250°

PlayStation 4 vs. Xbox One vs. Steam: The Be-All, End-All DRM Comparison

"One of the most paramount issues involving video games in the next generation doesn't have to do with console power or variety of exclusives - in fact, it's about privacy, used games and DRM (or the lack of it). We've seen major publishers like EA and Ubisoft implement different DRM means for their games."

Read Full Story >>
gamingbolt.com
liorishot3976d ago

steam destroys both of them, have you seen the steam sales? the steam summer sale is going to be awesome

JoGam3976d ago (Edited 3976d ago )

I dont understand why the PS4 is being compared. Not the same type of console as the other two as far as DRM.

NewMonday3976d ago (Edited 3976d ago )

- Steam can be played off-line with no regular check-up

- Steam has regular sales for trending games and many new games start at $49

- Steam games can be modified by the community

- Steam has the biggest indy catalog.

liorishot3976d ago

even if you dont like the game on sale on steam you still buy it because its so cheap and when you play it most times its awesome

slayorofgods3975d ago (Edited 3975d ago )

I know everyone is excited about the next console generation. But I think this is the most momentum the PC has ever had to start a new console generation, it's becoming awfully close to becoming a third option for playing AAA mainstream games right off the bat.

NameRemoved00173975d ago

@slayorofgods

Now that PC won't receive crappy ports and the hardware is basically a low end PC in the consoles its about to get a lot cheaper to be able to run PC games maxed.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3975d ago
Kenshin_BATT0USAI3976d ago

No kidding. Witcher 1 and 2 were on sale for $7 and $4 only. That's a freaking sale. Not some 5% off garbage.

Typical-Guy3976d ago

Yeah I bought The Witcher 2 for $7... Although I already played it on Xbox360, I couldn't resist the sale :-D

mario193976d ago (Edited 3976d ago )

@Typical-guy

Slap yourself

Typical-Guy3976d ago

@ Mario 19... I wanted to play it again but I lost my Xbox360 copy. So when I saw the sale I said hell yes...

mario193976d ago

Lol I thought you bought a second copy just because it was on sale

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3976d ago
ABizzel13976d ago

When it comes to digital sales

Steam >>> PS+ > PSN > XB

PS+ is by far the best deal when it comes to console gaming.

Razputin3975d ago

Because Steam sales equate to DRM, you god damn moron.

Yes, the Steam sales are ridiculously amazing, but Steam DRM is pretty much like Microsofts.

You need an internet connection for the initial install of Steam and of each game you want to play.

Luckily this is only needed ever so often.

But picture this -- because this happened to me.

If you restore your computer, and you want to use your account you have to have an internet connection, and if you already some how have your account setup, you need to still be on the internet to install and play your games.

Steam has some fairly extreme DRM, and you can't trade or resell any of your games. Also you only hold licenses, you don't full own the game, look at the disclaimer.

Steam is what dumbass Microsoft should have done years ago with the PC

NameRemoved00173975d ago (Edited 3975d ago )

No shit? You need internet to download steam and download games off steam? I though downloads were magic and worked without internet. /sarcasm

"If you restore your computer, and you want to use your account you have to have an internet connection, and if you already some how have your account setup, you need to still be on the internet to install and play your games. "

No you don't.
https://support.steampowere...

Steam DRM isn't the bad version of DRM, what you always here about is the DRM featured on things like Games for Windows Live and Rockstars stupid PC app that have on all their newer games. Not every game on steam has DRM, it is up to the developer to include it or not.

Atleast if you lose internet you can still play any game you own on steam in offline mode or if your hard drive dies steam has an automatic backup of your save files.

Razputin3975d ago

Warning:
It is highly recommended that you create a backup of your SteamApps folder before attempting this process. If there is a problem in this process and you do not have a backup of your games or the SteamApps folder, it will be necessary to reinstall the games individually. Please see the Using the Steam Backup Feature topic.

ONLY IF YOU MAKE A BACKUP. I have over 400 Steam games, I can't back them all up.

My point is, if you restore your computer and don't have a backup, you have to reinstall Steam, log in, verify your account, and if you can't, you will not be able to download/install/play any game. Give it a try, I dare you.

Completely uninstall Steam, go offline, and see what happens.

Not saying its the worse, but it isn't the best either. Plus DRM never works.

Half the Steamworks titles get leaked days before release and cracked that same day.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3975d ago
Polysix3976d ago

Don't drag PS4 into this debate of 'who's the least shit when it comes' to DRM' that is between XB1 and Steam alone (And steam is clearly less shit anyway)

Alos883976d ago

Steam has some amazing sales, for e.g I recently saw 90% off Alan Wake, and stuff like that isn't all that rare either.

iRocket3976d ago

As a PC gamer I think Steam is fantastic, but I have a feeling I'm becoming a rare breed of a hybrid gamer with PC/PS4. PS4 offers loads of interesting exclusives I can't play on my PC. But I will still remain a PC Gamer primarily. My current Steam account includes over hundred games :D As for the DRM, I'm happy to own all the games on my Steam library. It's a "Personal computer" for a reason.

Veni Vidi Vici3975d ago

You're not alone. I'm the same way.

NameRemoved00173975d ago

I also plan on picking a PS4 up.

Show all comments (37)
60°

The turn-based roguelike/dungeon-crawler/RPG "ARHAEKON" is coming to PC via Steam EA in Q2 2024

"The Arad-based (Romania) indie games developer Predict Edumedia are today very happy and excited to announce that their turn-based roguelike/dungeon-crawler/RPG "ARHAEKON", is coming to PC via Steam Early Access in Q2 2024." - Jonas Ek, TGG.

390°

PlayStation Nixxes PSN Account Linking Requirement for Helldivers 2

PlayStation tweets: "Helldivers fans -- we’ve heard your feedback on the Helldivers 2 account linking update. The May 6 update, which would have required Steam and PlayStation Network account linking for new players and for current players beginning May 30, will not be moving forward.

We’re still learning what is best for PC players and your feedback has been invaluable. Thanks again for your continued support of Helldivers 2 and we’ll keep you updated on future plans."

Christopher8h ago(Edited 8h ago)

Now, will gamers take all this fervor and aim it at the likes of EA, Ubisoft, Take2, and others who have way more invasive and problem-causing apps for Steam games?

7h ago
Eonjay5h ago(Edited 5h ago)

Sony is like a whipping boy for the industry and it's just lame at this point. This is like my Activision account I use for Call of Duty. I'm not a 'fan'' of Activision but it's free and it comes in handy. The PSN account would come handy if they decide to do cross saves and I'm sure some other stuff too. I have an account for practically everything, including this site. I need a Microsoft account to play some PS5 games. No one has been able to explain what the big problem with a PSN account was.

blackblades2h ago

They dont want one because they cant trust them with all the times Sony got hacked which makes no sense cause steam got hacked so does everythinv else in this world. Been with playstation and i never had a problem security wise. PlayStation doesnt hold SSN and you dont have to put you credit card on it either. Pc users just wanna cry, its a PlayStation game they should be happy Sony putting games on pc to begin with. Also funny they dont trust Sony but yet would play there games when on pc.

redknight801h ago

Yes, people have explained the problem with a PSN account...there has been 15 million articles on it and surely you read a few and saw some comments...it is because PSN is not supported in a lot of countries meaning people in those countries can't create a PSN account and therefore would be unable to play the game at all.

ChronoJoe1m ago

On PS5 even crossplay doesn’t work with all PC accounts. I have plenty of PC friends where the invites never go through and theirs aren’t received. Crossplay without a unified account system is always a nightmare, none of us should be punching in friend codes in 2024.

They shouldn’t have tried to change this post launch but they should have had it in on day 1.

H95h ago

Christopher with all I do respect, your bias is showing heavily, be positive, congratulate people and ask for them to do more, no need for this passive aggressive bitterness

jambola3h ago

if they do he'll probably make the same comment but put world hunger in there

Zeref2h ago

He has literally failed articles based on whether or not it will upset Sony fanboys lol. We know where he stands and it's not neutral.

Brazz1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

You are the one showing bias. Christopher is 100% right here, all this HDII and PSN linking is a gigantic hypocrisy.

Christopher36m ago

Much need for it, because I know no one is going to turn any of this attention anywhere and it will just die out until the next Internet band wagon pops up. Gamers are proven to have power, they will then squander it rather than utilize it where it matters.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 36m ago
notachance4h ago

I’d argue there’s a better softer approach they could do, just make it optional with bonus for people who did it like some free cosmetics and make it required only for cross-play and cross-save purposes. That way the people who can do it have bonus incentives and people in countries without psn can still play without problems.

4h agoReplies(5)
Angyobangyo3h ago

The difference is EA, Ubisoft, Take2, etc didn't release their games and then down the line implement forced account linkage under the guise of "security". Gamers know from when they buy EA and Ubisoft games that you'll need an account with those companies. Also when was the last time a company delisted an extremely popular game from over 100 countries?

Extermin8or3_3h ago

It was listed on the game as a requirement and it was a decision by arrowhead so that people could get into the game. In future companies won't be able to make such decisions and you will simply be left unable to play the game.

Christopher32m ago

Actually, all of them did this by adding their apps to existing games once they released their apps. So, no, they're not any different.

-Foxtrot1h ago

May aswell strike while the fire is hot

If not….then people are a bunch of hypocrites

+ Show (4) more repliesLast reply 1m ago
Snookies128h ago

Thank you! I have a PS account, but bought this on PC. I just hate having to do stupid stuff like this just to get into the game I bought.

just_looken4h ago

You should try getting a resident evil MP working not as bad as making a sony account but its right up there i tried with a fake dump email holy spam batman. I never finished the account creation

XiNatsuDragnel8h ago

Good stuff this is what the power of gamers can do.

buffig5h ago

I wonder if that "power" could do something useful?

XiNatsuDragnel1h ago

Lol it's useful that we can change stuff about these greedy companies

Chocoburger7h ago

Crisis averted, now we can all move on.

Show all comments (69)
190°

No Man's Sky Is Easily One Of Gaming's Greatest Comeback Stories

Despite No Man Sky's rocky launch, Hello Games managed to turn it into one of the best space exploration RPGs out there.

-Foxtrot15h ago

I hate the whole concept of "comeback story" because at the end of the day it doesn't remove the core issue we had in the first place, that we were lied to, it was disappointing and it launched with bare content to what was promised for years.

Any bad game can have a comeback story if it's supported enough after launch but for me if you launch in a terrible state then you had your chance. I can applaud you for what you've done after but at the end of the day there's not much of a choice since most gamers would blank your next product if you ditched your last game so fast, it's not about repairing the game but spending your time repairing gamers trust before you launch your next product otherwise it would be dead on arrival.

With these stories and the games being updated, the only way is up most of the time so of course it's going to improve the game and feel better over all, getting better and better as time passes. No Mans Sky, Sea of Thieves, Fallout 76 etc but then you have games like Anthem, Suicide Squad, Redfall and The Avengers where the devs just clearly moved on, now if they have another product people won't be as exited for it, I mean hell Guardians of the Galaxy was a great game but because of the Avengers it didn't help its sales since people were obviously still sour at that point.

I still think despite the improvements to games like No Mans Sky and Cyberpunk along with being better now overall the games are still not up there to what was promised and hyped as for years.

If we keep celebrating these “comeback stories” then unfortunately it only strongly supports the concept that these studios / publishers can continue to push half arsed broken products out for the sake of quick sales instead of waiting until they are fully finished. We need to condemn this awful behaviour or sadly we lose all voice and power as consumers.

Sonic188114h ago(Edited 13h ago)

I feel the same way about Cyberpunk 2077. I'm glad you mentioned that. I'm not a fan of comeback stories as well. But No man sky developer was a small indie team compared to CDPR. It's worse when it's coming from a AAA developer

Nacho_Z13h ago

"Any bad game can have a comeback story if it's supported enough after launch"

You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not. After release Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone. That's not normal.

The reason NMS and HG are held in such high esteem and calling them liars is a weak stance is the amount of work they've put into it, for free. They're not chasing a quick buck, they've dedicated their lives over the last few years to giving their fans the game everyone wanted.

-Foxtrot13h ago(Edited 12h ago)

They are liars though...

We are not revising history here, I'm sorry but we're not

They built this game up for years and they launched it knowing full well it wasn't up to scratch to what they originally showed off or hyped it up to be.

"They're not chasing a quick buck, they've dedicated their lives over the last few years to giving their fans the game everyone wanted"

And like I said above most of that comes from the fact that if they had just moved on straight away nobody would have supported their next game. They've washed most of that sour taste away after supporting No Mans Sky so now they are doing a new game which more people feel like they can support and get excited for.

Anyway how can you say "You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not" and then make the point that "Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone"

This means that if a small team like this can turn a game around then big AAA games like Suicide Squad, Redfall, Anthem and the like should have been able to do it no problem, oh but that's right they didn't want to put the time or effort into it. They can do it but some people just decide not to.

Blad3runner001h ago(Edited 1h ago)

"You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not. After release Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone. That's not normal."

People paid for the game at launch and got lied to. Now the game is what it SHOULD have been from the start (what people paid for) and we should be happy they aren't charging EXTRA? Its free because people ALREADY paid for the game at launch.

People PAID for what the game is in its current state (what it should have been at launch), not what it was when it released. Charging people AGAIN would result in even more backlash.

anast32m ago

"You make it sound so simple and easy. It's not. After release Hello Games poured countless hours into getting their game closer to what they originally wanted, without charging a penny to anyone. That's not normal."

They already charged for the full price game. All of that work is owed because it was already paid for.

milohighclub3h ago(Edited 3h ago)

Whatever happened at launch is in the past. By your logic they could have supported it for a year got it to the project they promised then stopped but they didn't. They're still supporting it to this they, they've released more content post than pretty much any game I can think off. More than most MMOs. They didn't have to go this far but they have and don't have any plans of stopping. All for free too.
Yeah they had a shit launch and they've apologised, learned and more than made up for it. I was pissed off at them at launch, but not petty enough to keep slandering them 7 years later.
You have much bigger studios releasing half assed games and fixing it later or even worse not even bothering.

anast15m ago

The DLC costs money. But yeah, people are hanging on to this one longer because of their previous reputation.

TheCaptainKuchiki2h ago

And it doesn't change the fact that the game is a boring procedurally generated environment in which your repeat the same actions over and over again with no real purpose. I hate when they say that the game became good.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 15m ago
thorstein15h ago

I really enjoyed it at launch and had every trophy by August 2016.

The experience I had is no longer in the game: It was just me and my ship. It was a survival game and the feeling of loneliness in the universe was pervasive. There was no way to ruin too far from your ship and, in an emergency, you grenaded a hole in the ground to survive.

I miss that aspect, but since then, I love what they've done.

Hugodastrevas13h ago

I'd say it's THE definitive comeback story

TheGamingHounds11h ago

Final Fantasy 14 takes that one imho

CrimsonWing6945m ago(Edited 45m ago)

Yep and the way they actually did it where Bahamut destroyed the original FF14 and the realm was “reborn” seals it as the best way to do something like this, lol.

jwillj2k412h ago

Oh great another story about the cleanest shirt in a bin of dirty laundry.

Show all comments (21)