Microsoft is high on it’s own supply. The leadership is so out of touch with its customers that I can’t wait to watch them hit bottom.

Thank you for this!

The execs really want it . . . . so payroll can be eliminated.

I don’t play minecraft, and I live under a rock so, I didn’t understand the meme. TIL Notch took the good will he received from the gaming community and summarily flushed it down the toilet.

They make skins for the steam deck, so it’s not like they didn’t know how to get permission to do this kind of thing. I sort of feel like this company does stupid shit on purpose to generate media coverage and considers the media coverage a win for brand recognition; financial consequences be damned.

It’s been biting the working class for decades. In fact , I am riddled with the bite marks from the rich.

Current AA, AAA games are operating on subscription models that end up costing the consumer hundreds of dollars. If you’re going to save time/money by using AI and not lower the price, a subset of consumers are going to be justifiably pissed. (Presumably less jobs are created due to the use of AI, so the money I pay isn’t being reinvested into communities via local payroll, and now unemployed artists, writers, and coders are being a drain on tax based safety nets. That AI is a drain on water and electric infrastructure that may impact me directly if I live in the vicinity of a data center. The implications are larger than people not wanting AI in games.) If the AI elements are bad/game breaking, or if they don’t deliver value for price, studios/publishers deserve the hate.

Wow, they are going to release this for PC at launch! I am pleasantly surprised.

I am starting to believe that the whole accusation of valve threatening to remove a game from steam about price differences likely has to do with if steam keys are generated for games purchased through other vendors. That’s like the only scenario where it would be appropriate.

This makes perfect sense.

It’s so clear that so many people here DIDN’T read the article, which is further compounded by the author not understanding the meaning of monopoly vs anti-competitive practices. Just so we are all on the same page:

A monopoly is a market structure where a single company or entity is the sole supplier of a specific product or service, with no viable substitutes. Because it lacks competition, a monopolist can dictate prices, prevent new competitors from entering the market, and influence quality.

Anti-competitive behavior refers to actions taken by a business or organization to limit, restrict or eliminate competition in a market, usually in order to gain an unfair advantage or dominate the market. These practices are often considered illegal or unethical and can harm consumers, other businesses and the broader economy. Anti-competitive behavior is used by business and governments to lessen competition within the markets so that monopolies and dominant firms can generate supernormal profit margins and deter competitors from the market. Therefore, it is heavily regulated and punishable by law in cases where it substantially affects the market.

This isn’t about steam being a better service, (even though it IS a better service,) or being a monopoly, (it isn’t.) The lawsuit is about anti-competitive practices.

The lawsuit pertains to steam allegedly disallowing devs to price games lower on other platforms. If this is true, it’s a move that prevents competition. Maybe other digital storefronts are shittier, but they might make up for it by taking a smaller cut from game devs, which allows them to sell at a lower price on GOG, or EPIC. If Steam is forcing devs to charge the same price on all platforms, or preventing them from offering discounts on those other platforms when they aren’t offered on Steam, then it doesn’t matter where I buy the game. This is a form of price fixing, except it isn’t an agreement being done between digital storefronts behind closed doors, the price fixing is allegedly happening by steam leveraging the developers

Imagine you are going to buy Tide laundry detergent. You can go to Walmart, Target, or your local grocery store. They all carry the same exact same 125 fl oz bottle. Walmart has it for the lowest price, Target is the next highest, and the local grocer has the highest price for the item. Does my local grocery store get to force Walmart to raise their prices to match their own?

My local grocery store might charge a little bit more, but I prefer to shop there because it’s closer to me, and the stores are better organized making it easier for me to find what I want. Personally I LOATHE shopping at Walmart. I happen to be willing to pay more for a better experience when buying the same product. Other people might not give a shit about the shopping experience and just want the lowest price, so they go to Walmart.

I refuse to touch EPIC game store. I think it’s a subpar product. But if my buddy is telling me about a game he got for free through their storefront and raves about what a good game it is, I’m gonna buy it off of steam, instead of getting it for free, because steam is a digital storefront I trust, and provides a good customer experience.

I realize laundry detergent isn’t the same as video game software, but I think my example demonstrates how competition can work and how fucked up it would be if the allegations against steam are true.

It is federally illegal in the United States of America.

Would that be Hagrid, neville, dobby?

Too many big studios/publishers just keep releasing the same shit over and over and over. They don’t innovate, they don’t take risks; they don’t exist to make good games, they exist to make shareholders money.

Good games aren’t just about graphics, they are about game play. Game play involves mechanics like collecting, exploration, story, strategy, challenging bosses, and world building/crafting. A good game will do 2-3 of these things really well regardless of what the graphics look like.

206.3 hours for me, I’m only halfway through the achievements and I am on my way up to the giant brain for the first time.

I’m saving for a house and I worked hard to get my credit to 750. In January, someone took my information, presumably leaked in one of many hacks, and opened a credit card in my name, and promptly ran up a bill. This affected my credit, led to legal expenses, and requires me to keep my credit locked, until I want to take out a loan, pray that the same thing doesn’t happen while my credit is unlocked, then re-lock my credit after securing the loan. Being forced to verify my identity to play video games, and expose myself to more risk of identity theft is absolutely fucking bonkers. I’m so glad I jumped off the console bandwagon after the PS2 generation. If this makes it’s way to steam, GOG, or any other PC platform, I still have my ps1, 2, xbox, nes, snes, and GB advance.

This isn’t about protecting children online, this is about governments deciding who gets to access a computer, which is access to knowledge and services.

The xbox pros are like $70 and they are trash. I bought an OG steam controller and I have no complaints.

I was just about to suggest this game!