the time.

Nytegard said:

And this is part of my issue with Steam. The blind loyalty. I didn't give my password to anyone, and as stated above, this machine is pretty much kept as secure as possible from a consumer perspective. Bad things happen, and that's part of life. Like most identity theft, no one ever thinks it can happen to them until it happens to them. Until that time, there's a lot of victim blaming. And I'll agree, much of the time the victim was partially involved. But if someone wants something bad enough, they can get it. There's no such thing as true security in the computer world if it's connected to the outside world. When it comes to security, Steam isn't perfect, nor is Linux, nor is Mac, etc., despite how often the zealots place blame on the competitors.

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Blah blah blah. You said "I had my account hijacked twice". There's something more to the story if its happened... TWICE.

Sorry.

Nytegard said:

And this is part of my issue with Steam. The blind loyalty. I didn't give my password to anyone, and as stated above, this machine is pretty much kept as secure as possible from a consumer perspective.

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It just doesn't matter what you say you did, or what you think you did, both of those are at odds with reality.

For someone to obtain access to your specific Steam account you had to screw up, reality proves that to be true because it happened. If a million other Steam users were compromised during a data breach that would have been different (this can happen to Steam just like it happened to Sony, Target, etc.), but since it was just your account you did something wrong. The sooner you can admit that to yourself the sooner you will be able to do whatever needs to be done to not let that happen again.

I'm not at all a huge fan of client software so even when I was using Steam, which I don't really do now since there's really nothing on it that I really care about until they start offering things like novel planning software (that actually works and isn't junk) or an offline encyclopedia and maybe some inexpensive novels, I usually just kept it turned off and only started it in offline mode when I had to just to play a game. It always seemed wasteful and sorta like you were volunteering to use spyware on your computer. I don't see how the GOG people are gonna be any different if they're offering junkware, but at least it's optional.