Steam 1984 ?

[blackhatracing]

Many of my friends have been discussing the virtues (or not ) of steam controlled games.I would like the thoughts of others in the forums......We think that when you purchase a game it would be nice to have a choice of a steam controlled game or a non steam controlled game.We tend to think that for a small increase in price for a non controlled steam game...i.e. it doesn’t update your game or download advertising you don’t want (we are all big boys and know how to update,patch etc) it just validates your serial number and actually lets you play the game, it would be worth a small increase for the non steam version.The game provider would be expected to keep the servers running for a few years and after that be willing to allow the users or others to purchase the lobby rights to keep the game up and running if the players were there...
what are your views?
Now don’t get me wrong I am not denigrating steam,its only my and my friends personal opinion that we seem to have lost control over the games we purchase with our hard earned money , but we would be interested in other peoples opinion of where online games in general are going.

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

Subscription streaming entertainment (games/media) is the future, that's for sure.. But it ain't the OnLive that'll do the revolution.. I'm actually surprised that it's still alive.. Connections aren't all over the world yet in right condition, we need 5ms feed to Pacific (i know, physically not viable.. yet.. there's always quantum teleportation to come ).. Nintendo or more likely Sony will make the first streaming game box since the proprietary hardware is a must, it need BEEF, which onlive lacks.. Also forget about covering all platforms, Android.. Apple most certainly has something to say about that, so does MS... It's a big boys game to change the infrastructure..

 

[Andy Breedon]

What will you make of the PAY to PLAY that IS going to be the future of gaming. Buying a physical game or a downloadable (steam) game will be a thing of the past. All games will be purchased by the amount of time you want to play it and it will be streamed directly to your device. Essentially you will be renting it, maybe for a week, maybe for life.....
It's already beginning, take a look at ONLIVE.
http://www.onlive.co.uk/

Game developers and the like will seize the opportunity to shed the cost of producing physical media and download servers etc.

Great to see someone can think for themselves and out of the box!

No i do not like it and will not buy into it, the end of gaming is soon to be, for me.

 

[John Bowman]

Well, i have to add to that off-topic.. How much more home electronics have you got since incandescent bulbs went away? That massive flat screen tv, new PC etc draws a lot of current....

Wrong....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jul/29/flat-screen-tv-electricity

It is very much the topic, it is about creaming more and more cash from people, it is one and the same. We are never giving the savings that a company makes, like mentioned above with hard copies etc.

 

[Kennett Ylitalo]

Wrong....

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2011/jul/29/flat-screen-tv-electricity

It is very much the topic, it is about creaming more and more cash from people, it is one and the same. We are never giving the savings that a company makes, like mentioned above with hard copies etc.

Well, i can honestly say that my electricity consumption is way higher than what it was in the incandescent days.. Those who warm their houses with electricity, lost, that i agree. I got one power hungry gaming computer plus loads of entertainment stuff, i'm looking at three displays right now.. Our whole leisure time is wasted using electricity. So you replace three bulbs? That's the laptop you're wife/kids are surfing with.. That PC? Takes 300W (or more...) when it runs on full load, takes a buttload of bulbs to compensate that.. Plus the large screen for it.. Plus all the other stuff that's quietly eating resources, chargers, standby equipment..

If you say that the rate of consumption and prices don't match, that's most certainly possible in this economic climate where profits are numero uno in every field of operations. Energy should not be sold for profit, only skim should be maintenance and infrastructure. They will rise prices unless we refuse to pay.. and that's kind a hard.

In the olden days, we had one tv that we all watched few hours per day. Now we have personal entertainment systems. The energy efficiency improves but it's compensated easily by human beings fallacy... "i use less energy, i should use more bulbs".. "I'm saving so now i can use more stuff" instead of not changing habits.. You're laptop now uses 40W instead of 150W box PC.. So ou upgraded that to 400w monster but remember only the savings from that laptop.. It plagues all of us, me too.. When i started to following the actual wattage instead of price, the picture came clear.

But like i said, i'm 100% sure that power companies make more profit these days than before energy efficiency came to picture. That is wrong but everyone on the right say it's wonderful..

 

[John Bowman]

I'm sorry but the energy efficiencies of washing machines, TV's, Cookers, must out weigh a few chargers and other gadgets. The saving in watts for the TV mentioned above is some 200+, that's the TV alone.

"40 inch TV's would often use up to 300 watts three years ago, but some now use as little as 70 watts. We're seeing similar results with other white goods, such as fridges, freezers and washing machines."

I can't for the life of me agree gadgets increase an individual household's usage above what they used before, but certainly, prices have sky rocketed.

But we agree, Corporations are to blame, share holders and profits! If you ask me, these are what drives all markets now, including gaming. Dark days....