The Eye of Sauron Stirs: Microsoft on Steam

Microsoft should be happy. Steam has probably helped their OS platform longevity better than they could have.
 
Godammit, I thought there was a new LOTR game coming out. *shakes fist*
 
Windows gaming is the other major digital games platform with the Windows App Store
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I read this just to make sure they aren't going to try resurrect GFWL.
They are not. All is well with the world.

Thank you MS.
Thank you for not trying to stick your dick in the punch bowl, again.
 
Where are the usual Microbots that drag their runny noses across every SteamOS and Steambox thread with "it will never take off anyway" and "FAIL my windows gaming werx just fine why would i want anything else "

Awfully quiet in here. If it really is such a nonfactor, nonthreat, you'd have to wonder why Microsoft is making statements about it.
 
DPI said:
Where are the usual Microbots that drag their runny noses across every SteamOS and Steambox thread with "it will never take off anyway" and "FAIL my windows gaming werx just fine why would i want anything else "

Awfully quiet in here.
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They stick to the front page.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
Microsoft should be happy. Steam has probably helped their OS platform longevity better than they could have.
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Eh, not really. Its a marketplace, one I know I use rarely. All of my PC gaming friends dont even sign into Steam anymore. There are other alternatives, non DRM alternatives to be frank. The "Steam only" ship has sailed, and most PC gamers I know are now marketplace agnostic. The common denominator underneath throughout though is the platform, these people are gaming on Windows, and rarely Steam. Its a store not the son of god. (despite what people would say otherwise lol)

Steam is great, but its not all the saving grace of the Windows platform. Microsoft is the saving grace of Windows, its their bread and butter, next to Office and enterprise licensing. Valve may have provided a viable and healthy marketplace for PC "gaming" to thrive better over the years but it certainly is not responsible for platform longevity more than Microsoft has.

I'll give credit where its due to Steam, I wont however play into this imaginary fandom love fantasy some have for Steam and Gabe. Its a marketplace, a store to buy games. Nothing more.
 
theNoid said:
Eh, not really. Its a marketplace, one I know I use rarely. All of my PC gaming friends dont even sign into Steam anymore. There are other alternatives, non DRM alternatives to be frank. The "Steam only" ship has sailed, and most PC gamers I know are now marketplace agnostic. The common denominator underneath throughout though is the platform, these people are gaming on Windows, and rarely Steam. Its a store not the son of god. (despite what people would say otherwise lol)

Steam is great, but its not all the saving grace of the Windows platform. Microsoft is the saving grace of Windows, its their bread and butter, next to Office and enterprise licensing. Valve may have provided a viable and healthy marketplace for PC "gaming" to thrive better over the years but it certainly is not responsible for platform longevity more than Microsoft has.

I'll give credit where its due to Steam, I wont however play into this imaginary fandom love fantasy some have for Steam and Gabe. Its a marketplace, a store to buy games. Nothing more.
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No doubt. I meant on the gaming side, not as their entire OS business. But, over the years, Steam had a lot to do with platform retention for gamers. Now there are more options, but for years Steam was the only gig in town.
 
I wish Microsoft would have continued cross platforming multiplayer though,....
 
ServerKing said:
I wish Microsoft would have continued cross platforming multiplayer though,....
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Their early tests showed too high of a skew in favor of KB&M against controller. That precision is too big of a factor to easily overcome.
 
LeninGHOLA said:
No doubt. I meant on the gaming side, not as their entire OS business. But, over the years, Steam had a lot to do with platform retention for gamers. Now there are more options, but for years Steam was the only gig in town.
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Definitely agree with this
 
LeninGHOLA said:
Microsoft should be happy. Steam has probably helped their OS platform longevity better than they could have.
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Perhaps at the moment and in the past, but in the long term, I'm not so sure. Valve is (attempting to at least) making the push for OS agnostic gaming.

Their early tests showed too high of a skew in favor of KB&M against controller. That precision is too big of a factor to easily overcome.
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I honestly wonder how big the sample was and who they had using controllers vs those using a KB/mouse

Reason I say that is my GF's kids (who are in their early teens), when they play games on my PC, they use a controller because it's more comfortable for them as they're used to playing XBOX and PS3. It's not uncommon for them to run at the tops of the leaderboards after a match (primarily BF3 and COD:BO2). I've seen them, more often than not, easily getting 30-50 kills per match (COD) with a kill death ratio of 10+ to 1

There is no arguing that a mouse is more precise than a controller... even with the most advanced player, but there are ways to compensate for that lack of precision on a controller (heavy use of side stepping for example)

As another example, I'm not great by any means with a controller... however when I play COD Zombies I tend to use one to prevent my hands from cramping up since a match can go on for 4+ hours at times. Generally, I lead every single game I play (headshots, amount of hits, kills, etc)... so while using a KB/mouse might be able to make a person more accurate, it doesn't necessarily guarantee that it will (nor will it give people more skill)
 
ServerKing said:
I wish Microsoft would have continued cross platforming multiplayer though,....
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Microsoft is right and wrong on this. Yes, in competitive FPS we all know KB/M would rule. But there are other games that the PS4 will allow cross platform play in such as Warframe and FFXIV. At some point you need to allow your users to experience things like this. Sony gets it; why doesn't Microsoft?
 
The reason I said the multiplatforming is because Shadowrun was awesome to play on PC or console, when I played on PC yes I had a better K:D ratio but I wasnt killing everything in site either. I enjoyed it and probably was the last original FPS online I played to be honest it was so fun.
 
CreganTur said:
Their early tests showed too high of a skew in favor of KB&M against controller. That precision is too big of a factor to easily overcome.
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That depends entirely on the game. KBM is an huge advantage in FPS and RTS games. For fighters, racing, action, and some RPG styles KBM is not the best choice of input device. So it becomes a wash.

There's a good argument to be made that something like BF4 should not have crossplatform play, there's no really good argument why stuff like FF, Street Fighter, platformers, Sonic Racing don't have it.
 
Op makes me laugh. Actually, Microsoft does... Anyone remember when Microsoft tried to buy Valve for a billion dollars and Gaben was like, "Lawl... nope."

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This awesome post on NeoGAF outlines MS history with PC gaming. After they got into the console business, it's been all empty promises and shitty GWFL.

The future of PC gaming does not include Microsoft and their shitty plans for lock-in.
 
Microsoft is that friend that only shows up when they need or want something. Usually shows up out of the blue after not hearing from them for ages and the entire time they're talking like you are them have been best friends since childhood your only thought is "Ok, get to the point, what favor do you need from me or what do you want to borrow?"..
 
It seems like there have been many instances of MS admitting they've neglected PC gaming, and yet... they never actually get around to doing anything about it.
 
zamardii said:
Anyone remember when Microsoft tried to buy Valve for a billion dollars and Gaben was like, "Lawl... nope."
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Oh yes. And now Valve is clearing more than that annually. And Microsoft had a shot at buying Google for a few billion too back in early 2000's. God what a mediocrity the internet would've stumbled along in had that happened.

Windows and all its descendents like the server side products are practically the only thing Microsoft has managed to execute at the right place and right time. Almost everything else they're doing is getting there too late and then burning hundreds of millions and still unable to catch up with the first movers. In terms of "cool factor" these days Microsoft and its frantic, iPad-chasing abandonment of Windows to get a foot in mobile is like the parent sending friend requests to their teenage kids and all their friends on facebook.
 
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While I do not want another GFWL I wouldn't mind seeing another competitor in the digital distribution market. More competition might mean cheaper games and sales. Personally I buy my games on GMG and activate on Steam. Sucks for Steam but they don't have regular sales so they are losing money with me.
 
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