240°

Why Steam Trading Cards Should Embarrass Microsoft and Sony

IGN: "Steam’s recently introduced trading card system might just be the most brilliant consumer loyalty program ever devised within the video game industry."

dedicatedtogamers3929d ago

TBH, gaming needs to move AWAY from meta-achievements, not deeper into it. Cards are fun, but they're cancer in multiplayer games. Anyone think that hats actually improved Team Fortress 2? Well, cards are hats....in every game that supports them.

Theo11303929d ago

Un, they just drop on randomly and or If you've played a certain amount of time, so they're not tied to specific achievements like some xbox/ps3 games.

darx3929d ago

I don't think he read the article.

theEx1Le3929d ago

I really dont think you understand how the system works.

yeahokchief3929d ago (Edited 3929d ago )

Article kinda neglects how you get a ton of exclusive free themes and icons via PS Plus.

I wouldn't buy anything for trading cards or any digital nonsense if I get back into pc gaming. Just loads of DotA2.

aliengmr3929d ago

Enticing gamers to play games, its shameful.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3929d ago
mayberry3929d ago

TBH, PS+ gives out way more free games and content than what this article is stating that steam cards gives out, and I have, I think at least 3 web sites stored in my favorites on my ps3 web browser that have free themes including
Animated themes!

badz1493929d ago

...and you have to pay for Steam games too! what's your point again?

on PS+, they decide what FREE games and discounted items you get on offer but on Steam, they decide discounted items you get on offer. the FREE games part is what makes the PS+ well worth it as Sony has been proven that those free games aren't shit either!

PeaSFor3929d ago (Edited 3929d ago )

the other day i saw that sleeping dogs, saints row3, just cause2, DeusEx, XCOM..etc was discounted on steam...... but that just too bad because thx to PS+ i already cleared them.

papashango3929d ago (Edited 3929d ago )

theres more free to play content on steam then you'll ever get on ps+

lets not even get into the workshop if you don't want ps+ to look even worse.

Corpser3929d ago

@peasfor

I rather pay $5 each for much prettier versions of these games on Steam than getting the barebones ps3 versions for "free"

stragomccloud3929d ago

@peasSFor
It should be noted that you don't own any of the PS+ "free" games. Once you stop paying for PS+, you can't play the games anymore. You are basically renting them for a short period of time. So you really can't compare it. After all, steam games are ludicrously cheap at times. You can buy more games permanently for probably the same price or cheaper than the "free" games on PS+.

Steam is just so much more convenient, and let's play the games with a console controller, and depending on your specs, you can play the games at settings that can make the games look leagues better.

yeahokchief3929d ago

PS Plus > Steam

PS+ sales were cheaper than Steam sales this year for a lot of games and thats not even including the 1,000s of dollars of free ones.

Corpser3929d ago

@yeahokchief

Not even close, let me give you a few prices from this past summer sale

Dishonored $10
Borderlands 2 season pass $10
Tomb Raider $12.49
Tomb Raider Anni/Legend $0.80
Far Cry 3 Blood Dragon $6.74

Your turn, name some (any?) games on ps+ sales that are better than steam sale prices

Not to mention you get the best looking version of these games on pc

Ragthorn3929d ago

@Corpser
Yea tell him lol, Steam sales are some of the best deals you can get around, I would buy from other places like gog,greenmangaming, and direct2drive, but I just want all my games in one place, and bought from the same place. Btw I got those games you said there as well lol!

PeaSFor3929d ago

@stragomccloud
im on steam since they launched the service http://steamcommunity.com/p...
and also have PS+ since day one(and member until december 2017 in enticipation for the ps4....thats how much psplus is satisfying for me), and yeah im well aware on how Sony service work, what i said is even if steam offer me nice discounted games, it wont appeal me much as seeing Oddworld: Munch’s Oddysee HD, Battlefield3, XCOM: Enemy Unknown, Deus Ex: Human Revolution, Uncharted 3: Drake’s Deception,Just Cause 2, Saints Row 2, Saints Row: The Third, Machinarium, Hard Corp:Uprising, Sideway: New York, Choplifter HD, Zombie Apocalypse: Never Die Alone, Little Big Planet 2, Ratchet and Clank: All 4 One, LittleBigPlanet: Karting, Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine, Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light, Virtua Fighter 5 Final Showdown, Pac-Man Championship Edition DX, Gotham City Imposters, Renegade Ops, The Walking Dead (Ep. 1 & 2), Bloodrayne Betrayal, Outland, Borderlands, Double Dragon Neon, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World, NFL Blitz, King of Fighters XIII, PAYDAY: The Heist, Resident Evil 5: Gold Edition, Quantum Conundrum, Dungeon Defenders, Gravity Rush, Jet Set Radio, Tales from Space: Mutant Blobs Attack, Uncharted: Golden Abyss, WipEout 2048, Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions, Bioshock 2, Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition, Rochard, Anomaly: Warzone Earth, Retro City Rampage, NBA Jam: On Fire, Chronovolt, Mega Man 9 & 10, Darksiders, Foosball 2012, Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus, Guardians of Middle Earth, Closure, Vanquish, Mega Man Maverick Hunter X, Plants Vs. Zombies, Spec Ops: The Line, Joe Danger 2: The Movie, Tekken VI, The Cave, Disgaea 3: Absence of Detention, Demon’s Souls, Labyrinth Legends, Malicious, SoulCalibur: Broken Destiny, Zombie Tycoon 2, Sleeping Dogs, Knytt Underground, Pinball Arcade, Zero Escape: Virtue’s Last Reward, Germinator, Blaz Blue, Metal Slug: XX for "FREE"(i clear them and voila).....oh and that list was only THIS year content.

so im not hating on steam(far from it since im using it a lot) but the peoples who simply try to resume ps+ by "an embarrassment" versus steam are clearly CLEARLY out of touch with reality and probably never been a user of the service.

LoveOfTheGame3929d ago

^^^
How did you get those games free? I had to pay Sony $50 to get those. Steam has much more for free the PS+.

Side Note: War of the Lions was on PS+? Which means I didn't have to buy it, I hate myself.

+ Show (7) more repliesLast reply 3929d ago
theEx1Le3929d ago

No offense but what has PS+ got to do with this. They are in no way the same at all. The cards are included with a game you buy. Earned through games you play. Your comparison makes no sense.

s45gr323929d ago

While true, the downside is that trading cards are free plus according to IGN not me game developers make money out of these cards with PS Plus the developers don't make money. Second Valve makes money out of this and the gamer makes money. Not a lot but enough to buy kickass indies or dlc content. Is a win win for everyone involved.

Ragthorn3929d ago

@badz149
But the deals I've seen on Steam appeal to me more than the deals on PS+, i just get the free games on PS+. Steam on summer and holiday sales, have community votes and select a few games for the community to vote for to get a large discount for. Dishonored was $10.19 on Steam recently from the community sale, really good deal which is why I picked it up, if I recall PS+ had it for $25 or $26, like 2 months ago. I love PS+, but imho I think Steam is best!

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 3929d ago
Stsonic3929d ago

The cards would be a lot better if they actually had there own game.

matrixman923929d ago

i said something similar to this article a few days ago and got disagreed into oblivion....I really dont see why people dont like this route. I have over 100,000 gamerscore and it gets me literally nothing. I have about a dozen platinums and they get me nothing. How cool would it be if achievements or trophies got us something of worth and we could sell them or trade them in for money.

s45gr323929d ago

That's very cool indeed hopefully these trading cards have a mini game of sorts were the winner earns prizes like a free booster pack, $100.00, or a free game.

sypher3929d ago

thats what the whole bid for greatness is meant to be. Using your trophies as currency to bid on items.

matrixman923929d ago

thats a competition though..if u put in loads of work, you could potentially end up getting nothing if someone has more than u. With steam trading cards you are guaranteed to at least get something back.

AceBlazer133929d ago

Bid for greatness is just horrible did u see way bidders bet to win those prizes? Gold trophies in the thousands.

WeAreLegion3929d ago

I wish we could get an actual card game out of this. :/ That's what I want! A massive card game like Magic using all the characters from video games. That would be epic!

s45gr323929d ago

Now that would be awesome

yeahokchief3929d ago

Yep thats what i assumed the steam cards were used for. What do you use the cards for then if there isnt a game?

Seems everyone has been trying to cash in on card games recently between steam, naughty dog, blizzard etc

Show all comments (35)
180°

Microsoft’s Surface and Xbox hardware revenues take a big hit in Q3

Microsoft just posted the third quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $61.9 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q3. Revenue is up 17 percent, and net income has increased by 20 percent.

Read Full Story >>
theverge.com
darthv7215h ago

Xbox content + services up 62% while hardware down 31%... seems about right with the way they tout you don't need the hardware to play. People can play on their phones or smart tv or other means. I don't hardly play on my consoles directly since getting devices like the logitech g-cloud and ps portal. Which is to also say I have been playing more digital than physical because of these devices.

solideagle1h ago

you should apply in MS PR team buddy, I think you will do a great job in my humble opinion :)

Cacabunga1h ago

I can tell people like you are an absolute minority..

If service is up means their fans and fanboys accepted this model and subscribed to it. The near future you will see a big decline because the service is saturated.

shinoff218339m ago

But that's been ms for years. When things aren't going their way they try to change the way things are said. For instance console sales are down, they stop telling how many sold instead telling us how many hours spent in halo or headshots. So it makes sense console sales down just say people are playing on more devices then previous. What they won't say is how many xbox players jumped ship to ps5.

purple1014h ago

Xbox hardware revenue tanks to lowest point of Xbox Series generation

Profchaos3h ago

I'm not surprised surface is struggling they aren't relevant anymore

XBManiac3h ago

Too expensive hardware when others offer the same or more for less? Good work, Green Team.

SimpleDad2h ago(Edited 2h ago)

"Despite some early successes for Xbox games on rival platforms, Xbox hardware is down by a massive 31 percent this quarter."
"Without Activision Blizzard, Microsoft’s overall gaming revenue would have actually declined this quarter."
"Xbox content and services would have only been up a single percent without Activision Blizzard..."
"It looks like next quarter is going to be a similar story for gaming at Microsoft, too."

That is crazy... so A/B/K is carrying the whole Xbox gaming.
Oh and Microsoft will be fine. Windows, Office and Cloud are growing with each pc purchase.

purple1012h ago

Activision: "we gonna need a bigger rucksack/backpack please"

Microsoft: "why's that"

Activision: "to carry yo' weak ass'

Profchaos1h ago(Edited 1h ago)

Top brass have also wanted to start seeing returns on the 100 billion they have put into various Xbox related moves so seeing more multiplatform games is highly likely especially from abk

It's basically saying that PlayStation is the reason Xbox is afloat right now thinks to Ps5 versions of COD

Kornholic40m ago

So basically PS and PC gamers' money is keeping Xbox on life support.

Show all comments (13)
150°

Sony Patents To Prevent You From In-Game Harassment By Reading Your Emotions

A new patent recently published by Sony wants to gather biometric data of gamers to track whether one is being harassed using AI tools.

Profchaos1d 4h ago (Edited 1d 4h ago )

I hope this is one of those patents that never comes to fruition.

I already dislike the fact you can pay a significant amount for a online service buy associated games and content on said service and get banned from that service over potentially a misunderstanding the bans are already handed out for flimsy reasons

I'd rather see money invested in a ban that simply removes the offensive players ability to communicate with unknown players allow them to continue party chats with friends but not with Joe blow on cod.

exputers1d ago

Agreed. Blizzard recently banned a college Overwatch 2 player who's dependent for saying "shit." Pretty harsh.

Profchaos9h ago(Edited 9h ago)

How rediculas really. You can't say a word that's allowed in most PG films and prime time TV but the game is based around killing the enemy team using guns, explosives etc.

It's just backwards.

just_looken11h ago

What your talking about is called block list

In 2006 a spaceship dropped of the playstation 3/xbox 360 i say that that generation was the last great gen with game functions/tech that has yet to comeback

Anyhow the playstation 3 if you block listed a id they could not talk to you in chatroom with either text or voice. But that was pre mind fucked 2018 when people were more human than sheep.

But hey gta 6 is coming out billion dollar budget without a single player custom character creator and without singeplayer coop off/online something saints row 1-3 had on the xbox 360.

z2g20h ago

Take my social security and bank account numbers too! Here’s a picture of my wife and our address.

phoenixwing20h ago

Cmon where's the pictures of your children. Don't hold out on them.

H920h ago

At this rate I feel Sony will eventually sell a room to play games in it where they can monitor your every breath

jambola16h ago

I genuinely get a bit worried sometimes when a friend says something that could be offensive In a party
Because I have no trouble believing some bans would happen when in a private party for saying something wrong

SegaSaturn66919h ago

I want them to censor erotic content by measuring my groin temperature so i dont get too distracted while playing black ops 2.

Popsicle19h ago

Terrible idea. Not only do I not consent to providing my biometric data, the potential for mishandling biometric data is almost a certainty. Positive stress and negative stress can produce similar changes in biometrics. Interpreting the precise emotion a person is feeling is not only invasive but could be easily misconstrued. I hope this never comes to fruition.

Show all comments (14)
300°

Microsoft Seemingly Closes Bethesda France

As part of its plans to cut 1,900 jobs, Microsoft has reportedly shut down operations at Bethesda France, letting go roughly 15 people

Read Full Story >>
insider-gaming.com
Hereandthere1d 11h ago

Microsoft should have left them stay 3rd party

GamerRN1d 9h ago

If they are let go, they can be whatever they want. They ARE 3rd party now... 🤦

Barlos1d 6h ago

Yeah, they're also jobless.

GamerRN23h ago

They can form a company if they want, they are just as jobless as if "Microsoft had left them as 3rd party".

peppeaccardo1d 1h ago

"MIcrosoft leaves Bethesda do what they know how to do best" ... close! Oh the irony ....
(Citation from a week old article)

ChasterMies21h ago

I think Microsoft and other game publishers are letting people go because they think ai will replace them. Doesn’t matter how much profit they make. They were always going to be let go.

PassNextquestion1d 11h ago (Edited 1d 11h ago )

Bethesda France was made up of roughly 15 people... they couldn't of being doing much

Bethesda France mainly did publishing and marketing within the region

blacktiger1d 9h ago

that's a shame for you to say that, i'm sure Elite loves hearing what you just said.

Mr Logic19h ago

What a stupid thing to say. The elites give 0 fucks what we say on an obscure website in the comments section.

Crows9018h ago

You can always reach out and give them jobs at your company man. Don't wait

Profchaos1d 11h ago (Edited 1d 11h ago )

Bethesda France focused on publishing and marketing in the region. And 15 people lost their jobs as part of the closure.

I wonder if this is part of Microsoft's strategy to abandoned physical media or possibly gamepass advertising makes their roles redundant you don't need to market a game as hard when the majority of players get the game as part of a sub which already promoted upcoming games

Tacoboto1d 10h ago

It's France too, there's a high likelihood only 1-2 people on the team even had an Xbox.

Profchaos1d 10h ago

Possibly guven all the leaks we know the Xbox brand is really struggling in the region.

Yi-Long1d 7h ago

Well, if your consoles and games are barely found in any stores any more, of course you're gonna struggle finding consumers ...

XiNatsuDragnel1d 9h ago

Tbh Microsoft I think Bethesda being 3rd party same with Activision would probably more competitive than thus scenario imo

Profchaos1d 8h ago (Edited 1d 8h ago )

I think it would have been better for all parties really especially gamers

TheColbertinator1d 9h ago

The recently purchased Activision French offices might take over all the licensing and marketing for Microsoft in France from now on.

Show all comments (21)