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Gabe Newell from Valve was quite right to fear about the future when he starting talking up Linux, and now it looks like Microsoft will be trying to push their own store even more.
Microsoft are moving to combine Windows 10 and Xbox One into one platform, and with that the Windows Store will become a bigger thing for them. This is something Gabe Newell of Valve feared, and it looks like it really is starting to become true. While there's nothing wrong with having universal games that work on W10 and XBone, making sure developers have to stick to their store is a problem.
The problem here, is that Microsoft are using their money and their exclusivity deals to keep certain games only on the Windows Store which locks out Steam in the process. There may not be too many doing it yet, but you can be sure over time Microsoft will sign more of these Windows 10 exclusive deals like they have with Quantum Break. Ars actually put it quite well in their article here:
Steam isn't exactly a picture of freedom, but it is available on the three major operating systems. It's free to sign up for and use with no monthly fee needed. Developers can have their game on Steam as well as any other store. You get to buy once and play on any platform where the game is supported, and so on. Steam in these cases is the lesser of two evils.
Is history about to repeat itself with Games For Windows Live version 2? I doubt it, since the Windows Store is tied in with Windows 10 and with their universal apps it might actually be a success, which again, is trouble for Valve.
I can't imagine Windows Store games selling very well at all, but I'm sure Microsoft will find a way to make it look like it is.
As for me, I'm happy with Ubuntu on my desktop and SteamOS on my Steam Machine for my couch gaming. I personally dual boot with Windows 10, but I won't ever touch the Windows Store. Why would I want to lock myself in like that? I hope others feel the same.
How do you feel about all this? Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Microsoft are moving to combine Windows 10 and Xbox One into one platform, and with that the Windows Store will become a bigger thing for them. This is something Gabe Newell of Valve feared, and it looks like it really is starting to become true. While there's nothing wrong with having universal games that work on W10 and XBone, making sure developers have to stick to their store is a problem.
The problem here, is that Microsoft are using their money and their exclusivity deals to keep certain games only on the Windows Store which locks out Steam in the process. There may not be too many doing it yet, but you can be sure over time Microsoft will sign more of these Windows 10 exclusive deals like they have with Quantum Break. Ars actually put it quite well in their article here:
QuoteUnfortunately for Spencer, not only has the PC as gaming platform seen little improvement from Microsoft—bar DirectX 12—but the company's one-platform-fits-all approach simply isn't going to fly on PC. The PC community has its own rules and expectations. Forcing console-like restrictions on a group that values freedom was never going to end well. And now, with those people backed into a corner with Quantum Break—one of this year's most highly anticipated games—the backlash is only going to get bigger.
Steam isn't exactly a picture of freedom, but it is available on the three major operating systems. It's free to sign up for and use with no monthly fee needed. Developers can have their game on Steam as well as any other store. You get to buy once and play on any platform where the game is supported, and so on. Steam in these cases is the lesser of two evils.
Is history about to repeat itself with Games For Windows Live version 2? I doubt it, since the Windows Store is tied in with Windows 10 and with their universal apps it might actually be a success, which again, is trouble for Valve.
I can't imagine Windows Store games selling very well at all, but I'm sure Microsoft will find a way to make it look like it is.
As for me, I'm happy with Ubuntu on my desktop and SteamOS on my Steam Machine for my couch gaming. I personally dual boot with Windows 10, but I won't ever touch the Windows Store. Why would I want to lock myself in like that? I hope others feel the same.
How do you feel about all this? Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Homepcgamer Mar 3, 2016
Haha... Aaron Greenberg sais that Gears of War 4 maybe will run the same way to the Win10 App Store...
http://www.gameblog.fr/news/57177-xbox-one-plus-aucun-jeu-100-exclusif-microsoft-nous-repond
http://www.gameblog.fr/news/57177-xbox-one-plus-aucun-jeu-100-exclusif-microsoft-nous-repond
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Quoting: StyromaniacI'm not worried even though they're buying exclusives. Vulkan, open source philosophy, Windows frustrations abound, and HTC Vive have entered the fray. Need I say more?
http://www.htcvive.com/de/product-optimized
"OS: Windows 7 SP1 or newer."
Yeah, a current Linux is newer, but I don't think the mean it like that...
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GustyGhost Mar 3, 2016
Quoting: MalOh God. You gotta read this.
My already low respect for consoletards got even lower. :O
Anyway, a Pearl among this moronic nonsense galore:
QuoteI've said it over and over, we're focused on the best place to play for gamers, not about creating walls.Phil Spencer
Console enthusiasts are intensely focused on who does and does not have access to games. And not by technical reasons. This is because their choice platform is literally given value by practice of non-technical exclusion. Console gamers are conditioned to accept high walls between their respective gardens.
This is why I find it worrying that so many Linux guys seem keen on additionally owning consoles "for the games". Put your money where your mouth is; do you want freedom or not?
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Quoting: MalOh God. You gotta read this.
My already low respect for consoletards got even lower. :O
Anyway, a Pearl among this moronic nonsense galore:
QuoteI've said it over and over, we're focused on the best place to play for gamers, not about creating walls.Phil Spencer
Ooookay. What a weird hissy fit. I'm trying to wrap my head around the point of view . . . Sorry, can't resist, but it looks a lot like the reasoning behind opposing gay marriage.
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Quoting: AnxiousInfusionThis is why I find it worrying that so many Linux guys seem keen on additionally owning consoles "for the games". Put your money where your mouth is; do you want freedom or not?
I occasionally play on console, and I admit there's probably some level of cognitive dissonance in justifying it, but I put consoles in a different category from PC. With consoles, I know up front that my access is limited, that I don't really own any games (if I buy digital, otherwise I can actually sell the discs, unlike on PC), that I can't modify or adjust anything, and I approach it with that in mind. I see consoles more like a stand-alone DVD player: I don't really care what OS they run, I don't try to mod or customize them, I just want to put in a disc and play. I know it's pretty crappy in terms of game conservation, and exclusives are generally a bad idea for gaming as a whole, but sometimes I also just want to enjoy games that I otherwise couldn't. And I'd rather play on console than install Windows. I honestly find it far more worrying that so many Linux guys dual-boot and buy new releases on Windows, even if they play them using wine. I think that is far more damaging to Linux than buying a game on console, since it's the direct competition. They will show up as Windows users in statistics, and if a game later does get released on Linux, it directly eats into the Linux sales.
So for me, if a game is on Linux, I buy it on Linux. If there's a hint of it coming to Linux, I'll hold off buying it (Hello, Witcher 3...this one is really starting to get to me). If it's neither, it depends on how badly I want that game and on how much I've already spent on Linux games that month. Because I do put my money where my mouth is and don't buy PC games without Linux support and buy many games that I wouldn't buy if it weren't for the fact that they are on Linux and I want to support that.
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Quoting: GuestQuoting: NyapMake hl3 a steam-linux exclusive. Boom, problem solvedI got a couple of digs for (jokingly) saying that earlier in the topic.
People seem to take it waaay too seriously.
Well... arguably make hl3 linux only is not make it an exclusive. Since the platform is open and free it doesn't really cut out anybody... both technically and economically.
Good luck explain it to the guys still connected to the Matrix though. ^_^
Last edited by Mal on 3 March 2016 at 9:43 pm UTC
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QuoteWe will have locked down computers, locked down consoles, locked down phones, locked down tablets and locked down cars.
Exactly. And just one reason why I'm so grateful I discovered Linux/floss, and that it exists at all. This is at the heart of what Richard Stallman's intentions were from the beginning (GNU, that is). This is why I'm a huge supporter of not only Linux/floss, but open source HARDWARE as well! (like the open source laptop project, which I'm seriously looking into in the near future). I'm hoping more projects like this develop, we need every scrap of freedom we can get our hands on these days.
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Mountain Man Mar 4, 2016
[quote=Mal]
That said, I do laugh at the idea of a bunch of Microsoft fanboys grudgingly dual booting Linux just to play a coveted game.
Last edited by Mountain Man on 4 March 2016 at 11:49 am UTC
Quoting: GuestI agree. If a game were ever released exclusively for Linux/SteamOS, there would be very little to stop someone from acquiring the free distro of their choice and giving it a look. What people should really be concerned about are the large number of Windows exclusives that are released every year.Quoting: NyapMake hl3 a steam-linux exclusive. Boom, problem solvedI got a couple of digs for (jokingly) saying that earlier in the topic.
People seem to take it waaay too seriously.
Well... arguably make hl3 linux only is not make it an exclusive. Since the platform is open and free it doesn't really cut out anybody... both technically and economically.
Good luck explain it to the guys still connected to the Matrix though. ^_^
That said, I do laugh at the idea of a bunch of Microsoft fanboys grudgingly dual booting Linux just to play a coveted game.
Last edited by Mountain Man on 4 March 2016 at 11:49 am UTC
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Homepcgamer Mar 4, 2016
WOW!... 8-O this is getting serious...
Tim Sweeney, Epic Founder writes a letter: “Microsoft Is Moving Against The Entire PC Industry”
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/04/microsoft-monopolise-pc-games-development-epic-games-gears-of-war?CMP=twt_a-technology_b-gdntech
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/03/04/microsoft-is-moving-against-the-entire-pc-industry-says-epic-founder/
Maybe Sweeney explains better the situation...
Tim Sweeney, Epic Founder writes a letter: “Microsoft Is Moving Against The Entire PC Industry”
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/mar/04/microsoft-monopolise-pc-games-development-epic-games-gears-of-war?CMP=twt_a-technology_b-gdntech
https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2016/03/04/microsoft-is-moving-against-the-entire-pc-industry-says-epic-founder/
Maybe Sweeney explains better the situation...
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