this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2023
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Steam has got to be the most loved monopoly ever. It's inherently toxic to the gaming community in ways that aren't instantly apparent but it doesn't take a genius to figure out that it's not a great thing that every game you buy isn't yours, it's effectively an unlimited time rental that can be withdrawn for a multitude of reasons. GOG and the like actually sell you the game proper such that it's yours to keep forever no matter what happens to GOG. But still they sit at single digit market share for anything that's not their own game and even Cyberpunk 2077 only sold 10% of copies on GOG...
My issue is that I use Linux, so I either need to download games from their website (no automatic updates) or use a third party client like Heroic launcher. If GOG had first class support for Linux, I'd probably buy most of my games through them.
But Linux users are a small minority, so the main issue is probably selection. Steam has pretty much all of the popular games, whereas GOG only has the DRM-free games. It's the same problem Linux has had and continues to have, why would you use platform A if platform B is the same price and has more of the games you want to play? Splitting your library across services sucks, so most people will go with the one has most of their games.
The solution here imo it's make licenses portable so you can easily switch platforms. If I want to move my brokerage, I just need to fill out a form and wait a few days. If I want to switch game platforms, I need to repurchase or abandon my games. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is a real reason people don't switch.
What's wrong with Heroic launcher? Being a linux user you should be used by now to workarounds and alternative solutions to various problems, so why is that tool (that is pretty good and can even be used on steam deck) a deal breaker? That small inconvenience pales in comparison to benefits of DRM-free games and not supporting a monopoly IMHO.
My experience with Heroic has been... okay. I think the big issue is that a lot of tools are built with Steam in mind and not Heroic, which unintentionally adds friction.
I’m using epic on Steam deck.
I have to tweak something every now and then but I just won a Star Wars Resurgence giveaway here on Lemmy and with a tiny bit of work it runs perfectly.
I’ve been using Linux since Redhat 5.2 so I’m definitely used to workarounds and alternative solutions haha.
It just... doesn't work as well as Steam. For example:
It works fine, but given that it's worse than Steam and GOG doesn't support it, I don't really see how it makes my life much better. Yeah, DRM-free is nice, but many (most?) if my games on Steam are also DRM-free, they're just not labeled or packaged as such, so I can often just copy the game directory somewhere and run w/o Steam running.
So GOG needs to give me a better reason to use their service. I'm not going to jump through hoops just because "DRM-free" is advertised instead of hidden. For me, that means one of the following:
Pick one and I'll feel more confident in using their products.