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the only thing i hate about the rise of steam gaming is the loss of owning physical media since you can't by physical copies of steam deck games.
that's true but i think compared to most other consoles nowadays it goes a very sustainable path. valve does nothing to prevent you from running gog games, which are true digital ownership at least. i know physical media are the most tangible option in the moment, but in the long run blurays for example actually have a limited lifespan
Steam hasn't (afaik) revoked access from a game that someone already owns, and DRM on steam is entirely optional, even if you use the steamworks sdk. (source: I am a developer making a game using the steamworks sdk that can run without steam open or installed)
Is it ownership you’re worried about? There are other ways to have backups. Also, aren’t most PC games digital?
most of the time i play switch and ps5, which i can get physical copies though. i just like to have them given the way a lot of streaming companies have just pulled content without warning.
edit: also that brings us to another point; you used to be able to go in and buy boxed pc games in the store all the time
There real ownership I worry about is valve
Gaben will Not be the benevolent dictator forever, and I hope whoever inherits the company will follow his footsteps
This + the monopoly steam has over PC gaming and thier unfair pricing practices. I know that Valve is universaly praised for their contribution to Linux, but don't forget these issues.
I'd argue that the problem with non-physical releases is mainly conservation, and software pirates seem to have that covered for PC releases.
Now if you wanna buy a game, DRM free is of course preferable. I buy as much as I can from gog, because I don't want to blindly trust any corporation, regardless of their past record. After all, valve is set up in a way that gives them all the leverage.
Buying from GOG is also useful as you can keep the offline installers somewhere if you have the storage for it.