The Valve and Steam Platform Discussion Thread

[Latelistener]

Microsoft and Sony are paying for it, since GTA V was the top console-selling exclusive.

 

[sullynathan]

Microsoft and Sony are paying for it

they're not

 

[Latelistener]

There is not a single reason why Take Two wouldn't want RDR2 on PC. Unless they paid handsomely not to do it, for a time at least.

 

[Black]

Microsoft and Sony are paying for it

they're not

They just hate money, right? Smart boi you are.

 

[sullynathan]

There is not a single reason why Take Two wouldn't want RDR2 on PC. Unless they paid handsomely not to do it, for a time at least.

Like they paid for gta v?

 

[Dexter]

There is not a single reason why Take Two wouldn't want RDR2 on PC. Unless they paid handsomely not to do it, for a time at least.

Remember the release dates for GTAV?

PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
17 September 2013
PlayStation 4, Xbox One
18 November 2014
Microsoft Windows
14 April 2015

For Red Dead Redemption 2 so far we've had:

PlayStation 4, Xbox One
26 October 2018

Chances are they want to double-dip on PS5 and Xbox Whatever before they even think about releasing it on PC half a year to a year later.

 

[Gerrard]

More importantly, who gives a fuck about RDR2?

 

[sullynathan]

Chances are they want to double-dip on PS5 and Xbox Whatever before they even think about releasing it on PC half a year to a year later

New consoles aren't coming out this year and probably not next year either

 

[Hellraiser]

Grand Theft Auto 5 still selling on PC, yet no announced Red Dead ports yet. Ridiculous.

Rockstar fears the piracy boogeyman will cut into their sales.

 

[Dexter]

Store page for the Valve Index Headset was apparently Live for a short while, supposed to start selling June 15: http://archive.is/WjfBE
According to SteamDB it ships the three different hardware packages (HMD, Controllers and Base Stations separately) and comes with 2 CD Keys for "Unknown" Apps: https://steamdb.info/app/1059530/

 

[Modron]

Grand Theft Auto 5 still selling on PC, yet no announced Red Dead ports yet. Ridiculous.

Rockstar fears the piracy boogeyman will cut into their sales.

I would say less malice and more likely incompetence, rumor was Red Dead Redemption 1 was so haphazardly cobbled together they lacked the talent to produce a port of even GTA4 standards.

 

[DalekFlay]

Grand Theft Auto 5 still selling on PC, yet no announced Red Dead ports yet. Ridiculous.

Rockstar fears the piracy boogeyman will cut into their sales.

That's a solid point I suppose. I know console piracy exists but it's more inconvenient last I checked due to getting modded hardware and whatnot. I suppose they could be waiting for X number of sales and the online to blossom (if it does) before throwing it to the PC wolves. I doubt they're waiting on enhanced ports for new consoles as someone else mentioned, since the fucking thing already runs at high-res and they're not gonna do new assets.

 

[Sentinel]

So I started up Steam today and my friends list literally won't show up, or when it does it says everyone is offline and I can't read chats.

Thanks Gaben, can't wait for your general UI update that surely won't be a total clusterfuck, like the one in 2012, and make me hate you you fat fucking slob.

Fuck you.

 

[unfairlight]

Steam servers are down right now.
https://steamstat.us/

 

[Sentinel]

Yeah they are now, Steam Friends has been fucked long before they went down though.

 

[panda]

been avoiding live services gaming like a plague for long
but gave up to Steam few years ago
first time catching servers down
but there is offline mode, i should be ok, right?

Still must login for offline mode lul


but there is exe file, i can run it directly, right?
oh, the version of this old game i want to play has steam integration, or this is specific steam version or smth
requires gabe client running, literally wont launch without it
...
...


...
Piracy is wrong

 

[Infinitron]

It's up for me now.

 

[IDtenT]

HL3 WWIII CONFIRMED.

 

[Konjad]

inb4 news epic-hired hacking group ddosed steam servers

 

[BlackAdderBG]

been avoiding live services gaming like a plague for long
but gave up to Steam few years ago
first time catching servers down
but there is offline mode, i should be ok, right?

Still must login for offline mode lul


but there is exe file, i can run it directly, right?
oh, the version of this old game i want to play has steam integration, or this is specific steam version or smth
requires gabe client running, literally wont launch without it
...
...


...
Piracy is wrong

Long time ago you had to be online to set the offline mode, but that has not been the case maybe since 2013, all you need is to had been online once after installing steam. If a game don't start in offline mode is because it has another DRM on top or the devs made it need online connection every time you start the game, nothing to do with steam. Also offline mode had some sort of time out where you had to go online once a month, but in last couple of years I had never seen it myself so I would presume it's gone now.

 

[Hoaxmetal]

Long time ago you had to be online to set the offline mode, but that has not been the case maybe since 2013

It's one of those things people would rather complain about for years instead of actually looking for a solution.

 

[panda]

Also offline mode had some sort of time out where you had to go online once a month, but in last couple of years I had never seen it myself so I would presume it's gone now

Maybe it was something like that, i had no troubles launching offline mode today, or maybe i had brain fart yesterday

I'm actually really pleased with Steam tbh, it was first time for me to have any plroblems in few years.

 

[DalekFlay]

I was in permanent offline mode for 6 months or so in 2012 when I volunteered overseas. People acted like I was lying but I wasn't, it worked fine for that long.

 

[Latelistener]

but there is exe file, i can run it directly, right?

Many games can be launched without Steam.

https://steam.fandom.com/wiki/List_of_DRM-free_games
https://pcgamingwiki.com/wiki/The_Big_List_of_DRM-Free_Games_on_Steam

 

[Sentinel]

http://europa.eu/rapid/press-release_IP-19-2010_en.htm

European Commission - Press release
Antitrust: Commission sends Statements of Objections to Valve and five videogame publishers on “geo-blocking” of PC video games
Brussels, 5 April 2019

The European Commission has informed Valve, owner of the “Steam” video game distribution platform, and five videogame publishers, of its preliminary view that the companies prevented consumers from purchasing videogames cross-border from other Member States, in breach of EU competition rules.

Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, in charge of competition policy, said: "In a true Digital Single Market, European consumers should have the right to buy and play video games of their choice regardless of where they live in the EU. Consumers should not be prevented from shopping around between Member States to find the best available deal. Valve and the five PC video game publishers now have the chance to respond to our concerns."

The Commission has addressed Statements of Objections to Valve, owner of the world's largest PC video game distribution platform called “Steam”, and five PC video game publishers, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax.

Valve – via Steam – digitally distributes PC video games from each of the five PC video game publishers concerned by the investigation. At the same time, Valve provides "activation keys" to these publishers.

These “activation keys” are required for consumers to play a number of PC video games bought on channels other than Steam, i.e. downloaded or purchased on physical media, such as a DVD. After the purchase of certain PC video games, users need to confirm their "activation key" on Steam to authenticate the game and be able to play it. This system is used for a wide range of games, including sports, simulation and action games.

The Commission's preliminary view is that Valve and the five PC video game publishers entered into bilateral agreements to prevent consumers from purchasing and using PC video games acquired elsewhere than in their country of residence (so-called “geo-blocking”). This is against EU antitrust rules.

In particular, the Commission is concerned that:

• Valve and the five PC video game publishers agreed, in breach of EU antitrust rules, to use geo-blocked activation keys to prevent cross-border sales, including in response to unsolicited consumer requests (so-called “passive sales”) of PC video games from several Member States (i.e. Czechia, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and in some cases Romania). This may have prevented consumers from buying cheaper games available in other Member States.
• Bandai Namco, Focus Home, Koch Media and ZeniMax, broke EU antitrust rules by including contractual export restrictions in their agreements with a number of distributors other than Valve. These distributors were prevented from selling the relevant PC video games outside the allocated territories, which could cover one or more Member States. These practices may have prevented consumers from purchasing and playing PC video games sold by these distributors either on physical media, such as DVDs or through downloads.

The Commission's preliminary view, outlined in its Statements of Objections, is that these business practices partitioned markets according to national borders and restricted passive sales to consumers. These business practices ultimately denied European consumers the benefits of the EU's Digital Single Market to shop around for the most attractive offer.

If confirmed, this would infringe Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which prohibits anti-competitive agreements. The sending of a Statement of Objections does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation.

Background

The geo-blocking Regulation

The investigations into geo-blocking of PC video games complement Regulation 2018/302 on unjustified geo-blocking, which is applicable throughout the EU since 3 December 2018.

The Regulation prohibits geo-blocking and other geographically-based restrictions which undermine online shopping and cross-border sales by limiting the possibility for consumers and businesses to benefit from the advantages of online commerce. Currently, the Regulation applies to PC video games distributed on CDs, DVDs but not to downloads.

The Commission will carry out a first evaluation of the Regulation by 23 March 2020. In particular, the Commission will assess the scope of the Regulation, including its possible application to certain electronically supplied services which offer copyright-protected content such as music, e-books, software and online games, as well as of services in sectors such as transport and audio-visual.

Procedural background

The Commission opened formal antitrust proceedings into the bilateral agreements concluded between Valve Corporation and the five PC video game publishers on 2 February 2017.

This investigation is a stand-along procedure, independent of but following up on some of the issues identified in the Commission's competition sector inquiry on e-commerce.

A Statement of Objections is a formal step in Commission investigations into suspected violations of EU antitrust rules. The Commission informs the parties concerned in writing of the objections raised against them. The parties can then examine the documents in the Commission's investigation file, reply in writing and request an oral hearing to present their comments on the case before representatives of the Commission and national competition authorities.

If, after the parties have exercised their rights of defence, the Commission concludes that there is sufficient evidence of an infringement, it can adopt a decision prohibiting the conduct and imposing a fine of up to 10% of a company's annual worldwide turnover.

There is no legal deadline for the Commission to complete antitrust inquiries into anticompetitive conduct. The duration of an antitrust investigation depends on a number of factors, including the complexity of the case, the extent to which the undertaking concerned cooperates with the Commission and the exercise of the rights of defence.

More information on the investigation will be available under the case numbers AT.40413 (Focus Home), AT.40414 (Koch Media), AT.40420 (ZeniMax), AT.40422 (Bandai Namco), and AT.40424 (Capcom) in the public case register on the Commission's competition website.