![]() In Steam’s case, that means pinging a server to make sure you’re a legitimate customer. Some methods used involve limiting the number of times you can install a game, as was the case with EA’s Origin ancestor, EA Download Manager. ![]() We’re not suggesting that people should pirate games, but while DRM exists to protect against illegal copies of your digital media, it usually ends up being anti-consumer and still easily circumvented by real pirates. GOG Galaxy does not face this problem because it does not have digital rights management (DRM). Steam allows you to play offline, but its offline mode must be enabled when you’re online! And when you’re online, the service is constantly updated, making it almost impossible to stay offline. ![]() But I’d trade all those features in a heartbeat for a service that works reliably offline. Of course, GOG Galaxy doesn’t have Steam’s pretty big picture mode, or Family Sharing, or the ability to trade cards you earn in games. The more pedantic among you might want to crucify me for daring to suggest that a beta client for the digital distribution of PC games is better than something that’s been around for almost 12 years, but the sad truth is that, in areas that matter, GOG is already an improvement on Steam. ![]() there’s a light at the end of that tunnel – and it’s called GOG Galaxy, an optional online gaming platform that’s currently in open beta. Thanks to this iron grip on developers, publishers and the community, and a generous number of sales happening throughout the year, I ended up with a collection of 328 games over 11 years, which started with a boxed copy of Half-Life 2.Īlong the way, I’ve seen Steam become a DRM-based dystopia, lined with Team Fortress 2 hats and deep Counter-Strike: Global Offensive discounts, discounts that have increased the number of cheats in the game tenfold. This made Steam the de facto choice for PC gamers worldwide, giving it a virtual monopoly outside of the console market. Steam faced almost no competition from EA Origin, Ubisoft, Uplay, or any of the other pretenders to the throne. Half-Life 2: Episode 2, I’m still waiting for Episode 3 before Half-Life 3. Valve’s heavy-handed approach to paid mods, the way it gave developers the power to ban anyone they want, or the absence of Half-Life 2: Episode 3 (the logical extension of episode 2, not Half-Life 3) all show a company that isn’t really interested in meeting the demands of its audience. Frankly, the company would make a fascinating case study of passive-aggressive dictatorship. Always late to respond to user feedback and more than happy to throw a sale or twenty in our general direction to keep the masses in check. The thing is, Valve doesn’t really get what people want. Members of the so-called PC Master Race who read this would probably read me the whole “GabeN is love, GabeN is life” spiel, but while Gabe Newell, the head of Valve Corporation – the company behind games like Half-Life and Portal, and also behind the Steam distribution platform – has accomplished a lot, a flawless Steam wouldn’t make the honors list. Suffering from annoying and rude children in DOTA 2 and League of Legends. Suffering from poorly optimized but ostensibly high-end games like Watch Dogs and Wolfenstein: The New Order.
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