Tim Sweeney thinks Microsoft will make Steam "progressively worse" with Windows 10 patches - Polidicks

[QUOTE=PCGamer]"The risk here is that, if Microsoft convinces everybody to use UWP, then they phase out Win32 apps. If they can succeed in doing that then it’s a small leap to forcing all apps and games to be distributed through the Windows Store. Once we reach that point, the PC has become a closed platform. It won’t be that one day they flip a switch that will break your Steam library – what they’re trying to do is a series of sneaky manoeuvres. They make it more and more inconvenient to use the old apps, and, simultaneously, they try to become the only source for the new ones."[/QUOTE] [QUOTE=PCGamer]"Slowly, over the next five years, they will force-patch Windows 10 to make Steam progressively worse and more broken. They’ll never completely break it, but will continue to break it until, in five years, people are so fed up that Steam is buggy that the Windows Store seems like an ideal alternative. That’s exactly what they did to their previous competitors in other areas. Now they’re doing it to Steam. It’s only just starting to become visible. Microsoft might not be competent enough to succeed with their plan, but they’re certainly trying."[/QUOTE] [URL="http://www.pcgamer.com/tim-sweeney-thinks-microsoft-will-make-steam-progressively-worse-with-windows-10-patches/?utm_content=buffer124f6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=buffer_pcgamerfb"]Source[/URL] lmfao, just shut the fuck up, Tim Sweeney

I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to do this but this is still tinfoil hat territory here.

[QUOTE=CasualTR;50776949]I wouldn't put it past Microsoft to do this but this is still tinfoil hat territory here.[/QUOTE] I'm pessimistic they'd go that far. They're aggressive and desperate, but I don't think they're that malicious, really.

Does it really seem [I]that[/I] far fetched?

This would be a waste of resources for Microsoft. Making Steam buggy is something Valve can handle themselves. But really, what indications are there that Microsoft will do this? Move to UWP as the main platform, maybe, but Microsoft hasn't been known for cutting backwards compatibility, and either way UWPs don't [I]need[/I] to be distributed through the Store. If Microsoft deliberately introduces bugs to destroy Steam's ability to compete through their monopoly on the consumer OS market, they're gonna get smacked with an anti-trust fine so big that you'll need A1 paper for it.

I never supported UWP because just like with other devices there's no way to distribute UWP apps easily without going through the Windows Store, as far as I know, which means that yes, the Windows Store and the UWP is an effective attempt at negating the freedom to chose who distributes the programs to you. Microsoft's strategy has always been to take either a widely used standard, in which case they add propiertary extensions and force everyone to use it, effectivelly killing the original standard and tying the new one to them. Their other strategy is to create a new standard that competes with the open one and forcing people to use it through their influence, a good example of this is DirectX, sure DX back when it came out was better than the competition, but nowadays the differences are not that big, the sole reason DX12 exists is to force companies into Microsoft's platform.

arent microsoft themselves going to release products on steam?\ phil spencer said so himself sweeny how about you go sween into a corner and stay there

If they do this, they'll lose a huge amount of customers. The only reason I use Windows 10 is because of gaming; I do everything else on Linux. And I know a lot of people who do the same. If they really do this, I'll completely abandon Windows 10. The only reason I haven't abandoned it is because Linux can't run games properly. I know that a lot of other people would abandon Windows, as well. Microsoft weren't able to accomplish their target number of users, according to an article that was posted on Facepunch a few days ago.

[QUOTE=343N;50776995]arent microsoft themselves going to release products on steam?\ phil spencer said so himself sweeny how about you go sween into a corner and stay there[/QUOTE] that does not mean they will release them forever, once the windows store becomes big enough they will have no reason to distribute games through steam. [editline]26th July 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=Reflex F.N.;50776996]If they do this, they'll lose a huge amount of customers. The only reason I use Windows 10 is because of gaming; I do everything else on Linux. And I know a lot of people who do the same. If they really do this, I'll completely abandon Windows 10. The only reason I haven't abandoned it is because Linux can't run games properly. Microsoft weren't able to accomplish their target number of users, according to an article that was posted on Facepunch a few days ago.[/QUOTE] I've been using Arch as my main OS for a while, I still have windows, but I barely use it once or twice in a month for your typical windows only game.

[QUOTE=eirexe;50776986] the sole reason DX12 exists is to force companies into Microsoft's platform.[/QUOTE] As in using the windows store or just the operating system?

[QUOTE=eirexe;50776998]that does not mean they will release them forever, once the windows store becomes big enough they will have no reason to distribute games through steam. [/QUOTE] yeah but i don't think the windows store will become big enough to make steams sales be pointless any time soon

[quote]The risk here is that, if Microsoft convinces everybody to use UWP, then they phase out Win32 apps.[/quote] Good. [editline]26th July 2016[/editline] If you can't keep your program compatible with the latest OS, it isn't worth keeping alive.

[QUOTE=343N;50777017]yeah but i don't think the windows store will become big enough to make steams sales be pointless any time soon[/QUOTE] Yeah, Steam is a pretty distinct product from the Store - personally I don't use Steam as a social platform, but clearly many people do. You could argue that Xbox Live serves the same purpose, but it's pretty clearly separate from the Store. [editline]26th July 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=lNloruzenchi;50777037]Good. [editline]26th July 2016[/editline] If you can't keep your program compatible with the latest OS, it isn't worth keeping alive.[/QUOTE] Uhmm, no? There's a huge amount of legacy applications and games that would become incompatible. It would be a retarded move for Microsoft, and I definitely wouldn't accept such an update.

[QUOTE=lNloruzenchi;50777037]Good. [editline]26th July 2016[/editline] If you can't keep your program compatible with the latest OS, it isn't worth keeping alive.[/QUOTE] UWP is terrible, it's a closed platform in a system that has always had a level of openness, it would mean the death of a lot of things we take for granted and would be a step backwards, UWP apps as far as I know cannot be distributed in any other way that is not the windows store, which means that if win32 is phased out the Microsoft will officially have a monopoly. I have other concerns with UWP, like the fact that you can't look at the programs files easily, let alone modify them. In fact, i'm going to go as far to say that it would be the death of gaming on Windows, because one of the cornerstones of gaming on PC is the fact that you can tweak stuff easily, which the UWP does not facilitate.

I'm fairly certain that'd be illegal if Microsoft were to do that.

[QUOTE=Coffee;50777071]I'm fairly certain that'd be illegal if Microsoft were to do that.[/QUOTE] It's hard to say, Apple does that with the iDevices.

I can see this happening. Accidental Steam/other services breaking updates to push users to alternatives, though I feel that Steam would update incredibly fast if this started happened, you probably wouldn't notice.

You leave steam to just sit there and its going to implode at some point. Shitty games through greenlight Shitty support Workshop manipulation through bots The caching issue Underwhelming sales (Up to debate, imho summer sale not having a minigame / meta thing is boring)

I could see Valve/disgruntled Win10 users taking legal action against Microsoft if they went that far. This wouldn't be in Microsoft's best interest though; there's already a significant level of resistance against Windows 10 and I doubt they want to be pushing Steam users (who iirc make up 3/4 if not more of the PC gaming market) away.

[QUOTE=LegndNikko;50776939] lmfao, just shut the fuck up, Tim Sweeney[/QUOTE] [b]Every thing checks out[/b] [vid]https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/s/fp3uiyg725j0qfw/2016-07-26_07-17-09.webm[/vid]

What "other competitors in other ares" have they done this to? I can't think of too many Microsoft-programs I prefer over similar alternatives. Office maybe? Though I actually use OpenOffice, so uh. Oh yeah, now I remember DirectX.

The idea of having a centralized "store" on Windows to get "apps" from seems so fucking alien and weird to me Like, just let me download a [B]program[/B] that was made by someone, from [B]their site [/B] or from services like github

[QUOTE=Boilrig;50777096]I can see this happening. Accidental Steam/other services breaking updates to push users to alternatives, though I feel that Steam would update incredibly fast if this started happened, you probably wouldn't notice.[/QUOTE] Sounds theoretically impossible without breaking a ton of other apps since there is nothing special that Steam does that a change to os would cause it to break. They'd need to target steam specifically and that will land MS in a land of hurt.

While Microsoft doesn't give a shit about home users, the do care about corporate users. And, until corporate users won’t need win32 for the software they are using, it will be supported.

I don't think Microsoft ever managed to out-phase anything.

[QUOTE=Cold;50777192]I don't think Microsoft ever managed to out-phase anything.[/QUOTE] F24 still exists will it ever be removed?

That's absurd. That would be highly unethical business wise for Microsoft and would do more damage to themselves then to Valve.

I don't doubt at all that the original plan with 8 was to eventually go Windows Store only. But it seems like they've seen the light and have abandoned that plan after the reaction to 8.

If Microsoft ever forced users off of desktop apps completely they would lose any trust and credibility they have left with consumers. Hell, Windows 10 was a step back from Windows 8 for this very reason. This is just tinfoil hat kinda shit right here, there's no reason to believe Microsoft would completely gimp their operating system for a large portion of its userbase who use desktop apps almost exclusively.

I wonder if there'll ever be a Linux based OS which competes with Windows. Ubuntu is #1 right now, but the UI is terrible. I'm glad that there are more and more games every day for Linux. Really, games are the only area in which windows is ahead of Linux right now