I can commiserate. I'm dreading Steam's Christmas deals. There are at least 40 dollars in games (8-10) that I bought last year and haven't even downloaded. Eek!
These dollar figures aren't really accurate at all though since they don't take account of the actual price you paid. I'd bet my account only cost 1/4th of what it says listed.
I have played 74% of the games I own. I feel pretty good about that considering most of the 26 games I have not played have been won from Steamgifts and therefore games I have not spent money on.
I have played 74% of the games I own. I feel pretty good about that considering most of the 26 games I have not played have been won from Steamgifts and therefore games I have not spent money on.
Simply that it's a centralized hub for PC gamers to be on and the more recent additions are making it a great service, stuff like the Workshop and that most games are steamworks meaning you can have all your eggs in a bunch
Sure there's questions like what happens when Steam hits the dust but we'll just have to cross the bridge once we come to it
All we can be happy with is that Valve is the one with the absurd percentage of the digital PC market and not EA or Microsoft
Compared to what? Better than PSN and XBLA for sure and any other service on PC (Origin). Unless you're just saying EVERYTHING SUCKS...
Don't think I'm some "elite PC gaming master race" guy either (well, only for FPS)...I have a PS3 and Vita, which I love too.
Personally I prefer Live for the gamer score, avatar unlocks from games, and ease of use of the friends list. Yes everything has a gamer score or trophies these days, but I like tracking it on 360 the most, it seems easier and more straight forward. PS3 takes like 40 minutes to load, and I'm not sure where I even look on steam unless its on a per game basis on the library screen. I may be a bit bias here because I only have 1 friend on steam and I don't even really know the guy, so I don't think I've got its full use when it comes to interacting with friends.
Those things aside, Steam is easily the best platform. If you're an avid gamer steam sales save you hundreds of dollars every year, the indie scene is worlds larger, and not to mention how SteamWorks adds so much to your games.
I've slowly moved from a console only game to playing the majority of my games on my desktop. Steam has been a huge reason why.
Hm, Steam vs. other systems like it is a very interesting comparison to me.
I'll only compare Xbox Live, PSN (specifically PS+) and Steam, because including every service would be far too much.
Value (saving the user money):
1) PSN+
2) Steam
3) Xbox 360
Justification: I've gotten 30 free games on the PSN this year, and a good 15 of them have been AAA titles with a metacritic of 80 or higher. Steam's sales are insane, but to me it just doesn't come close to PSN. And while Steam does give a lot of things away as well, it's a lot more rare for one person to get as much in a year as PS+
Ease of use:
1) Steam
2) Xbox 360
3) PSN+
Justification: PSN is clunky, and even though Sony's done a great job upgrading it over the years, Steam is still light years ahead. Xbox 360 I don't personally find appealing, but I understand it has it's fans.
Additional things for the user (gaming only)
1) PSN+
2) Steam
3) Xbox 360
Justification: Including stuff like Netflix and Hulu here would be pointless, since it's mostly stuff that only works in the NA market and I'm trying to think globally. PSN+ wins to me because of the automatic cloud backup, the automatic patching and beta downloading (although Steam has this too, you have to leave it on), and the free trials are all things I can't imagine not having.
Steam is 2nd to me because of things like Big picture mode, being able to access a browser from games that hate being alt+tabbed like Skyrim, and the ability to add non-Steam games so painlessly and easily. Not to mention the ability to easily gift things to others and just the so many great features it offers.
Xbox 360's main draw for me is party chat...that's it.
So, personal preference for ME is Steam (because it's free!) > PSN+ >>>>> Xbox 360, because I can deal with a clunky interface for so much free stuff.
Hm, Steam vs. other systems like it is a very interesting comparison to me.
I'll only compare Xbox Live, PSN (specifically PS+) and Steam, because including every service would be far too much.
Value (saving the user money):
1) PSN+
2) Steam
3) Xbox 360
Justification: I've gotten 30 free games on the PSN this year, and a good 15 of them have been AAA titles with a metacritic of 80 or higher. Steam's sales are insane, but to me it just doesn't come close to PSN. And while Steam does give a lot of things away as well, it's a lot more rare for one person to get as much in a year as PS+
Ease of use:
1) Steam
2) Xbox 360
3) PSN+
Justification: PSN is clunky, and even though Sony's done a great job upgrading it over the years, Steam is still light years ahead. Xbox 360 I don't personally find appealing, but I understand it has it's fans.
Additional things for the user (gaming only)
1) PSN+
2) Steam
3) Xbox 360
Justification: Including stuff like Netflix and Hulu here would be pointless, since it's mostly stuff that only works in the NA market and I'm trying to think globally. PSN+ wins to me because of the automatic cloud backup, the automatic patching and beta downloading (although Steam has this too, you have to leave it on), and the free trials are all things I can't imagine not having.
Steam is 2nd to me because of things like Big picture mode, being able to access a browser from games that hate being alt+tabbed like Skyrim, and the ability to add non-Steam games so painlessly and easily. Not to mention the ability to easily gift things to others and just the so many great features it offers.
Xbox 360's main draw for me is party chat...that's it.
So, personal preference for ME is Steam (because it's free!) > PSN+ >>>>> Xbox 360, because I can deal with a clunky interface for so much free stuff.
I won't argue peoples opinions, but Steam also has cloud backup. Right now if I play a game while at work (FTL these days), as soon as I close it it backs it up, and when I get to my room and start it up on my desktop its right where I left off on my work laptop.
I won't argue peoples opinions, but Steam also has cloud backup. Right now if I play a game while at work (FTL these days), as soon as I close it it backs it up, and when I get to my room and start it up on my desktop its right where I left off on my work laptop.
Yup, Steam does, I didn't say it didn't I mostly love PSN+ cloud more because it turns my PS3 on overnight (or whatever time I set it to) and backs up, downloads patches and then turns itself off. I want that functionality in Steam so bad (unfortunately it would mean sometimes leaving it on overnight would cause Dungeon Defenders to decide it needs a 3 gig patch that I don't want).
I mostly love PSN+ cloud more because it turns my PS3 on overnight (or whatever time I set it to) and backs up, downloads patches and then turns itself off. I want that functionality in Steam so bad (unfortunately it would mean sometimes leaving it on overnight would cause Dungeon Defenders to decide it needs a 3 gig patch that I don't want).
