I hate to promote Amazon Prime, but there's a game promotion to know about if you have it

[Craig234]

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/21-free-pc-games-for-twitch-prime-members-in-july/1100-6460140/

Lots of good free games.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

Do you have to have Twitch prime or just Amazon prime? If Amazon prime alone works, how do you access it? Edit: Found it, as far as I can tell you need Twitch Prime not Amazon prime

 

[balloonshark]

Do you have to have Twitch prime or just Amazon prime? If Amazon prime alone works, how do you access it? Edit: Found it, as far as I can tell you need Twitch Prime not Amazon prime

This might help. https://help.twitch.tv/customer/en/portal/articles/2572060-twitch-prime-guide

It's been a while but I had a twitch account and I think all I needed to do was link my prime account.

So far I've gotten 53 games from them and I haven't even been with them since the beginning. The sad part is I have installed any of the games yet.

 

[Craig234]

It needs Twitch Prime, but that's included with Amazon Prime if you sign up.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

This might help. https://help.twitch.tv/customer/en/portal/articles/2572060-twitch-prime-guide

It's been a while but I had a twitch account and I think all I needed to do was link my prime account.

So far I've gotten 53 games from them and I haven't even been with them since the beginning. The sad part is I have installed any of the games yet.

Yep that did it thanks

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Wow, I might do this for Pillars of Eternity alone...I've been waiting for that one to hit the $5 bin.

Annoying to have to have YET ANOTHER game management service installed. Any word on if you get a key that is transferable to Steam?

 

[Vivendi]

I've had Twitch Prime since it started and I hadn't yet bothered to grab any games on it...

Annoying to have to have YET ANOTHER game management service installed. Any word on if you get a key that is transferable to Steam?

Nope

 

[GodisanAtheist]

Nope

Major bummer.

On second thought, I'll have games from this current steam sale that I'll just be getting around to when I retire.

If the cost is another program to track games on, I'll just wait it out and pay $5 for the convenience of having everything in one place.

 

[maniacalpha1-1]

Major bummer.

On second thought, I'll have games from this current steam sale that I'll just be getting around to when I retire.

If the cost is another program to track games on, I'll just wait it out and pay $5 for the convenience of having everything in one place.

Whether it's a website or app doesn't mean much, it's yet another login. Now I've got to use Steam, Origin, GoG, Blizzard, Stardock, now Twitch, plus if I play with consoles I'll have to use playstation and/or xbox accounts...and if I ever play Everquest or Planetside 2 again, those have their own launchers, the next MMORPG I play will have its own launcher. This blows but free is free I guess, I've got all these websites added to my bookmarks so I remember them -

 

[sweenish]

It's such a non-issue. I don't get it.

 

[NTMBK]

Major bummer.

On second thought, I'll have games from this current steam sale that I'll just be getting around to when I retire.

If the cost is another program to track games on, I'll just wait it out and pay $5 for the convenience of having everything in one place.

You can register the game to your online account without installing the launcher- that's what I've done. When I get the urge to actually play one of those games I'll install the launcher, finish the game, then uninstall it again.

 

[SMOGZINN]

You can register the game to your online account without installing the launcher- that's what I've done. When I get the urge to actually play one of those games I'll install the launcher, finish the game, then uninstall it again.

The problem is that they are trying to push yet another platform on us. It is going to become a problem keeping up with what you have where.

Someone needs to build a program that consolidates all the platforms into one package, shows what games you have across them all, can keep track of what you have installed, can launches the platform and can tell it to install or run the game when you click on it, and consolidates store pages showing the current price of different games on each platform.

Think of what happened with the IM wars in the naughts. We ended up with several platforms like Trillian that combined them all into one package. That needs to happen with the game platforms now.

 

[bfun_x1]

Major bummer.

On second thought, I'll have games from this current steam sale that I'll just be getting around to when I retire.

If the cost is another program to track games on, I'll just wait it out and pay $5 for the convenience of having everything in one place.

I've come to the same conclusion. I'll pay a bit more for the convenience of a single launcher that works well.

 

[Vivendi]

I've come to the same conclusion. I'll pay a bit more for the convenience of a single launcher that works well.

I used to think so as well but I feel that a monopoly on anything is never good in the long run. It's good to have alternatives to Steam.

 

[SMOGZINN]

I used to think so as well but I feel that a monopoly on anything is never good in the long run. It's good to have alternatives to Steam.

I agree in theory, but there is also an opportunity cost to having a lot of splintering in a market. It is also worth noting that Steam does not work much like a monopoly, it works more like a market.

But overall the best solution would be a system that lets us combine multiple platforms.

 

[Craig234]

I agree in theory, but there is also an opportunity cost to having a lot of splintering in a market. It is also worth noting that Steam does not work much like a monopoly, it works more like a market.

But overall the best solution would be a system that lets us combine multiple platforms.

This comes up in computing over and over and over. The leader pushed proprietary to protect themselves from competition at consumers' expense, while competitors tend to push for 'open standards' to take that advantage away from them.

It happened with OS's as Windows became such a standard that it had a massive competitive advantage against any competing OS because applications were only ported on Windows.

It's happening with games and Steam - which is why Gog is offering to give people free copies of as many games they have on Steam on gog as they can.

An 'open standard' solution would be good for consumers - but what's going to make that happen? Are people going to start preferring another system to Steam so much that Steam becomes willing to do it? If it's just 'put out there' would Steam use it and would people choose it over Steam? Would the government dictate it? No time soon.

 

[GodisanAtheist]

I used to think so as well but I feel that a monopoly on anything is never good in the long run. It's good to have alternatives to Steam.

-Then the alternatives to Steam have to be good.

Gabe Newell said one of the most insightful things I've ever heard (to paraphrase) "Piracy is not a monetary problem, it's a service problem. People won't pirate if you offer more value in your service than pirates save those people in getting the game for free."

Applied to all these damn launchers: you want me to use your game launcher, it can't just offer me free games, it needs to do something that my current launcher cannot.

Only other launcher I use is, of all damn things, Origin. It's the only place I can get my (new) Bioware games in digital form. It offers me something every other generic launcher cannot.

 

[Aikouka]

The Twitch app isn't so bad if you play some MMOs. Twitch bought Curse a bit ago, and they merged the Curse Client into the Twitch app. So, for people that used to use the Curse Client to keep their add-ons up to date are using the Twitch app for that now.

I've pondered buying Battle Chef Brigade a few times, and it's hard for me to pass up the nice price of "free".

 

[sweenish]

I feel like there's a blanket assumption that "Steam is good" underlying a lot of these arguments. I would say that's not exactly an axiom. Steam happened to be first, and a lot of us, myself included, simply got entrenched.

For my part, I actively purchase from gog.com when I have the choice.

But when it comes to free games, ESPECIALLY games of the Pillars of Eternity Definitive collection, Tacoma, Tyranny, etc. caliber, another launcher is hardly a road bump if I get all of that for free.

 

[DrunkenSano]

If Rimworld was on the list I would've signed up, been waiting for that game to go on discount but it never seems to. It didn't even budge during the steam sale.

 

[ImpulsE69]

It's not that 'steam is good'. It is more that Steam did it first, and most people's bulk of libraries exist on Steam. There is..pretty much zero reason for other 'fronts'. It isn't even about Steam doing it best, but the bulk of the issues have been worked out. Multiple clients that only sell certain games is not the answer. If Steam required that you ONLY buy games from Steam, that would be one thing, but it doesn't. You can buy games from dozens of other venues and activate them on Steam and at times cheaper than Steam offers. That is a HUGE advantage. Therefore, none of these other fronts offer ANYTHING that is an advantage to Steam. This is coming from someone who was a very late adopter.

These other groups starting their own are simply trying to cash in on that success and ultimately, most will fail long before Steam does and/or will never reach the success or list of games available. The only reason GOG has been successful is due to the non DRM. None of these other companies want non DRM because they are more worried about the money - otherwise they'd just promote Steam.

 

[Craig234]

It's not that 'steam is good'. It is more that Steam did it first, and most people's bulk of libraries exist on Steam. There is..pretty much zero reason for other 'fronts'. It isn't even about Steam doing it best, but the bulk of the issues have been worked out. Multiple clients that only sell certain games is not the answer. If Steam required that you ONLY buy games from Steam, that would be one thing, but it doesn't. You can buy games from dozens of other venues and activate them on Steam and at times cheaper than Steam offers. That is a HUGE advantage. Therefore, none of these other fronts offer ANYTHING that is an advantage to Steam. This is coming from someone who was a very late adopter.

These other groups starting their own are simply trying to cash in on that success and ultimately, most will fail long before Steam does and/or will never reach the success or list of games available. The only reason GOG has been successful is due to the non DRM. None of these other companies want non DRM because they are more worried about the money - otherwise they'd just promote Steam.

Problem is, there SHOULD be competition based on factors like price, inventory, features, UI, bonuses, etc. But steam has a HUGE weight on the scale in its favor simply for the desire for everything to be in one place, which 'distorts the marketplace' and lets it not have to compete as well on the things it should have to.

Standard retail practice - like 'loyalty programs'.

Or once Amazon can sell you on Prime, other sellers for a similar price suffer because 'might as well get the free two day shipping you paid for'.

 

[balloonshark]

Free games suck! Long live Steam. <sarcasm>

 

[ImpulsE69]

Problem is, there SHOULD be competition based on factors like price, inventory, features, UI, bonuses, etc. But steam has a HUGE weight on the scale in its favor simply for the desire for everything to be in one place, which 'distorts the marketplace' and lets it not have to compete as well on the things it should have to.

Standard retail practice - like 'loyalty programs'.

Or once Amazon can sell you on Prime, other sellers for a similar price suffer because 'might as well get the free two day shipping you paid for'.

Yea I agree, there should be competition, at least if you think about it from if Steam wanted to be greedy aspect. Let's be honest though, Steam hasn't had to compete because it's been putting games on sale beyond what ever happened before.

 

[Craig234]

Yea I agree, there should be competition, at least if you think about it from if Steam wanted to be greedy aspect. Let's be honest though, Steam hasn't had to compete because it's been putting games on sale beyond what ever happened before.

Winning on good sales is fine - but the 'same place' issue makes it that people will even pay a little more to get it on Steam, and have a big preference for Steam at the same price.

It inhibits competition and that drives up prices.