@*(&^&^% Microsoft!!!!!

[FA_Q2]

The Steam Machine sure doesn't sell. Alienware went over to Windows to sell the box, they will still fail. The problem is that Sony and Microsoft subsidize the PS4 and Xbox One. Alien or Northwest Falcon have a hard time moving and $899 Steam box against the big boys $399 boxes, especially when the Steam Machine can't play most of the Triple A titles.

Well the Steam machine has been upgraded and is being released again at $400 to $500.
They also have an uphill battle against the well established PS4 and Xbox market.

That and why buy one?

Almost everyone that has steam has a PC and likely has one that can outperform the steam machine. Most PC users have no interest in playing on controller (notice I said most - not all) and, even though it may use a KB/mouse, the advantages of a console are really that you can play them sitting on your couch.

Did you make the switch over to the XBox? You said you played RTS and I cannot imagine that translating into a console at all. The last iteration that I tried (HALO's RTS) was a complete failure.

I was simply relaying information about the Steam box and no I was just looking at XBox pluses and negatives, not planning to buy the day after I thought about it. Besides I was pissed at M$ when I posted this thread, very pissed, that problem's been rectified, now when I finally get tired of M$ trying to take control of my PC I'll switch to Linux and either buy a gaming console or wait till more top tier games are ported over to Linux.

MS drives me nuts a lot of the time but I just cannot give it up. To many programs that I use/play will not port over.

Eventually I'll only have one Windows desktop computer devoted to games, and the wife's Windows dedicated laptop all the rest will be Linux. The wife wants to keep Windows because "it's what everyone uses at work and she needs to know Windows" excuse.......... The real reason is she doesn't want to learn a new OS not to mention the fact that she's very impatient and as a result can be computer seriously challenged at times...... and I have to undo what her impatience/frustration has done.

lol. Have the same issue with my wife. I swear that she has a bad em field around her as well, I have seen her break several computers by simply touching them. It is eerie. Reminds me of Jubilee in the cartoon X-Men.

 

[Montrovant]

Well the Steam machine has been upgraded and is being released again at $400 to $500.
They also have an uphill battle against the well established PS4 and Xbox market.

That and why buy one?

Almost everyone that has steam has a PC and likely has one that can outperform the steam machine. Most PC users have no interest in playing on controller (notice I said most - not all) and, even though it may use a KB/mouse, the advantages of a console are really that you can play them sitting on your couch.

Did you make the switch over to the XBox? You said you played RTS and I cannot imagine that translating into a console at all. The last iteration that I tried (HALO's RTS) was a complete failure.

I was simply relaying information about the Steam box and no I was just looking at XBox pluses and negatives, not planning to buy the day after I thought about it. Besides I was pissed at M$ when I posted this thread, very pissed, that problem's been rectified, now when I finally get tired of M$ trying to take control of my PC I'll switch to Linux and either buy a gaming console or wait till more top tier games are ported over to Linux.

MS drives me nuts a lot of the time but I just cannot give it up. To many programs that I use/play will not port over.

Eventually I'll only have one Windows desktop computer devoted to games, and the wife's Windows dedicated laptop all the rest will be Linux. The wife wants to keep Windows because "it's what everyone uses at work and she needs to know Windows" excuse.......... The real reason is she doesn't want to learn a new OS not to mention the fact that she's very impatient and as a result can be computer seriously challenged at times...... and I have to undo what her impatience/frustration has done.

lol. Have the same issue with my wife. I swear that she has a bad em field around her as well, I have seen her break several computers by simply touching them. It is eerie. Reminds me of Jubilee in the cartoon X-Men.

Jubilee? Not Kitty Pryde?

 

[Ringel05]

Well the Steam machine has been upgraded and is being released again at $400 to $500.
They also have an uphill battle against the well established PS4 and Xbox market.

That and why buy one?

Almost everyone that has steam has a PC and likely has one that can outperform the steam machine. Most PC users have no interest in playing on controller (notice I said most - not all) and, even though it may use a KB/mouse, the advantages of a console are really that you can play them sitting on your couch.

Did you make the switch over to the XBox? You said you played RTS and I cannot imagine that translating into a console at all. The last iteration that I tried (HALO's RTS) was a complete failure.

I was simply relaying information about the Steam box and no I was just looking at XBox pluses and negatives, not planning to buy the day after I thought about it. Besides I was pissed at M$ when I posted this thread, very pissed, that problem's been rectified, now when I finally get tired of M$ trying to take control of my PC I'll switch to Linux and either buy a gaming console or wait till more top tier games are ported over to Linux.

MS drives me nuts a lot of the time but I just cannot give it up. To many programs that I use/play will not port over.

Eventually I'll only have one Windows desktop computer devoted to games, and the wife's Windows dedicated laptop all the rest will be Linux. The wife wants to keep Windows because "it's what everyone uses at work and she needs to know Windows" excuse.......... The real reason is she doesn't want to learn a new OS not to mention the fact that she's very impatient and as a result can be computer seriously challenged at times...... and I have to undo what her impatience/frustration has done.

lol. Have the same issue with my wife. I swear that she has a bad em field around her as well, I have seen her break several computers by simply touching them. It is eerie. Reminds me of Jubilee in the cartoon X-Men.

There are times I just have to leave the room, don't need to hear the extruded, execrable exclamations or watch her pound on the enter or esc keys like a woodpecker in search of his evening meal.

 

[Bleipriester]

I don´t know if a marriage counseling can help if the wife insists on Windows. Surely, Windows is the main reason why so many couples get divorced nowadays. Evil Microsoft!

 

[Ringel05]

I don´t know if a marriage counseling can help if the wife insists on Windows. Surely, Windows is the main reason why so many couples get divorced nowadays. Evil Microsoft!

Nah, she's blonde.......

 

[FA_Q2]

That and why buy one?

Almost everyone that has steam has a PC and likely has one that can outperform the steam machine. Most PC users have no interest in playing on controller (notice I said most - not all) and, even though it may use a KB/mouse, the advantages of a console are really that you can play them sitting on your couch.

Did you make the switch over to the XBox? You said you played RTS and I cannot imagine that translating into a console at all. The last iteration that I tried (HALO's RTS) was a complete failure.

I was simply relaying information about the Steam box and no I was just looking at XBox pluses and negatives, not planning to buy the day after I thought about it. Besides I was pissed at M$ when I posted this thread, very pissed, that problem's been rectified, now when I finally get tired of M$ trying to take control of my PC I'll switch to Linux and either buy a gaming console or wait till more top tier games are ported over to Linux.

MS drives me nuts a lot of the time but I just cannot give it up. To many programs that I use/play will not port over.

Eventually I'll only have one Windows desktop computer devoted to games, and the wife's Windows dedicated laptop all the rest will be Linux. The wife wants to keep Windows because "it's what everyone uses at work and she needs to know Windows" excuse.......... The real reason is she doesn't want to learn a new OS not to mention the fact that she's very impatient and as a result can be computer seriously challenged at times...... and I have to undo what her impatience/frustration has done.

lol. Have the same issue with my wife. I swear that she has a bad em field around her as well, I have seen her break several computers by simply touching them. It is eerie. Reminds me of Jubilee in the cartoon X-Men.

Jubilee? Not Kitty Pryde?

Yes, Jubilee. In the beginning she blew a bunch of computers up by touching them.

 

[Uncensored2008]

??
Well sorry to burst your bubble but it was absolutely a virus. A virus that infected his Windows 8.*...and after I downloaded and installed Windows 10...within a few minutes it was obvious it was still infected. Windows Defender was disabled and made an administrative group setting that prevented me from restarting it. I then downloaded Avast!...did a full scan and it deleted/quarantined 100's of files. Spybot Search and Destroy, after I installed it and ran a full scan, found 100's of traces of malware - but the "fix now" button was grayed out. I couldn't do anything. So I installed Adaware...it wouldn't even launch. The control panel would not launch.
After doing research on the name f the virus, more than one site reported the virus as "extremely hard to remove".
So..whalaa - I have a new computer running Mint that is doing perfect!

Rootkits and Browser exploits are common, but self-replicating code, an actual virus is rare. Linux is no less vulnerable than Longhorn based Windows machines.

 

[Uncensored2008]

How about;
Those who bitch about Windows hope Microsoft is listening and want M$ to deliver a better product more suited to the end user not Microsoft.

Explain?

How is Windows 10 (or 7) not "suited to the end user?" Forcing updates? Then learned that from Apple, don't let the morons ignore security patches/

 

[Uncensored2008]

I don´t know if a marriage counseling can help if the wife insists on Windows. Surely, Windows is the main reason why so many couples get divorced nowadays. Evil Microsoft!

In Stepford, they only allow Mac.

 

[FA_Q2]

How about;
Those who bitch about Windows hope Microsoft is listening and want M$ to deliver a better product more suited to the end user not Microsoft.

Explain?

How is Windows 10 (or 7) not "suited to the end user?" Forcing updates? Then learned that from Apple, don't let the morons ignore security patches/

A good portion of those 'security updates' are little more than MS trying to root out pirated copies of their program.

 

[Uncensored2008]

A good portion of those 'security updates' are little more than MS trying to root out pirated copies of their program.

Particularly the one they are giving away free...

And you failed to explain how Windows is not suited to the end user?

 

[FA_Q2]

A good portion of those 'security updates' are little more than MS trying to root out pirated copies of their program.

Particularly the one they are giving away free...

And you failed to explain how Windows is not suited to the end user?

I didn't make that assertion...

I am not the original poster you quoted. I am simply ,making a comment on those 'updates.' A good portion of them are garbage. In general, I have the opposite problem with windows - it is far too oriented to the 'user.' I remember the days when I told my computer what to do. These days the computer wants to tell you what to do in the name of being easier to operate for the average user.

 

[ClosedCaption]

Games, talking about games especially the high graphics ones. I know the games I already have (via Steam) will play on Xbox, don't know if they will play on PS4 without having to repurchase them.

I hear about this alot. Can you give me a break down on why people are going nuts for steam? Sounds like you can buy one and play on different systems...that cool, I guess...but I dont get the hype. Then again, I'm just some guy with limited comp knowledge so

 

[Uncensored2008]

I hear about this alot. Can you give me a break down on why people are going nuts for steam? Sounds like you can buy one and play on different systems...that cool, I guess...but I dont get the hype. Then again, I'm just some guy with limited comp knowledge so

That's only partially true. A game bought for Windows has a license for Mac, if the game is carried on Mac. But you can't play it on XBox or PS4. Since few people would have a Mac and Windows for gaming, it isn't a huge deal to cross license the OS.

Steam has made PC games viable. The PC game market nearly died because of piracy. Publishers pushed all sorts of nasty DRM that pissed off users. Steam secured the IP of the game publishers without punishing the gamer, so now the PC is the biggest platform for major games, typically outselling XBox One and PS4 combined.

Android remains the #1 platform for games, followed closely by IOS.

However, if you take out the CandyCrush type of games played on those platforms, PC is the biggest seller, and Steam is the engine behind it. I can play my Steam games on any computer I own. I can log in at a friends house and play them there. If a drive crashes, my games are protected. Steam has changed gaming for the better.

 

[FA_Q2]

Games, talking about games especially the high graphics ones. I know the games I already have (via Steam) will play on Xbox, don't know if they will play on PS4 without having to repurchase them.

I hear about this alot. Can you give me a break down on why people are going nuts for steam? Sounds like you can buy one and play on different systems...that cool, I guess...but I dont get the hype. Then again, I'm just some guy with limited comp knowledge so

Steams real draw for me is that I can get them digitally and cheap. Being military, kicking the need for discs is very useful - I am not bringing those down range but I can download anything I have purchased when I can get access to wifi (though it is a rather painstakingly slow process out there). They also offer a lot of indie games for next to nothing. Last year I bought Styx - a game I would have never give even seen - for 10 bucks. Was a VERY good game. The reviews are right there as well - you can get some very informative information on weather or not a game is actually worth purchasing right there on the store screen. The system could use some tweaking (it is a up or down vote) but it is very nice. Finally, if you are like me and lag most games by a few years, the deals on there are really good. I do not purchase a game for more than 20 bucks anymore. I can wait for next year to try most titles and around then steam will toss you a 50-75% discount on the standard price. Most of the games I have purchased are for less than 10 dollars (many for as little as 2 or 3). If you are not looking to get a game when it releases you really cannot beat the discounts that come out later.

 

[FA_Q2]

I hear about this alot. Can you give me a break down on why people are going nuts for steam? Sounds like you can buy one and play on different systems...that cool, I guess...but I dont get the hype. Then again, I'm just some guy with limited comp knowledge so

That's only partially true. A game bought for Windows has a license for Mac, if the game is carried on Mac. But you can't play it on XBox or PS4. Since few people would have a Mac and Windows for gaming, it isn't a huge deal to cross license the OS.

Steam has made PC games viable. The PC game market nearly died because of piracy. Publishers pushed all sorts of nasty DRM that pissed off users. Steam secured the IP of the game publishers without punishing the gamer, so now the PC is the biggest platform for major games, typically outselling XBox One and PS4 combined.

Android remains the #1 platform for games, followed closely by IOS.

However, if you take out the CandyCrush type of games played on those platforms, PC is the biggest seller, and Steam is the engine behind it. I can play my Steam games on any computer I own. I can log in at a friends house and play them there. If a drive crashes, my games are protected. Steam has changed gaming for the better.

Steam really has helped in the piracy area. I used to get my games 'creatively' a while back. It never really was because of the money but rather because you ended up with a BETTER product AND it was easier to pirate a game rather than buy it. The insane days of gaming.

Now, it is simple to purchase and install games and you no longer get a worse product for purchasing it. There is no reason to pirate so most do not anymore. The answer never was DRM, it was always to make it better to buy the product rather than pirating it.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Steam really has helped in the piracy area. I used to get my games 'creatively' a while back. It never really was because of the money but rather because you ended up with a BETTER product AND it was easier to pirate a game rather than buy it. The insane days of gaming.

Now, it is simple to purchase and install games and you no longer get a worse product for purchasing it. There is no reason to pirate so most do not anymore. The answer never was DRM, it was always to make it better to buy the product rather than pirating it.

Well stated.

I think most people would rather buy games legally, but the nasty DRM screwed the legitimate consumer. Steam saved PC gaming.

 

[Montrovant]

I hear about this alot. Can you give me a break down on why people are going nuts for steam? Sounds like you can buy one and play on different systems...that cool, I guess...but I dont get the hype. Then again, I'm just some guy with limited comp knowledge so

That's only partially true. A game bought for Windows has a license for Mac, if the game is carried on Mac. But you can't play it on XBox or PS4. Since few people would have a Mac and Windows for gaming, it isn't a huge deal to cross license the OS.

Steam has made PC games viable. The PC game market nearly died because of piracy. Publishers pushed all sorts of nasty DRM that pissed off users. Steam secured the IP of the game publishers without punishing the gamer, so now the PC is the biggest platform for major games, typically outselling XBox One and PS4 combined.

Android remains the #1 platform for games, followed closely by IOS.

However, if you take out the CandyCrush type of games played on those platforms, PC is the biggest seller, and Steam is the engine behind it. I can play my Steam games on any computer I own. I can log in at a friends house and play them there. If a drive crashes, my games are protected. Steam has changed gaming for the better.

Steam really has helped in the piracy area. I used to get my games 'creatively' a while back. It never really was because of the money but rather because you ended up with a BETTER product AND it was easier to pirate a game rather than buy it. The insane days of gaming.

Now, it is simple to purchase and install games and you no longer get a worse product for purchasing it. There is no reason to pirate so most do not anymore. The answer never was DRM, it was always to make it better to buy the product rather than pirating it.

I've had some issues with Steam. I bought a copy of Batman : Arkham Origins a couple of years back. I don't know or care if there is a multiplayer component, I got it to play the single player version. I had already gotten and played Arkham City and liked it. Anyway, my game arrived, it was still sealed, so I opened it up and started loading it. After a short time it tells me I need to log in to Steam and enter a code in order to play. I searched and searched but there was no Steam code. After some research I found out that some copies of the game had gone out without the requisite Steam code inside. Now, I paid for the game legitimately, I wasn't playing online, I should be able to play without having to enter an online code. Luckily the seller had heard of this issue and refunded my money, but the idea that I need to enter an online code to play a game I've bought on disc offline is one I find very annoying.

But overall, yeah, Steam seems to be doing very well for the PC game market.

 

[iamwhatiseem]

I hear about this alot. Can you give me a break down on why people are going nuts for steam? Sounds like you can buy one and play on different systems...that cool, I guess...but I dont get the hype. Then again, I'm just some guy with limited comp knowledge so

That's only partially true. A game bought for Windows has a license for Mac, if the game is carried on Mac. But you can't play it on XBox or PS4. Since few people would have a Mac and Windows for gaming, it isn't a huge deal to cross license the OS.

Steam has made PC games viable. The PC game market nearly died because of piracy. Publishers pushed all sorts of nasty DRM that pissed off users. Steam secured the IP of the game publishers without punishing the gamer, so now the PC is the biggest platform for major games, typically outselling XBox One and PS4 combined.

Android remains the #1 platform for games, followed closely by IOS.

However, if you take out the CandyCrush type of games played on those platforms, PC is the biggest seller, and Steam is the engine behind it. I can play my Steam games on any computer I own. I can log in at a friends house and play them there. If a drive crashes, my games are protected. Steam has changed gaming for the better.

What piracy/Steam has doing for video games is like what Napster/iTunes did for music.
Napster was well on it's way to destroying the music industry...which was good. It needed to reboot. Then iTunes came along, as well as others and proved the words of Steve Jobs - "you can't look at your competition and say you will do it better. You have to look at your competition and do it differently"
Like music before Napster/iTunes video games via the traditional media cost too f*cking much. Especially when half of what is offered is rehashed cash grabs, reheating the leftovers of a big hit.
Steam is cheaper, it is portable and it is different.

 

[Ringel05]

How about;
Those who bitch about Windows hope Microsoft is listening and want M$ to deliver a better product more suited to the end user not Microsoft.

Explain?

How is Windows 10 (or 7) not "suited to the end user?" Forcing updates? Then learned that from Apple, don't let the morons ignore security patches/

Let morons ignore security patches, snoop patches and unwanted upgrades, it's their machines...... right?
How about "end user enhanced experience" as I've said before, "let us see what you're doing so we can spam you with targeted advertising we make money off of". No thanks.