I just don't understand the appeal of steam?

Stoner81

Stoner81

Stoner81

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It seems that steam is somewhat of a big deal but I don't understand the appeal of it? I thought it was mostly a PITA most of the time? So I guess it boils down to...

What is it about steam that you like and why?

Stoner81.
 
My games are all available from one place.
My games are all available from any PC.
My games are all available within minutes of reinstalling an OS
My games are all automatically updated to the latest version, saving hours of searching for and installing patches.
My games are often cheaper than retail, as Steam have regular sales
 
Confused said:
My games are all available from one place.
My games are all available from any PC.
My games are all available within minutes of reinstalling an OS
My games are all automatically updated to the latest version, saving hours of searching for and installing patches.
My games are often cheaper than retail, as Steam have regular sales
Click to expand...
 
Confused said:
My games are often cheaper than retail, as Steam have regular sales
Click to expand...

Most new games are cheaper on disc and have extras. Do you not think retail disc places have sales as well?

I agree with the rest but this one was pita. I use steam for games I don't really care about, just want to play. Games I really enjoy I get on disc as I am a box whore :)

Amazon sell all the games steam has on sale for like £3-£5 for older games.
 
Confused said:
My games are all available from one place.
My games are all available from any PC.
My games are all available within minutes of reinstalling an OS
My games are all automatically updated to the latest version, saving hours of searching for and installing patches.
My games are often cheaper than retail, as Steam have regular sales
Click to expand...

Ditto
and I can be playing my game within a short time from deciding to buy, any time day or night without waiting for the postman
 
Confused said:
My games are all available from one place.
My games are all available from any PC.
My games are all available within minutes of reinstalling an OS
My games are all automatically updated to the latest version, saving hours of searching for and installing patches.
My games are often cheaper than retail, as Steam have regular sales
Click to expand...
 
Good points-Steam is only good for sales and nothing else.

Bad points-Full price games are a ripp off and can be found on retail far cheaper


Now thats just pure lazy if you can't find a patch within seconds:confused:
 
Spook187 said:
Good points-Steam is only good for sales and nothing else.

Bad points-Full price games are a ripp off and can be found on retail far cheaper


Now thats just pure lazy if you can't find a patch within seconds:confused:
Click to expand...

They are not even good for sales really, most games on sale are old, which can be found on Amazon new boxed for same price or elsewhere. New games they have on sale were cheaper on disc when they first came out.
 
Spook187 said:
Now thats just pure lazy if you can't find a patch within seconds:confused:
Click to expand...

Often, I won't bother searching for a patch until I find something that ruins the game experience. Steam with its auto-updating does that for me, meaning I am much less likely to have my experience ruined.

I bought skyrim in disc form, but am very glad it runs through steam
 
What sort of prices are you talking about for stuff on Steam then? If you can buy it cheaper elsewhere then why pay the extra?

Stoner81.
 
My games are all available from one place.
My games are all available from any PC.
My games are all available within minutes of reinstalling an OS
My games are all automatically updated to the latest version
I'm a lazy ass and cant be bothered to go to the shop and lack the patience to wait for things to arrive, so I can buy and download and be playing a few minutes later.
 
Stoner81 said:
What sort of prices are you talking about for stuff on Steam then? If you can buy it cheaper elsewhere then why pay the extra?

Stoner81.
Click to expand...

You can buy pretty much everything cheaper then steam, new games are nearly always cheaper on disc with extras ie maps etc. People prefer steam as they can pay and have it straight away instead of waiting for the post.
 
Everything is in one place. Imagine paying £30 for a game that won't register on steam, then having to format and realise you have lost the disc+key. You're then down £30 and have to hunt down another copy.

I rarely buy a game at RRP from steam, as mentioned above it can be pretty steep. Just buy the individual key from a steam re-seller or the disc that registers on steam from a cheaper online retailer.

When they do have a sale, IMO it drives piracy down, which is a good thing. Why go to the effort of downloading something you would have to arse about with to get working when you could just pay steam £3 and have it hassle free.
 
I like steam as all my games in one place and all my friends are there so its easy to chat and join games with them.

the auto updates is a little bonus.

if a game is only cheaper by a couple of quid over steam ill buy it on steam every time...
 
Stoner81 said:
I just don't understand the appeal of steam?
Click to expand...

Luddite :)

Tombstone sums it up for me.

Tombstone said:
My games are all available from one place.
My games are all available from any PC.
My games are all available within minutes of reinstalling an OS
My games are all automatically updated to the latest version
I'm a lazy ass and cant be bothered to go to the shop and lack the patience to wait for things to arrive, so I can buy and download and be playing a few minutes later.
Click to expand...

Also to add that any serial numbers are allways there, not on pieces of paper inside boxes.

Steam cloud and Steam community features are full of WIN.

Also, no installation process to complete as such and also not having to worry about patching, what a PITA that can be.

Obviously, some of the above apply to digital distribution in general but Steam as a pioneering service is miles ahead of everyone else.

The thought of manually patching a game seems retro and something I did on dial up.
 
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Steam cloud game saves are worth it for me. Main PC is being fixed right now and I'm gaming on my laptop - thank god for a few games having Steam saves as I didn't get time to back up saves before the main PC was picked up.
Of course the downside to this is accessing your saves when steam/internet connection is down.
 
its just another digital DL store as far as I'm concerned. Its base prices are completely ridiculous so I rarely (if ever) spend money there. It also has atrocious DL speeds compared to other DL clients (origin for one). I certainly don't think it holds any advantage over anything else out there tbh.

Its also months since I've used it.
 
Can't add much to what hasn't been said before. It certainly saves shelf space and is quick and easy to use. It's use has certainly reduced retail games but not sure if that's a good thing. PC gaming needs all the publicity it can get to move forward.

It's when the likes of EA don't play ball. Origin is okay but you need a single delivery platform for your collection, in one place. This includes all your contacts, stats etc..

I don't miss having to find game patches.
 
I guess I should state with my "games are often cheaper" - I very rarely buy a game when it's first released - I'm not one who has to view a film in a cinema the day it comes out, or be the first to play a game. Therefore, I don't mind waiting for a sale to pick up a game cheaper.

If you must have the game the day it's released, then sometimes Steam isn't the cheapest way to do it - but it is sometimes the easiest and quickest
 
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