Microsoft and Nvidia Abandon PC Gaming Alliance

An anonymous reader writes with this quote from PC Authority: "Ever since Microsoft turned its back on Windows gaming in favor of the closed Xbox ecosystem, the platform has been crying out for a champion. The company occasionally gives nods toward a revived focus upon PC gaming, most recently with yet another relaunch on Games for Windows Live and a trio of upcoming PC games, but when it comes to throwing cash around the Xbox is the beneficiary. What can definitely be said is that the one group that should be championing the PC, the PC Gaming Alliance, is going backwards. In 2009 the group lost the biggest PC game developer/publisher, Activision-Blizzard, and now it seems that both Microsoft and Nvidia have bid the alliance farewell."

Can 13 year olds please stop pirating pc games?

[judeancodersfront]

And perhaps switch to the PS3?

PC gaming piracy has gotten out of control. Not for casual stuff like Farmville and The Sims but games that require an aftermarket gpu. It's the 'hardcore' pirates that have made the situation go from bad to downright embarrassing.
http://www.binplay.com/2011/01/pc-gamers-and-their-lame-excuses-for.html [binplay.com]

Re:No surprise

[artor3]

Why would anyone make an effort to launch a non-Steam game under Steam? Not being sarcastic, just never used it.

• Digital distribution, with easy and non-intrusive copy protection -- you need an internet connection to install, but that's it unless the publisher (e.g. Ubisoft) insists on more.
• A digital storefront that millions of gamers see every time they play any Steam game, making impulse buys more likely.
• A friends list that lets people see what their friends are playing, essentially giving free word-of-mouth advertising without even needing your customers to talk about the game.

Re:Champion

[artor3]

Steam is fantastic.

"Bombardment with ads!" - Go into the settins and set your favorite window to "Library". You will never see another ad.

"Some games require steam" - Because they use it as a multiplayer lobby (it beats GFWL and GameSpy) or because they use it as copy protection (it beats SafeDisc/Starforce/whatever else is around these days)

"Always running" - File > Settings > Interface > Run Steam when my computer starts. Uncheck it if it bothers you that much. Lots of programs do the same thing.

"Centrally owned" - If you refuse to use any software that's owned by a private organization, you're gonna have some trouble playing games.

"Why not just use the internet?" - Because, as I mentioned above, Steam supplies multiplayer functions and copy protection. Plus they probably don't want to make it support IE6.

Steam also syncs saved games and settings across platforms, provides in game text & voice chat, a very helpful friends list through which you can jump directly into a friends server, and tons of other nice features. Yes, you could get the same functionality by combining Direct2Drive, SafeDisc, Ventrilo, AIM, Games for Windows Live, and probably a few other programs. But that doesn't make Steam redundant. It makes all those other programs redundant.

Re:It really didn't do THAT much to begin with

[drinkypoo]

The PC is going away. Home users with desktop machines will be a tiny minority within a decade. It's going to be STBs (including PVRs and game consoles) and mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. Desktop machines will be all but restricted to 3D, CAD, Video, and the like. The next wave of tablets tend to have 1080p Mini-HDMI output, Bluetooth 2.0 EDR, and USB 2.0 OTG. With that feature set there is no reason for the average user to have even a laptop, let alone a desktop.

It's not like the commodity parts to build your own PC will go away overnight, but the market WILL shrink. People are already less and less interested in a desktop PC. Notebooks already outsell desktops.