Just make it compulsory for games to support working online functionality under Linux-based operating systems, if such functionality is supported under other operating systems...

"Oh, but you can't do that, because developers would leave Steam!"

And yet, Steam controls what? 70% of the PC gaming market? Sure, you'd initially lost some developers; but they'd come crawling back when they realize that they won't have the same number of customers / potential customers elsewhere (as has occurred many times in the past).

From a technical point of view, there is no reason on Earth online functionality should be disabled under Linux-based operating systems - the only reason it is is because some of the biggest developers in the industry are anti-Linux; it's high-time Valve Software went on the offense and started pushing back against this ridiculous, discriminative stance.

Quoting: cameronboschThen again, EA is a garbage company and has been for some time.

Telling it like it is... I don't buy EA games where ever possible, and haven't for many years.

They're horrible to the gaming community, they're horrible ethically and put profits over everything else, gamers and staff alike.

Quoting: cameronboschAs for other companies, somebody is obviously bribing other companies to not enable BattleEye or Easy Anti Cheat on Proton. Whether or not it's Microsoft or somebody else remains to be seen.

Absolutely.

As I note above, there is no technical reason why the anti-cheat systems can't be enabled under Linux-based operating systems and again, as I've said before elsewhere, I think it's VERY likely that somebody - most likely Microsoft or another big name like that - are either outright bribing or using "clever" manipulation (e.g. "We'll make your developer fees cheaper if...") to encourage developers to disable online functionality under Linux-based operating systems...

We know the anti-cheat systems work under Linux-based operating systems and we know that there's quite literally no technical reason why they can't be enabled; so the only real question is who has something to gain from these anti-cheat systems being disabled?

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: PenglingI'm sure you know capsule-toys, though - from there, it's not a big step to the "Capsule Monsters" concept-art that was the earliest known part of Pokemon's development. :smile:

Oh, of course... I'm an early 80s baby, so I (now) remember those!

And now that you mention it, I think it would be pretty hard to argue that Nintendo came up with the whole Poké Ball concept...

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: doragasuWeird they go for patent infringement and not for copyright infringement

They appear to be using Poké Ball-like items in the trailer for Palworld on Steam... Maybe it's something to do with this?

Quoting: ShadowXeldronAlso, the new Pokemon games are crap. I need to say this every single time whenever someone brings the series up, but the Switch games are pretty dire (except maybe Legends Arceus... which is really just average)

I beg to differ - I think Pokémon Legends: Arceus is amazing... The "main" Pokémon games, whilst not bad, have been pretty "meh" for a long time now though; same s*%t with slightly-tweaked Pokémon.

Quoting: PenglingOn the other hand, it's being speculated [External Link] that Nintendo is going after Palworld on patent grounds due to holding patents on the concept of catching monsters in a ball

Quoting: GuestI'm guessing one of the issues is about Patent Publication No. 20240278129(the mechanic of throwing the Poke-ball in third person, in Legends Arceus)

Ah-ha! Exactly as I thought...

Quoting: Penglingsomething that was inspired by real-world gachapon toys that existed before the Pokemon games did.

Well this is interesting... I didn't know this!

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: slaapliedjeYup, even if you have physical media, if it has DRM on it, there's potential for an OS update that'll ban that DRM (safedisc anyone?) so all those physical disks are now useless (well, unless you know where NoCD cracks are).

Yeah, but it's super-easy to make "backup" copies of physical media - heck, I just got my hands on the very last title in the MCU today, and I'm "ripping" the entire collection to my home theater as I type this; or, if you want to keep it on-point, it's relatively easy to extra a game from a disc and / or find a so-called "no CD crack".

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Shmerl

Quoting: Cyba.CowboyThis is the most obvious downside to going all-digital, and a big part of the reason console manufactures are pushing this for the future... All-digital means you don't "own" anything and can have your purchase taken away at any time.

Wrong. It's the most obvious downside of using DRM. All digital DRM-free allows you to make your own backups, and no one can take it away at any time then any more than physical media you store it on. So if anything, GOG is the example of why DRM-free is important to prevent that.

Technically you're correct - but GOG.com is a rare exception to the rule; in saying that, there have been occasional instances over the years where GOG.com has still wrapped games in DRM, as I understand it (correct me if I'm wrong).

Sadly, the overwhelming majority of GOG.com's catalog is either old and / or indie titles, or so-called "shovelware"; "AAA titles" are few and far between in the overall catalog.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Liam DaweValve have now changed #TAV rating for Steam Deck to Unsupported.

What's the TAV rating?

I'm assuming it's something along the lines of ProtonDB's ratings... But where does one view a "TAV rating"?

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: d3Xt3rI've got four machines - a desktop, laptop, mini PC and a handheld - all AMD - and have none of the issues you've mentioned.

I know that reply was directed at someone else, but I'd just like to point out that with the exception of my Microsoft Surface GO, I haven't had any hardware issues "out of the box" in years and years that I can recall... Yes, I mostly stick with the Debian or Ubuntu-based distros, occasionally dabbling with others; but irrespective of what distro I'm playing with at the time, everything "just works" these days.

In my experience, the only exception to this has been when you have "special functionality" - such as biometric (fingerprint) readers and custom LED lighting, etc... But even then, one can usually find an easy solution pretty quickly.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: CyrilBut in the end, Steam or GOG doesn't matter, it's just sad for us: the players.

This is the most obvious downside to going all-digital, and a big part of the reason console manufactures are pushing this for the future... All-digital means you don't "own" anything and can have your purchase taken away at any time.

Quoting: CyrilNot GOG's fault either...

Rubbish.

When <insert title> is available as a Linux title from the same publisher with a competitor, GOG.com should be pushing back and demanding that the Linux version is also available on their store.

Yes, the publisher has the ultimate say; but the problem is so widespread (with Linux titles being available on Steam and not on GOG.com) that it suggests GOG.com is doing little - if anything - to combat this.

If it was isolated titles, I'd agree that GOG.com is not to blame... But we're talking dozens of titles here, which to me suggests that GOG.com is doing nothing to combat this choice.

GOG.com aren't solely to blame, of course (as you've pointed out, the developer and / or publisher are also to blame); but they are partially to blame.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Remember when they first started selling games for Linux-based operating systems?

They made this BIG song and dance about how they were going to be these HUGE supporters of Linux going forwards... But it didn't last long and now, most of their Linux games are plain old "shovelware", with many of the games available for Linux elsewhere completely missing from GOG.com.

Heck, I've even got a number of games in my library that were released for Linux on GOG.com, only for GOG.com to remove the option to buy the Linux version later on (sometimes I don't even get the option to re-download the Linux version anymore - but thankfully, I have backup copies of all my GOG.com games on a storage drive).

I have plenty of gripes with Valve Software - but at least they have proactively continued to work towards advancing the cause for Linux gamers since they started offering Official Linux support... Which is not something that can be said of GOG.com, who seemingly became bored of Linux gaming after five minutes.

View this comment - View article - View full comments

Quoting: Liam DaweWhat people keep missing on this point though, is how Valve is still a relative newbie to the hardware game. When you think about all the other lot doing handhelds, laptops and so on, they already have *all* the contacts and stuff in place to ship near worldwide for various types of hardware. Stuff like this takes time

People say this whenever this topic comes up, but it's such a cop-out of a response.

I've seen everybody, from itty-bitty companies new to hardware all the way up to billion-dollar multinationals with years of experience, release hardware in Australia... Yet Valve Software, with all their assets, capital (money) and past experience (they've done hardware several times over the years) can't?

Give me a break.

This is laziness, nothing more.

Quoting: wytrabbitAnd shipping to Australia means official hardware support in Australia. So diagnostics, repairs, and replacements need a contact as well.

That doesn't need to be a local presence - there are a lot of consumer electronics companies that ship their products overseas for diagnostics and / or repairs... Some of them do it for select issues, some do it for everything but it's common practice.

And it's not hard to organize that through a courier company; heck, I'm a former project manager - give me an hour and I could organize something that would be logistically feasible on the scale that Valve Software would need.

Quoting: MalGaben lives in New Zealand now right? We could definitely use a commercial where he shows off his Steam Deck. These ones [External Link] are starting to grow old and the Internet demands that we get a 2024 reboot.

That's pretty funny. :grin:

For those not in Australia or New Zealand, Māori People and Kiwis have a very, uh, "unique", way of pronouncing certain words, largely due to their accent... Which Australians love to pole fun at, in part because of the never-ending rivalry we have with our friends "across the bay".

View this comment - View article - View full comments