It’s an open question whether Epic’s limited success is a result of the company’s failure to “press its advantage,” as Pitchford opines, or just a sign that Steam’s massive entrenched network effects have proven more resilient than he expected.
It’s not. EGS doesn’t solve any problems that Steam leaves on the table to be solved. Customers have no reason to shop at EGS when Epic takes its thumb off the scale.
Not only that but it’s a worse user experience all around.
I fucking hate the EGS and Xbox stores for browsing new games. Most of the time you’ll get an animated video that’s not game footage and two screenshots that don’t tell you shit.
Not to mention that the formatting is so bad that the client requires you to basically be in fullscreen but you’ve still gotta scroll a mile down to get any info.
Not to mention that the formatting is so bad that the client requires you to basically be in fullscreen but you’ve still gotta scroll a mile down to get any info.
For Xbox, that’s because the PC app is literally copy/pasted from the Xbox console app. Hell, it probably is the same universal app since that was a big Microsoft push to have more apps available on the consoles and Windows Phone.
Lol I thought it was just my advanced age of 33 that made it difficult to understand a game from the Xbox previews. A majority of screenshots look like garbage once you’re not in character and the store highlights that.
The funny thing is, I feel like it’s not so hard to navigate Steam for particular problems that consumers would like a solution to, but Valve has been ignoring or considers beyond them. For some people, those individual problems form the root of their buying decision. You’d have to beat them at something before you beat them at everything.
If anything, the only thing that other stores have that Steam doesn’t would be games not on Steam. Even then, half of the time, they’re either itch(dot)io exclusive indie titles or shitty triple AAA titles.
When I buy on GOG, I know I’m getting a game DRM-free. They muddied that a tad with how they handle online multiplayer, but for the most part, I get more value from their store for that. It’s a huge reason why I’d choose their store, because they’re solving a problem for me that Steam does not.
While I normally check both locations and buy from GOG if it’s available there, you would be surprised how many Steam titles are completely DRM free.
I needed some DRM free games for the classroom last year and was pleasantly surprised that a lot of the smaller, indie games I own Steam, the ones I was most interested in bringing into the classroom to begin with, run perfectly well on a machine without Steam even installed just by copying the folder to a flash drive. Some required deleting a Steam.dll or adding a text document that states the SteamID of the game, but most of the games I wanted I was able to run from a flash drive, DRM free, no Internet, Steam or game install required.
Steam offers DRM to devs that want it, but it is not a DRM platform in of itself.
I’m aware, but when GOG takes the ambiguity out of it, I don’t have to do tons of extra research to know that they have an extra feature that’s important to me. I’d really appreciate if some store took the ambiguity out of it when it comes to multiplayer games being playable offline. It’s something that Steam should easily tell you in theory, but there are tons of games that have LAN and such without bothering to report it. Some say they require an online connection and actually don’t. These are problems worth solving for me, a particular kind of consumer.
I’m with you, but they’ve got a very generous 30 day refund policy, no matter how many hours played, if it doesn’t work. So far, I’ve only had to use it once, on Phantom Fury, which is Verified on Steam but had issues in the tutorial through GOG; some day I’ll pick up the Steam version and see if it does any better. I also buy my GOG games through Heroic launcher, which has a referral link so that some of the revenue of my sale goes toward the development of Heroic. That way GOG knows that if they want all of the revenue from my sale, it’s clear what they have to do to earn it.
And as a reminder, there are Linux native games on GOG. I just played Duck Detective: The Secret Salami on the native Linux version from GOG.
I would like to see them all turned on at once so I can see the circuit breaker explode.
A bit more serious though, why have them all hooked up to one TV at once? There’s no way all that works right automatically. There’s gonna be some manual invervention to get the console showing on the TV.
I just watched the video and he does have like this really complex video splitter I guess and he show this like giant spreadsheet he has so when he wants to play PlayStation one he looks on the spreadsheet and knows which switch settings to use and then his power he did show some of them and it looks like someone will automatically turn on though
Looks awesome! and the fact that the dev is starting from a place of having the pathfinding algorithm figured out is promising. Better to start there, rather than end up like Cities: Skylines with abysmal frame rates that even top-end hardware can’t keep up with.
I’m not sure how I feel about the artstyle yet. It certainly looks gorgeous in screenshots, but I wonder if it will be difficult to read when you are actually playing. Camera rotation will be the key for me, personally. If I can’t rotate the camera to get alternate views, that might be a dealbreaker.
It will probably allow you to rotate the camera every 90 degrees like cited Rollercoaster Tycoon. At least that’s what I would expect from a game with this kind of graphics.
I have a Steam Deck and love it… But part of me really likes the idea of the Pocket (not necessarily the aluminum one). It’s rough, cuz I’ve never gotten into FPGA stuff before, and this run is going to be a one-time thing. I guess I’ll hold off until the regular plastic ones are available again?
Specifically the form factor. I have a lot of nostalgia for the GBC and SP, and the smaller size means it’s much easier to carry and whip out while traveling. Currently, my Steam Deck is used for when I’m on a long (6+ hours) flight or when I’m staying somewhere for a weekend. I don’t feel great about bringing it out while taking a bus or train, and it’s a bit much to bring out while sitting at an airport gate for 45 minutes.
That being said, I would hate to split all my saves and progress between the two systems, so maybe I’ll just remain on the Deck.
Interesting take, I think my Deck is a great size and it easily fits in my shoulder bag, I bring it everywhere. Don’t have a want for anything smaller honestly, it feels so good in my hands, anything smaller just gives me hand aches after a bit. But I can understand your perspective.
I’m a shorter dude (5’8"), so while I’m in love with my Steam Deck, it’s definitely a little much for me sometimes. Heavy to hold up, and I carry it in the OEM case. That being said, I’m a HUGE fan of the new case and basically only use the inner case, leaving the outer shell at home.
When they came out with the OLED (and the special edition) instead of giving the regular shell, it was 2 shells. 1 thinner one that’s a bit thicker than the deck, and then the big one with a handle and the elastic covering a space to carry the charger. The small one actually velcros into the big case.
In my previous comment I mentioned the OLED LE, that stands for the OLED Limited Edition you mentioned. And no, there’s no inner case I somehow missed. It’s just the one large one.
RIP my impulsivity and FOMO. Ordered a black one. Though I may have an out, since my credit card company flagged it as fraud and said they cancelled the transaction.
Obviously piracy would be terrible and nobody would do it, but imagine how great GBC games would be on the Steam Deck if such a thing were possible! I’d probably play those pretty regularly!
I have a steam deck, and have used a friend’s analogue pocket. They aren’t even the same category of device, and the analogue is literally the best emulation experience I’ve ever used. The screen, by itself, is a better emulation experience for GBC games than the steam decks default experience.
Yep, ask anyone who owns both. Nobody is playing a Gameboy game on a Steam Deck when they have an Analogue Pocket. Experience is much better, it just feels right on it.
That being said, if that’s not an important thing to you then a Steam Deck will play Gameboy games with near perfect accuracy and no issues, as well as do a million other things. So it’s indisputably a better value.
I would never pitch an Analogue Pocket at someone because if its the kind of thing you want, you already know about it and probably have one.
and the analogue is literally the best emulation experience I’ve ever used
The Analogue Pocket doesn’t use emulation. That is literally the entire point of that device, and the reason they can charge 10 times as much as you would pay for an Anbernic device with the same form factor
Or if you really want the feeling of playing those original CARTS on new hardware funny playing sells a GBC fpga board, shell and buttons for about $100. You just can’t play GBA.
If your concern is “value for dollar” you wouldn’t be buying an FPGA console in a limited edition material. Seems like a weird comparison. You can also get an R36S for like, $30 on AliExpress that will play everything from N64/PS1 and earlier.
A standard Analogue Pocket is much cheaper, this is just an option for those that really want a metal shell. Also, a metal “unfolded” shell for a GBA SP (which is I’m sure is what inspired this offering) is like $150 so it’s not even that crazy a markup.
arstechnica.com
Najnowsze