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How can Steam offer such freedom, ex; free cloud saves and online play but console still can't?

YeulEmeralda

YeulEmeralda

Linux User
Astray said:
They don't subsidize hardware at all. That's a major, major cost. They also have almost zero physical distribution compared to Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft.

You might be saving on cloud saves free online etc, but you will likely have to pay more for the hardware compared to consoles.

The overall PC gaming experience, while vastly improved, also just isn't as smooth sailing as consoles are.
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Valve also isn't making a lot of expensive triple A games that may or may not succeed.

It's no coincidence IMO that as soon as Steam money started pouring in Valve stopped making Half-life 3.
 
Fahdis

Fahdis

Member
Davevil said:
laugh-goodfellas.gif
Click to expand...

Bitch Slap Slapping GIF by absurdnoise
 
S

Smasher89

Member
Just buy all 3rd party on pc, that way you get the online for those and over time as long as people do that, the console makers will have to drop the online paywall (alot of games die in a month on switch if not even faster due to it, why pay for matchmaking with no opponents?).
 
Connxtion

Connxtion

Member
intbal said:
Just to reiterate for maybe the 10th time in this thread, Cloud Saves are free on Xbox and always have been.
It also works in reverse.
If you buy a Xbox 360 game to play through backwards compatibility on Xbox Series S/X, you can start the game on Xbox Series, then resume your cloud save at some later date on your Xbox 360.
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They see it they just don’t want to acknowledge it 😂
 
kazuyamishima

kazuyamishima

Member
Capitalism is a great thing that can let you choose which poison you want.

If you still choose any particular poison and still complain about it, it’s mostly on you considering that Google and other stuff exists nowadays.

All corporations only want your money, and that’s it, they’re not your friends

Funny thing is how Nintendo gets praise from PC players for doing the same stuff as the other 2.
 
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Kokoloko85

Kokoloko85

Member
Valve just sits back and makes money from every game developer. They arent competing with anything.
They dont have the same issues Sony, Xbox and Nintndo do as a platform. They also make the least games out of them And probably the least investment.
 
N

Negotiator

Member
Online MP games are better with a F2P business model (no subscription needed, bigger player pool).

Lack of free cloud saves is shitty though and to make it even worse, PS5 saves cannot be backed up on a USB stick (unlike PS3/4 saves).
 
N

Negotiator

Member
Banjo64 said:
P2P is P2P. The only aspect of NSO that’s worse than PSN or Live is the fact that there’s no messaging system, party chat, handles and friends list.

Source: someone who’s used all 3 extensively over the last 15-20 years.
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Switch does have a friends list with Discord-like handles.

I hope Switch 2 adds party chat too.
 
T

Terenty

Member
Console makers treat their customers like braindead sheeple. Even in their games they look down on their customers giving them non stop handholding, narrating every second and teaching them the right opinions.

Fuck Sony and Microsoft. Long live Steam and Nintendo
 
Calverz

Calverz

Member
GHG said:
Because PC gamers are no mugs, and due to the open nature of the platform, if anyone attempts any bullshit then they are at risk of a backlash along with losing customers very quickly.

Prime example, when Microsoft attempted to shoehorn in paid online via GFWL. They quickly found out, and a lot of distrust PC gamers have towards them and any of their storefronts stems from that and the subsequent fallout.
Click to expand...
Sony are the most recent examples. Not GFWL which was over 10 years ago.
 
MadchesterManc

MadchesterManc

Member
I suppose when folk are spending millions on games they ain't downloading you got the extra resources to move things around while keeping that cash in your pocket.
 
Calverz

Calverz

Member
GHG said:
What are you talking about?

Sony are attempting to charge PC gamers for online gaming?

When SonyToo™ goes horribly wrong.
Click to expand...
You made a good point about pc gamers:

"Because PC gamers are no mugs, and due to the open nature of the platform, if anyone attempts any bullshit then they are at risk of a backlash along with losing customers very quickly."

The most recent example of this is the Helldivers 2 debacle. Not a Microsoft decision 10+ years ago but a Sony one 10+weeks ago.
But as usually you showed the Microsoft stick up your ass.

And now look, helldivers 2 is dying on PC primarily of Sony's "bullshit".

So there you go.
 
GHG

GHG

Member
Calverz said:
You made a good point about pc gamers:

"Because PC gamers are no mugs, and due to the open nature of the platform, if anyone attempts any bullshit then they are at risk of a backlash along with losing customers very quickly."

The most recent example of this is the Helldivers 2 debacle. Not a Microsoft decision 10+ years ago but a Sony one 10+weeks ago.
But as usually you showed the Microsoft stick up your ass.

And now look, helldivers 2 is dying on PC primarily of Sony's "bullshit".

So there you go.
Click to expand...


We are talking about things like attempting to force PC gamers to pay for things like online gaming and cloud saves. Not launcher introduction and any subsequent backlash (a reaction which is normal and warranted).

Read the OP, familiarise yourself with the topic, and keep up.
 
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FewRope

FewRope

Member
Calverz said:
You made a good point about pc gamers:

"Because PC gamers are no mugs, and due to the open nature of the platform, if anyone attempts any bullshit then they are at risk of a backlash along with losing customers very quickly."

The most recent example of this is the Helldivers 2 debacle. Not a Microsoft decision 10+ years ago but a Sony one 10+weeks ago.
But as usually you showed the Microsoft stick up your ass.

And now look, helldivers 2 is dying on PC primarily of Sony's "bullshit".

So there you go.
Click to expand...
Helldivers 2 is not "dying" because Sony shit, people are stopping playing because it's a multiplayer game only without big gameplay changes in 4 months lmao
 
FewRope

FewRope

Member
Calverz said:
Are you saying it’s not a factor then?
Click to expand...
No, it's not a factor. That controversy doesnt affect the mainstream players that matter to feed the numbers. A multiplayer game without content for 4 months is lucky to have a consistent playerbase nowadays
 
N

Negotiator

Member
nial said:
"Fuck Sony and Microsoft for treating their customers like braindead sheeple! Long live Ninten-"
yNdgz3t.jpeg
Click to expand...
At least it's a lot cheaper... 4 times cheaper compared to PS+/Gold if you only care for buy2play MP (since free2play MP doesn't require a subscription anywhere).
 
Shake Your Rump

Shake Your Rump

Member
nial said:
"Fuck Sony and Microsoft for treating their customers like braindead sheeple! Long live Ninten-"
yNdgz3t.jpeg
Click to expand...
Switch Online is particularly egregious. Studies show there is a significant psychological difference between "free" and any amount (even a penny). They fragmented their online user base for a measly $25 a year. Games like Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart used to be filled with a wide pool of players of varying degrees of skill. When they started charging for online, we saw the difference in our Splatoon matches almost immediately.

it's a goddamn shame. All for a fraction of a percent of their revenue.
 
N

Negotiator

Member
Shake Your Rump said:
Switch Online is particularly egregious. Studies show there is a significant psychological difference between "free" and any amount (even a penny). They fragmented their online user base for a measly $25 a year. Games like Splatoon 2 and Mario Kart used to be filled with a wide pool of players of varying degrees of skill. When they started charging for online, we saw the difference in our Splatoon matches almost immediately.

it's a goddamn shame. All for a fraction of a percent of their revenue.
Click to expand...
Splatoon PvP should have been F2P and not even have different versions (2 vs 3). One unified player pool.

On the other hand, I think it's OK to charge for the Campaign and PvE (Salmon Run).
 
MarkMe2525

MarkMe2525

Gold Member
newtypepilot said:
it used to be free but then xbox players are stupid and starting paying a subscription for it, and then Sony and Nintendo were like "what? we can do that?"
Click to expand...
So if we follow the logic, then are Nintendo and Sony players who pay stupid as well? In all seriousness, OG Xbox live offered an infrastructure for consoles that was worth the $5 monthly asking price. I can't say the same for their current pricing structure.
 
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N

Negotiator

Member
MarkMe2525 said:
So if we follow the logic, then are Nintendo and Sony players who pay stupid as well? In all seriousness, OG Xbox live offered an infrastructure for consoles that was worth the $5 monthly asking price. I can't say the same for their current pricing structure.
Click to expand...
That's because online MP/voice chat was a rarity/novelty in consoles back then, while it's a commodity these days.
 
TrebleShot

TrebleShot

Member
I think the biggest thing is how they treat you as a consumer they actually respect you and offer you refunds.

I'm amazed till this day that Sony AND MS don't let you refund digital items on the store. You can't buy a game zee it runs like.shit and Refund it. It seems absolutely stone age to me.

Sony also charges 30% to publishers but the games seem to be at least 10 more on PS5 AND no refund policy.

Just recently I went around the bend trying to refund a DD2 digital.order as I got it on disc for half the price and it was impossible. They said they'd email me with escalation information and never did after being on live chat with them for a long time.

It's criminal , I mean isn't it literally against consumer law or something.
 
RoboFu

RoboFu

One of the green rats
steam doesn't have the costs of having to sell a console. Sure they make a few hundred thousand steam decks and what not but there is never a risk there or overhead of having to put them in stores.
 
Bonfires Down

Bonfires Down

Member
It does seem weird from a customer perspective why F2P games have free online play, but when you actually buy a game THEN you have to pay extra to play online.
 
N

Negotiator

Member
Bonfires Down said:
It does seem weird from a customer perspective why F2P games have free online play, but when you actually buy a game THEN you have to pay extra to play online.
Click to expand...
It makes zero sense, because both F2P and B2P (buy2play) games have MTX (microtransactions).

It's just plain idiotic, because guess what? Most suits/CEOs/bean counters are not gamers themselves.

They don't realize what it means for customer enjoyment to split the player pool in many ways...
 
64bitmodels

64bitmodels

Reverse groomer.
James Sawyer Ford said:
Consoles will offer free cloud saves whenever Valve starts making real games again
Click to expand...
enjoy paying forever then

And while you're at it, I hope that for every year Valve doesn't release a new singleplayer game, the PS Plus subscription jumps by 10%. Let Half Life 3 rot in their devkits for all eternity if it pisses you off
 
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