*spin-off* Implications of Steam and potential PS3 features

[Scott_Arm]

Does that mean if I buy the PS3 copy, I get the Mac version as well ?

When is Steam going to set up a Home space ?

Yep, you unlock the PC and Mac versions by linking your PSN account to a Steam account. Great feature. Cross-platform play is also great for a game like Portal. I wouldn't want to try playing Counter-Strike against the PC guys unless they support mouse and keyboard, which they could.

 

[patsu]

Yeah, if Counter Strike is available on PS3, they'd need to add keyboard + mouse support. My office PS3 will be ready. Cloud-based game save should be available to all PS Plus members at least.

 

[Mize]

LMAO! Valve just solved the PS3 hack problem.

 

[AlNom]

LMAO! Valve just solved the PS3 hack problem.

Well, it's not like they couldn't have implemented a similar online activation system already. It'd have just pissed off rental companies and everyone who makes use of the used games market.

 

[patsu]

Does Steam have a common party system ? I usually turn off my audio device (No voice chat for me and my household !)

EDIT: %^*$%(&$*( at Sony for not explaining Steam integration at their CES 2011 event.

 

[RobertR1]

So how will this work? I buy the game on the PS3, activate it on Steam to play it on the PC and then trade/sell my PS3 copy while the value is high?

 

[Scott_Arm]

So how will this work? I buy the game on the PS3, activate it on Steam to play it on the PC and then trade/sell my PS3 copy while the value is high?

Seems like you could do that. I imagine the game will come with a one-time key, so people can't rent and get access to the full game on pc/mac.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Does Steam have a common party system ? I usually turn off my audio device (No voice chat for me and my household !)

EDIT: %^*$%(&$*( at Sony for not explaining Steam integration at their CES 2011 event.

Steam doesn't have a party system, as far as I know, but it does have game invites and the ability to jump into a friends game. Hopefully those features will make it onto the PS3.

 

[patsu]

Ah I see. They should be available if they are marketing PC/Mac vs PS3 gaming. Otherwise, it'd reflect badly on Steam.

 

[AlNom]

Steam doesn't have a party system, as far as I know, but it does have game invites and the ability to jump into a friends game. Hopefully those features will make it onto the PS3.

Just to add: and it's all in-game and across any steam-bought game too.

 

[patsu]

Yap, if Gabe is serious about Steam, he'd push for the whole shebang on PS3. Let's see.

I hope the Playstation Phone, Portable, and ported PS3 games support OpenFeint in similar fashion.

 

[Scott_Arm]

Ah I see. They should be available if they are marketing PC/Mac vs PS3 gaming. Otherwise, it'd reflect badly on Steam.

Yeah, I'm assuming you'd want to people invite your PS3 friend to play, if you were on PC etc.

The only down point is they have to be conscious of how much RAM they're using for Steam vs the actual game. It'll be interesting to see if they tie Steam messages in with PSN messages, or if it will be something separate with its own interface in the game.

 

[patsu]

If the calls are not segregated/allocated into system vs app space (for security reason), they don't really need to occupy much memory for a simple invite system. Voice chat should take up more space in comparison.

 

[joker454]

Yap, if Gabe is serious about Steam, he'd push for the whole shebang on PS3. Let's see.

It's too late to make it standard on ps3, but if experiments like Portal and others succeed then that would make it possible to have steam be the standard on ps4. Linking ps4 and pc together that way to where a single game purchase works on both machines as well as having standard steakworks features, etc, across both platforms would make the ps4 a formidable force in the console world. It would be so hard to resist, start with ps4 and enjoy the games there, then when it gets old go back to pc and still get access to the same games you bought, same friends, same achievements, etc. That would be an unbelievable combo! Definitely keeping an eye on this, hopefully Sony and Valve can get together and make this all standard on ps4, then I would only need one console.

 

[patsu]

I don't think they want to standardize on one based on the way Sony is executing. I wouldn't be surprised if other online gaming platforms appear on PS3 (e.g., Sony's own, OpenFeint, etc.).

 

[Scott_Arm]

I don't think they want to standardize on one based on the way Sony is executing. I wouldn't be surprised if other online gaming platforms appear on PS3 (e.g., Sony's own, OpenFeint, etc.).

That would be an idiotic and terrible decision. There should be some base level of uniform features that work in every single game (chat, messaging, party, store for dlc) that works across all games. If they let everyone make their own systems, it will be fractured and annoying. If they build the base features and let the other systems tie-in, then that would be fine. If they choose to let Valve build the base layer, then that would be fine as well.

What you don't want is the situation where player X is playing one game and player Y is playing another, and they can't do one or more of the following (chat, message, invite, join, party etc). It would also be bad if companies started creating their own dlc storefronts, instead of selling through a unified store.

 

[AlNom]

Actually, how is it handled on PC? I mean, if you bought the physical copy, I don't think you get the in-game cross-game features, right? I'm not sure about when you "add a game" to your steam library since I've never tried. Everything I have in my steam library was bought via steam, so everything was compatible already.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

So how will this work? I buy the game on the PS3, activate it on Steam to play it on the PC and then trade/sell my PS3 copy while the value is high?

With Steam and Steam activated games you would basically have to sell them your Stream account also or they won't be able to play it. I know one or two people that do that. Rather than keep their Steam games after they finish, they sell their Steam account. In other words, they create a new Steam account for every game they play. I avoid those people in multiplayer.

It would be interesting if Steam implemented a system where you could gift or sell your Steam game to another person for a fee. A fraction of the current Steam price for example. So say you buy something for 50 USD. Perhaps a 10 USD fee to sell/transfer your game to another person. You sell it for 25, and pocket 15 while Steam and publisher splits the 10. Although if you could sell games electronically that might make the used game market explode at which point I'd imagine the publisher would want a larger amount to sell/transfer. So perhaps, in the example of the 50 USD game, 10 USD or half the sale price, whichever is higher.

Actually, how is it handled on PC? I mean, if you bought the physical copy, I don't think you get the in-game cross-game features, right? I'm not sure about when you "add a game" to your steam library since I've never tried. Everything I have in my steam library was bought via steam, so everything was compatible already.

Once you associate a game with Steam (if the game's publisher allows it), then it becomes a Steam game with all Steam benefits.

Regards,
SB

 

[Toaddio]

Sony should license Steam for part of the OS and make a downloadable version of every game part of the contract to make PlayStation games. They'd fight piracy and add chat in one fell swoop.

It would be fantastic to see Xbox/PS/PC/Mac games with cross platform chat and play.

 

[patsu]

That would be an idiotic and terrible decision. There should be some base level of uniform features that work in every single game (chat, messaging, party, store for dlc) that works across all games. If they let everyone make their own systems, it will be fractured and annoying. If they build the base features and let the other systems tie-in, then that would be fine. If they choose to let Valve build the base layer, then that would be fine as well.

What you don't want is the situation where player X is playing one game and player Y is playing another, and they can't do one or more of the following (chat, message, invite, join, party etc). It would also be bad if companies started creating their own dlc storefronts, instead of selling through a unified store.

As long as the basic functionality are present in XMB, it should be fine.

At this point, you can only message folks and respond to invites in XMB anyway (across games). Over time, they can beef up and integrate more basic services.

XML game launching would be an interesting way to interface with a game. Don't think they are pushing that at the moment.