CARRiON.FLOWERS: The majority wants to play games, not worry about something being DRM free or not.
Exactly. That's why a lot of us wish DRM would go away. I'm not "worried" about it, it fucking annoys me and wastes my time when I have to deal with it. That's it.
CARRiON.FLOWERS: Consoles are fast becoming nothing but actual downgraded computers. That used to be a joke but it's honestly becoming a reality. With the announcement of games like Fallout 4 releasing mod capability on console and being able to upgrade your console like a computer.
Exactly my point. There's becoming less and less a difference between console and PC gaming. Except a good gaming PC costs 5x or more than a new console. So, if in either case you're going to end up with games you "semi-own", which rely on external servers to install or even play, well whats the benefit of doing that on your PC vs a console, other than somewhat better graphics (and the gap there seems to keep narrowing as well).
CARRiON.FLOWERS: You can mod your Steam games, so I don't understand what you're getting at here?
Well I'm sure this is just me then, but with my limited time I would never spend time modding out a game I don't truly own, that could become unplayable at some point cuz of something somebody else does that I have no control over. Unless I'm just adding 1-2 easily working mods or something. I spent all kindsa time modding out Morrowind and FO3 for example, and I'll always save those builds cuz they took some time and effort to get the game exacly how I want, and to get confilcts resolved and what. Would never do that unless I knew I could keep my setup forever, assuming I don't fuck up and lose it myself. But that's me...
CARRiON.FLOWERS: You make it sound like booting up any game on PC is this monstrous task that some simpleton would never understand. Maybe in the 90's this was true but today if someone just wants to play CS:GO or GTA 5 all you have to do is double click the icon in Steam. Hardware isn't as wild west as it was back then, and neither is software, and that's a GOOD thing.
Right. But it is still very wild west compared to one-size-fits-all consoles, and it always will be. That's the nature of PCs. Unless you have some identical build from the same manufacturer there's always differences. If you go to fire up a console game and it doesn't work, that will be the same for everybody. But each different PC build may have trouble with any given software. Case in point, when i first was playing FO3 I had all these graphical glitches on my GeForce card. Replaced it with a same generation ATI card and everything worked beautifully. Point is, there is always bound to be some combinations of hardware and software that are problematic. That isn't going away. Add client software on top of that and you simply have one more potential point of failure.
CARRiON.FLOWERS: I'd venture to guess that 50% of GOG's customers's don't give a shit about DRM and shop at many other places, including Steam. They just want to play games, not worry about ideologies.
Hmm, my guess would be that percentage is quite a bit less than 50%, though I haven't taken a poll or anything. DRM free is sort of the whole point of GOG, after all. And again, I could give a shit about ideologies, I do care about additional headaches and overhead I have to deal with when I wanna play a game. I just want to play, not solve problems or wait for unnecessary downloads...
CARRiON.FLOWERS: Everyone enjoys their gaming differently. Some see PC gaming in general as a headache waiting to happen, even though it's actually pretty easy and only made out to be scary. IMO from the times I've had to use a modern console I found them to be more of a headache due to my expectations just not being met from the PC. You might get your wish soon as Bethesda adds mod capability to their other games on console. You can go buy Fallout 4 right now on console and mod it.
Well on this we agree, absoiutely each person has their own perspective and should game in the way that works best for them. I'm not trying to say anybody *should* do this or that, just where I picture the market going, long-term.
CARRiON.FLOWERS: You also fail to realize the biggest games on PC are mostly multiplayer based. GOG will never be able to match the number of players currently playing DOTA 2, CS:GO, TF2 or GTA 5.
Steam's stats are available for anyone to see. Not to mention Blizzard's own games, Overwatch, Hearthstone, Starcraft 2, Diablo 3, and of course WoW. Mostly MP titles.
The hot shit on PC is multiplayer games and open-world based games. Y'know, the kind of games that rely on a system like Steam or Origin. I'm sorry, but I don't see thousands upon thousands of people ditching their Steam accounts of which they poured tons of money into, the games they want that are nowhere else are there, all their friends are there, and they logged many hours into. These are the majority, and the majority just wants to come home, log into Steam/Battle.Net, double click Overwatch or CS:GO or GTA 5 or Dota 2, and start playing with their friends.
GOG isn't going to compete with Steam on MP, consoles will. What of anything you just mentioned there would be easier on a PC vs a standard-issue console? The only thing I see are some titles that aren't available on consoles. Thats still the easiest, best bet for somebody who just wants to "come home, log in and start playing with their friends". Eh, whatever on that, I'm not a MP gamer so I'll have to take your word for this part.
CARRiON.FLOWERS: Everyone's reason for not using Steam is cool and fine and just as valid as anyone who chooses to use it,
Well for sure, agreed. And even though it surprises me that so many people are cool with Steam, well shit, to each his own. BUT... the fact that so many games today are packaged where you don't have a CHOICE is what sucks. And that's the part I see going away eventually. As I think we've proved in this conversation, if nothing else, people want choices and make different choices based on their own individual circumstances. That's why the one-size-fits-all approach of "requires Steam" will change at some point going forward, when devs/publishers realize the lost sales once people find more palletable solutions, which could be consoles, DRM-free, GOG, and whatever else people come up with. It's called the free market, and it always catches up eventually. If there is a need, that is even somewhat common, someone will find a way to fill it. One-size-fits-all PC gaming is not the future, I'd never buy that. One size fits all is for consoles. "Requires Steam" will largely go away at some point in the near future, and not just cuz it got replaced by some better Steam-like service somebody else creates. The PC market demands flexibility, and I think GOG's success is proof of that.