60°

Steam Powered: You Don’t Have to Wait for a Box to Enjoy PC Gaming

GodisaGeek: "The most exciting thing is, there’s no need to wait until later in the year to own a Steam Box; there are a few options available right now."

Read Full Story >>
godisageek.com
ATi_Elite4113d ago (Edited 4113d ago )

Definition of a SteamBox:

Non PC Gamer Definition = an easy way for a PC illiterate individual or Non PC Savvy person to get into PC Gaming that's familiar to the ease of use of a console.

PC Gamer Definition = a way to FINALLY rid ourselves of that Evil Entity Know as Microsoft from OUR PC Gaming Way of Life....Long Live Valve, Long Live Valve, Long Live Valve!

I really enjoyed Windows XP and I Love Windows 7 but I want NO part of Xbox Live or Microsoft charging me $$$$$ to download DirectX or having DirectX updates exclusive to future Windows OS!

They can Kiss my asterisk!

Gabe Newell and Valve has once again done the impossible and pushed PC Gaming to unbelievable creativity and Freedom.

Microsoft upon release of the Steambox is COMPLETELY relieved of it's PC Gaming duties and any control that Microsoft THOUGHT they had on PC Gaming will be DEAD.

PC Gamers...we have a Voice and we are FREE of control from any ONE corporation!

For those who don't understand......

Many Games run on DirectX which is owned by MS. OpenGL is the same thing as DirectX but it's a NON-Profit program. DirectX only comes with windows and MS has already done the Greedy thing of tying in new DX versions with New OS...example DX10 only worked on Vista although it was clear that DX10 could work on XP

MS has done this AGAIN with DX11 only on Win7 and DX11.1 only on Win8 and soon many have predicted that MS would just charge gamers $$$$$ for DirectX straight out!

Steambox eliminates Microsoft altogether. Valve/Linux and their Geniuses have made a program that takes a DirectX game and wraps it all up in Linux and allows a DirectX game to run on a NON WINDOWS machine with the same and or better performance than a Windows machine!

Now Microosft has NO bearing on PC Gaming anymore and if MS wants to charge Developers to use DirectX well I'm sure they will all QUICKLY switch to OpenGL which a lot are doing anyway thanks in part to Nvidia and AMD!

For me and millions of other PC Gamers this a GREAT Thing and I'm sure Valve or Linux will allow regular PC's to get a hold of that wonderful program thus allowing PC's to be free of MS too. (I already have Windows and OSX on my PC and some have Linux as well as Windows and OSX)

I just really want to be able to play PC Games with NO interference from MS.

RAYMEISTER4113d ago

Great comment. Probably the best I've ever read on here.

shutUpAndTakeMyMoney4113d ago (Edited 4113d ago )

lol Your titles are epic!

"The Source Engine with OpenGL is on average about 11% faster with OpenGL than Direct3D 9 on a NVIDIA GeForce GTX 680. It's believed that another 5% higher performance for GL is still easily obtainable by reducing overhead in their Direct3D -> OpenGL layer. "
http://www.phoronix.com/sca...

Yeah seems they really can do dx -> opengl .

Software_Lover4113d ago

Wow, Microsoft Evil for making a great platform for pc gaming with windows 95? I dont have a problem with Microsoft or their software as their software has allowed me to play great pc games over the years. Their software is not tied to one set device so it allows me to build my own custom pc to my liking and play my games. While I'm playing my games, their software doesn't even interfere with me one bit. Its just there, just as Steam is just there in the background.

But to each his own. I guess that's why there are always 2 sides to every story. Some people fought to keep slavery, some people fought to end it.

fossilfern4113d ago (Edited 4113d ago )

No one is denying MS did help PC gaming in the early days. But ever since the original Xbox has come out they have wanted gaming on PC either dead or to get money out of it. If it was up to MS all PC gamers would move to the Xbox and they could drop DX support on Windows and just get as much money out of them on Xbox as they can. Their attitude to PC gaming stinks look at all this timed DLC crap they are doing, not only is it alienating PS3 players but its also eliminating PC players who mostly use their platform.

MS dont care for PC gaming they just have no choice but to continue to support it if they want people to continue to purchase and use the OS.

Software_Lover4113d ago

@Fossilfern

My only concern with your argument is that Every company does these things. Sony and the ps3 included. E.A. tried to make Crysis 2 exclusive to their Origin system (they did for a little while). Every company, even Valve, is in their respective businesses to make money. Microsoft hasn't given up or plan to give up on the pc gaming community. Yes they want to make money out of it as does NVIDIA and AMD.

NVIDIA has made physx exclusive to their platform. Even took the ability away to use an AMD gpu as the main card. But Microsoft is evil. Sony buys up developers, even though Microsoft could at any time, and makes it where they cant create games for other platforms. But Microsoft is evil.

What do you think is gonna happen to Valve if/when they start to make Apple like money on this box. No more gaming for the regular PC crowd. They will do everything in their power to make every PC game coming out exclusive to their system. Kiss your custom rigs goodbye.

THAT WILL BE THE DEATH OF PC GAMING!!!!!

I love steam for everything that it does and stands for, for the most part. I own so many games that it is not funny. I've even repurchased games that I have the hard copies for.

Companies are going down riskier slopes for the sake of profit every day. It's all because of Apple. Everyone wants their own ecosystem so that they can control everything. Valve is no different. They know they have a strangle hold on the pc platform and they are flexing their muscles now. Devs will have to follow suit.

Its a slippery slope.

Software_Lover4113d ago

And yes, I do understand your direct x argument, just so you know.

DarkBlood4113d ago

did you just get me a understandable history lesson on how linux work and made me feel more comfortable and secure with a OS i never really understand before that im now abit more open to it o.o?

i felt like i read a basic english to the holy grail location

lol all in all thanks for typing that down for some reason *which i never really do* understood that steambox will be mine oneday MUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA *thunders in the background* AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 4113d ago
Trago13374113d ago (Edited 4113d ago )

There are plenty of Compact PC's on the Cheap that you can buy right now, like on ibuypower, they have a new compact PC called Revolt, and the 600 dollar SKU can and WILL out perform the next Xbox and Playstation.

There really isn't any Excuse guys, PC gaming is more accessible than ever.

BLKxSEPTEMBER4113d ago

I just recently started gaming on pc and I never thought the graphics were that much ahead of consoles until I witnessed it for myself! Final Fantasy 14, Tera, Far Cry 3 and hitman absolution have all made me a true believer. 360 will still be my primary console but I'm not sure how much longer I will fell that way.

AznGaara4113d ago

Get the Witcher 2 not only is it an AMAZING RPG it is a looker in both art and tech. It is literally night and day when you compare the 360 to the PC version. I believe it's only $20 with steam sales on throughout the year.

BLKxSEPTEMBER4113d ago

Yeah I was thinking about picking that up but I beat it twice on 360. No sure ill play it again. I will be picking up battlefield 3 again tho. Having a powerful pc is like being a kid in a candy sore for me lol. So far I've been able to run all my games on max settings. If there's a more beautiful game out now than ff14 please let me no. Oh kinda off topic but how the hell do I get crysis to run on win 7 64 bit? I've tried it all and it still won't run. I'm going nutts!!!!

sdozzo4113d ago

Build your own and save money without having to buy Windows. Otherwise the X51 looks cool. Not that small though.

70°

Why Are Steam's Recommendations Dogpoop?

Blindfolding myself and clicking a Steam page at random would serve me better recommendations than Steam’s algorithm

Read Full Story >>
thegamer.com
UltimateOwnage6d ago

Hmm, not sure I agree with that. The recommendations I get are usually pretty good, but then again I have pretty large library of games on Steam and hundreds of them in my wish list, along with lots of curators I follow for it to build recommendations off of. On occasion it will throw me a random FIFA game or something I've never bought or shown interest in, but mostly its decent IMO.

80°

5 Best Metroidvania Games on Steam (March 2024)

Dive into the best Metroidvania games on Steam, from hidden gems to top-rated classics, and embark on unforgettable adventures!

jznrpg17d ago

Skul is a metroidvania ? It’s on PS+ soon I’ll check it out. If it’s good I’ll buy a copy physically if they have one

Nacho_Z17d ago

If Pseudoregalia is one of the best I'd hate to see what the worst look like.

330°

Dragon’s Dogma 2 releases to mixed user reviews, as microtransactions criticised

Players can pay to edit their character, resurrect the dead and other actions.

Read Full Story >>
videogameschronicle.com
AdonisIsBeast25d ago

Who cares as long as it’s optional

phoenixwing25d ago

paying to edit your character is kind of crap as far as microtransactions go

Xristo25d ago (Edited 25d ago )

I hate any/all MTX in a paid game (especially a full-price game)... but know that you can spend in-game currency (RC), which you get from killing mobs, to completely remake your character.

phoenixwing25d ago

@xRisto how much did it change the gameplay though? Changing your character would have probably not cost any rc if they weren't hellbent on getting money by making it inconvenient

koga8825d ago

You can literally edit your character using in-game gold, dropped from monsters or obtained from selling items, as soon as you reach the first main town. You can even use Rift Crystals obtained from other people using your pawn or dropped from monsters to change your entire character or Pawn. It's paying to avoid doing something that is literally in the game.

PRIMORDUS24d ago

They are lucky there using Denuvo or their game and all future DLC etc. would be for free. 🤣

phoenixwing24d ago

@koga you completely missed the point i was making but go ahead and act like i'm being the wrong one

lucian22924d ago

you can pay ingame currency though; why are ya so derp

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 24d ago
Crows9025d ago (Edited 25d ago )

Capcom cares quite a bit....hence why it was kept from reviewers and initial impressions.

As far as optional...yeah...ALL mtx are optional. That's not the problem. The miss the mark entirely.

Heck buying the game is "optional" too.

The fact that they were hiding this is scummy as hell. I was going to buy this day 1 or day 3. Now I'm reconsidering the purchase entirely because as the reviews point out...there are certain design decisions which have not changed but funnily enough seem to be remedied by these mtx...

In other words they may have left certain features in the game in order to monetize them. So the mtx affected the development of the game in a negative way.

garos8225d ago

I'm certainly not buying it anymore. It has affected at least one sale from me. I'll pick it up second hand

peppeaccardo25d ago

Very close to buy the game at a discounted price but not anymore.
Bad business practice and hence they do not get my support/money !

warriorcase24d ago

It wasn't kept fromreviewers s though. Twitter reviewers are saying there was mention of mtx's in the reviewers guide

-Foxtrot25d ago (Edited 25d ago )

STOP. USING. THAT. SHITTY. EXCUSE

God damn man

Look how DLC changed after Oblivions horse armour, within 10 years most developers took the absolute p***. What was said then aswell? “It’s only optional who cares?” Now look where we all are.

There’s no half measures with these things, when will people realise this.

jwillj2k425d ago (Edited 25d ago )

Oh it’s gonna get worse. Ng+ locked behind mtx, “cool downs” preventing you from playing for more than 3 hours at a time unless u pay the mtx for unlimited access, main campaign bosses, in-game music, certain dialog, difficulty modes, certain npc interactions, all locked behind mtx, etc.. etc. gonna end up being like the NBA 2k games eventually paying for cross overs and shit… They gon get mid-evil on our asses.

OMGitzThatGuy24d ago

I can guarantee most of the items you can buy with mtx and ingame currency wouldn’t exist in ANY paid form if the main goal wasn't monetization. If the goal is to give idiots who are willing to pay for basic game features as mtx a way to do things faster then the only ones the mtx hurt are the non paying players as you are now locking features behind a grind that you chose to put in the game that you are essentially admitting to creating some type of time sink. I have never heard of a game locking basic character editing behind a ingame paywall, it’s usually just an option.

Chard24d ago

Takes two to tango though - unfortunately people buy this garbage which incentivises the behaviour. It's an inevitable outcome of the profit motive

thorstein25d ago

@Mario

Yes. And so are resurrection "Wakestones." You can find them but they're rare.

victorMaje25d ago

Buying the game is now very optional too. If you don’t know why then you don’t get it.

shinoff218325d ago

Because it's only a door way. That's why we care. We've already seen some shit since Mtx was introduced.

Rimeskeem25d ago

1. DD2 is an ARPG with 8 different playable classes
2. There is no multiplayer aspect to the game
3. You can only have one character (have to pay for more)
4. You cannot delete the character unless you go into the game files
5. The game is $70 dollars upfront

Having to pay for more character slots in a game that *features* 8 playable classes is pretty much not optional for an ARPG.

Angyobangyo24d ago

Judging from steam reviews, gamers care. Not plastic gamers. Why didn’t Itsuno mention such MTX would be available in-game? Why weren’t the MTXs there for review copies?

Kiryu199224d ago

Who cares is how all this started. The many many excuses. Please keep defending these greedy publishers and unfair tactics. We be gamers are the problem

Horse armor

$10 online passes if buying a used copy

Cheat codes gone and are replaced by micro transactions

Unlocking stuff by playing games behind micro transactions and XP boosters

It’s only cosmetic

No one is being forced to spend even though publishers are literally making their games more grindy to force people to play

Full priced games have mobile game type micro transactions

$70 priced games because higher development costs while making record profits and laying off record number of employees

And to play the game early pay us extra $20-30 on top of full price

Release games now and promise to maybe fix them later only to abandon the game

Day one patches that make the games worst

If it’s your favorite game defend the publisher if it’s not hate on another publisher for similar content

SixFrvgz24d ago Show
+ Show (8) more repliesLast reply 24d ago
kenpachi25d ago

Must have picked up some EA crew to put this in the game

robtion25d ago

Yeah these are really bad ones. Directly impacting gameplay too. Super scummy move. I hope nobody buys them.

CrimsonWing6925d ago

Yet Helldivers 2 gets a pass? Y’know a GotY contender by the name of RE4 had them and so does Devil May Cry V. The funny thing is I enjoyed both of those games thoroughly without having to buy a single microtransaction.

What I do consider a valid complaint is not being able to start a new game or being able to edit your character. That’s kind of a seriously baffling decision, but then I think how I played Dragon’s Dogma 1 and I never edited my character and I just did a 100% playthrough on a single file and didn’t start a NG since. So, I don’t think these are really going to impact me, but I can see how it will others.

Crows9025d ago

Helldivers 2 is a live service game where everything is obtainable in game with incredible ease.

Not sure about re4 or DMC but nobody is giving anyone a pass ...this article is about dragons dogma 2...not those games.

What is valid are in game features made to supposedly force you to think carefully only to have a surprise online store offer solutions to built in problems for more money.

Goosejuice25d ago

Those same things they are selling can be found Ingame as well. U can buy the character editor through merchants with gold. Don't get me wrong..I dislike these mtx they are doing but you don't need to buy them to be able to get them.

CrimsonWing6925d ago (Edited 25d ago )

Oh my bad, I can’t bring up games with microtransactions that nobody had a sh*t fit over. My mistake.

I love how people move the goalpost.

Crows9025d ago

@goose
@crimson

All mtx sucks. I'd rather helldiver's not have them because it makes me wonder if the rate at which you collect materials. That said. The games features are all fully enjoyable and aren't affected by the mtx.

That's not the case with dragons dogma 2...they left in place features that are supposedly part of the challenge of the game only to let you buy your way out very conveniently. I didn't look through all of them but I've heard some are rare but can be purchased with more money now. Even more so in a game about managing weight load there's a tent, I believe, that you can pay more money for that weighs less than your typical tent...not all sure on all the mtx and I'm aware that you can purchase many through in game vendor but they're incredibly useful mtx that are obtained much more slowly in game...or even a limited amount of them.

Instead is selling fast travel...just let us don't for free....or instead of selling cosmetic changes...how about letting us do it for free...

Nothing in helldivers comes close to this abomination

Angyobangyo24d ago

One is a single player game and one is a live service game. One is $40 vs$70. And most importantly, one game is there to spread democracy.

Ironmike24d ago

It's not incredibly easy for certain things in helldivers though u still have grind quite bit but u ate correct in saying u can eventually get enough medals to purchase stuff

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 24d ago
Moegooner25d ago

Read your comment again and maybe, just maybe you might realise how dumb it was.

CrimsonWing6925d ago (Edited 25d ago )

What was dumb about it? That I pointed out the hypocrisy?

garos8225d ago

It was extremely scummy that capcom hid this from reviewers. I have no doubt this game is good but these type of microtransactions don't sit well with me. They've lost a sale from me

Lionsguard25d ago

I was going to pay full price to support this game because I've been waiting for it for forever but I think I'll wait until I get it for free from Epic or a Humblebundle monthly.

Redemption-6425d ago

I am not defending Capcom, as I am not a fan of MTX in single player games. I do however belive they were open to reviewers about having MTX in their game. The reviewers just decided to leave that part out. Which is very disingenuous. There are some companies that get away with these things. Image if this was done by EA, Ubisoft, or even Activision? I am positive those defending Capcom, would have had their pitchforks ready if the companies listed above did this

anast25d ago

That's why reviewers can't be trusted. In fact, they are not reviewers at all. They get free codes to talk about stuff they don't understand nor care about.

Sanctusone24d ago

I mean it was pretty obvious to anyone with eyes...one of the items you get from deluxe edition was in game items.
1500 Rift Crystals - Points to Spend Beyond the Rift (A)
Which honestly I figured they kept a similar mtx system like DMC5 and the optional red orbs.

Lionsguard24d ago

1500 Rift Crystals doesn't mean anything. The first game had Rift crystals too, you just earned them by people hiring your Pawn and you get it from certain quests.

anast24d ago (Edited 24d ago )

A reviewer's job is to point out the obvious of a product as though they were the consumer. This means reviewers, to do their actual job, would need to review the complete game: the edition they are reviewing, how they got the game, technical aspects, story, and monetization scheme. Since, it is obvious that MT's are a part of the game, it would need to be reviewed. This way people can be informed, so they can decide if they want to play this style of game/monetization scheme.

For example, AC Origins was bad with Mt's. I had to farm side missions or pay to advance the story. This was after I already did close to 25 or more side missions. While I was grinding there were constant reminders that I could pay to ease the grind. I would have never bought the game if it were reviewed properly.

Show all comments (78)