GOG games you download can be copied and played on any other computer without the need to connect to an external server. You do not even need the GOG Galaxy client to install the games you bought there.
The difference with Valve is that I still can use my PC hardware if Steam should get unavailable. I can’t download games from other stores on the Playstation.
Might be time to disable updates on your PS5 (if you can, I dunno, don’t console) so you can install Linux and get those other stores (once hacks are available for your BIOS).
For a simple example, I have bought Fallout 3 on Steam, but I cannot run that version on Steam on an old Windows 7 machine by default even though its specs are enough to run it, I need to do some workarounds to launch Steam in the first place, and at that point I’d rather download it from a pirate site.
How would my experience be on the same machine with GOG? I can download it directly from the site, or if I cannot connect to it because of browser incompatibility somehow, I can save a downloaded copy to my flash drive from another computer, then transfer its files and it works.
Some old games might not implement Steam DRM and therefore work with the file transfer, but it doesnt work all the time. On GOG it always works because no DRM.
Valve gets away with it because you can get games for dirt cheap there.
I suspect if we were looking at the same image as above except buying Dead Space for $6 like you can on Steam, we’d be seeing a lot less pushback. Part of the excuse they had was physical media having a way bigger distribution cost compared to digital. They’re kind of trying to have their cake and eat it too, here.
And yeah, GOG is DRM free so that’s a pretty big difference.
Part of the reason Valve gets away with it is that PC is an open platform. If you don’t want to buy from Valve you don’t have to buy directly from Valve. If you find a better deal elsewhere you can buy the game elsewhere. That’s not true for consoles. When it comes to digital only on Playstation you pay the price Sony tells you to pay because nobody except Sony is allowed to sell on Playstation. If Sony decides to jack up the price you just have to deal with it. If Sony refuses to put their games on sale you just have to deal with it.
The argument about removing your library is true for Valve (less so for GOG because you can just download all your installers and store them locally) but I think that’s a problem of the law. I think the law should catch up to digital media and give it the same rights as physical media. I hope SKG movements makes enough headway to lay the groundwork for someone else to come along and establish actual ownership of digital media.
It’s ok when Valve and CDPR does it.
GOG games you download can be copied and played on any other computer without the need to connect to an external server. You do not even need the GOG Galaxy client to install the games you bought there.
Though Valve is a fair argument
The difference with Valve is that I still can use my PC hardware if Steam should get unavailable. I can’t download games from other stores on the Playstation.
Might be time to disable updates on your PS5 (if you can, I dunno, don’t console) so you can install Linux and get those other stores (once hacks are available for your BIOS).
That’s threading the needle a bit, but alright, as long as they’re just anticonsumer enough for you, but no further.
Is it? The sales are often so good, and games I bought 3 or 4 PC builds ago still install and run on my new one.
Also with streak families you can share games.
But I get it, this is more about the used market.
DRM can still ruin the user experience a lot.
For a simple example, I have bought Fallout 3 on Steam, but I cannot run that version on Steam on an old Windows 7 machine by default even though its specs are enough to run it, I need to do some workarounds to launch Steam in the first place, and at that point I’d rather download it from a pirate site.
How would my experience be on the same machine with GOG? I can download it directly from the site, or if I cannot connect to it because of browser incompatibility somehow, I can save a downloaded copy to my flash drive from another computer, then transfer its files and it works.
Some old games might not implement Steam DRM and therefore work with the file transfer, but it doesnt work all the time. On GOG it always works because no DRM.
it tells you when games have drm
don’t buy those
imagine blaming steam for f3 lmao
It doesn’t tell if it has Steam DRM, it does when it has a 3rd party DRM.
steam drm is steam?
if you want no drm do gog
and steam drm isn’t ring 0 or denuvo
GOG (not part of CDPR anymore) has no drm and gives you offline installers if you don’t use their client. Those games are yours forever.
Steam not so much, but Sony’s track record makes Valve look like saints in comparison.
Valve gets away with it because you can get games for dirt cheap there.
I suspect if we were looking at the same image as above except buying Dead Space for $6 like you can on Steam, we’d be seeing a lot less pushback. Part of the excuse they had was physical media having a way bigger distribution cost compared to digital. They’re kind of trying to have their cake and eat it too, here.
And yeah, GOG is DRM free so that’s a pretty big difference.
Valve makes drm easy but I’m pretty sure the developer can choose to not include it. It’d be on you to back up the files in that case, though.
so wait, is valve supposed to sell physical CDs? is that what you’re getting at?
Part of the reason Valve gets away with it is that PC is an open platform. If you don’t want to buy from Valve you don’t have to buy directly from Valve. If you find a better deal elsewhere you can buy the game elsewhere. That’s not true for consoles. When it comes to digital only on Playstation you pay the price Sony tells you to pay because nobody except Sony is allowed to sell on Playstation. If Sony decides to jack up the price you just have to deal with it. If Sony refuses to put their games on sale you just have to deal with it.
The argument about removing your library is true for Valve (less so for GOG because you can just download all your installers and store them locally) but I think that’s a problem of the law. I think the law should catch up to digital media and give it the same rights as physical media. I hope SKG movements makes enough headway to lay the groundwork for someone else to come along and establish actual ownership of digital media.
Valve seems significantly closer to a reasonable compromise between our ideology and the opposing ideology, especially compared to Sony and Microsoft.