Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate This Thread
Hop To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
#4503519 - 01/12/20 10:05 PM Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store  
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,603
malibu43 Offline
Senior Member
malibu43  Offline
Senior Member

Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 2,603
SoCal
I don't have Steam installed and don't typically play games that come out on steam. I also don't typically buy games directly from M$ (normally just have flight sims installed). However, I plan on buying Halo Master Chief Collection soon and am trying to figure out if I should buy through Steam or the M$ store. I don't really like the idea of having to have Steam running to play something, but millions of people seem to have been just fine with doing it that way, so maybe it's not that big of a deal. In the past I bought some stuff through M$ and then I had to go through Games for Windows Live, which wasn't great either (not sure if that is still around or not).

Any pros or cons for one option or the other?

Last edited by malibu43; 01/12/20 10:07 PM.

Sager NP8671 17.3" Notebook, i74720HQ (3.6GHz), GTX 970M (3.0GB), 8GB DDR3 RAM, 1TB 7200RPM HD, TrackIR 4, CH HOTAS and rudder pedals
Inline advert (2nd and 3rd post)

#4503521 - 01/12/20 10:23 PM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,569
Mr_Blastman Online content
Hotshot
Mr_Blastman  Online Content
Hotshot

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,569
Atlanta, GA
Steam.

Never trust Micro$oft.

#4503535 - 01/13/20 12:11 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 7,747
Ssnake Offline
Virtual Shiva Beast
Ssnake  Offline
Virtual Shiva Beast
Hotshot

Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 7,747
Germoney
It's pitching one faceless megacorporation against another faceless megacorporation. WHat kind of a recommendation can we give in such a case?

Maybe, that I wouldn't want to support the transition of the PC as an open platform to a walled garden completely under the operating system vendor's control, especially not if Microsoft's idea of the Windows of the future involves advertisement in the Start Menu, on the Login screen.

#4503537 - 01/13/20 12:14 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,383
PanzerMeyer Online centaurian
Pro-Consul of Florida
PanzerMeyer  Online Centaurian
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,383
Miami, FL USA
At least Valve is not a publicly traded company so there are no Wall Street analysts to answer to.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4503540 - 01/13/20 12:25 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,569
Mr_Blastman Online content
Hotshot
Mr_Blastman  Online Content
Hotshot

Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 9,569
Atlanta, GA
Well said Panzer.

#4503546 - 01/13/20 12:57 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 19,581
Raw Kryptonite Offline
Beat the Kobayashi Maru
Raw Kryptonite  Offline
Beat the Kobayashi Maru
Veteran

Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 19,581
MS
After Games for windows...steam.


·Steam: Raw Kryptonite ·MWO & Elite Dangerous: Defcon Won ·Meager youtube channel
·Intel i5-9600K ·EVGA GTX1070 FTW 8GB ·EVGA CLC 120 Cooler
·16 GB Patriot Memory VIPER 4 3000MHz ·GIGABYTE Z390 AORUS PRO WiFi Mobo
· CORSAIR CARBIDE AIR 540 case ·BenQ BL3200PT monitor
#4503555 - 01/13/20 02:34 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,242
Coot Offline
Pilgrim
Coot  Offline
Pilgrim
Veteran

Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 11,242
These United States of America
I've been happy with Steam for the most part for many years. They've been pretty reliable. Getting a Steam account is free so you might get it installed and mess around with the platform a bit.

Last edited by Coot; 01/13/20 02:35 AM.

John 10:1-30
Romans 10:1-13

#4503556 - 01/13/20 02:59 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
I have had good and bad luck with Steam. Good service with games and customer support Til I hit a loop , catch 22, in passwords. Now I cant get into my games and they cant get me into the games. Hopefully, in time all will be fixed. The bad, I had my Debit Card Hacked. The bank stopped payment to Steam for 300.00 dollars from Steam.on X mas eve. I didnt order anything, Whos at fault ? Its a Debit card that I used on line to other places as well as steam. All I do know is I got Hacked. Thankfully, it was caught.

#4503575 - 01/13/20 07:30 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 7,747
Ssnake Offline
Virtual Shiva Beast
Ssnake  Offline
Virtual Shiva Beast
Hotshot

Joined: Dec 1999
Posts: 7,747
Germoney
That's actually the one thing that tilts my decision heavily in favor of Steam: You can buy Steam vouchers/gift cards in supermarkets to buy your games, rather than giving Steam your credit card data. I haven't seen similar vouchers for the Microsoft store. But then again, I have never visited the MS store, based on principle.

#4503583 - 01/13/20 10:32 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,213
Trooper117 Offline
Hotshot
Trooper117  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Jun 2005
Posts: 8,213
UK
I've had absolutely no problems whatsoever with any of my steam games.

#4503589 - 01/13/20 11:38 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,612
KRT_Bong Offline
It's KRT not Kurt
KRT_Bong  Offline
It's KRT not Kurt
Senior Member

Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 4,612
Sarasota, Florida
I use Paypal on Steam, no problems there but as I found out recently many games that are single player aren't accessible if your internet goes down for any length of time unless you sign in to go offline first which of course doesn't help much if you don't have it to begin with. Other than that it works fine.


Windows 10 Pro
Gigabyte 970A DS3P FX
AMD FX6300 Vishera 3.5 Ghz
ASUS STRIX GeForce GTX 970 Overclocked 4 GB DDR5
16Gb Patriot Viper 3 RAM DDR3 1866Mhz
Onikuma Gaming Headset (has annoying blue lights I don't use)
#4503591 - 01/13/20 11:41 AM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: Ssnake]  
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,383
PanzerMeyer Online centaurian
Pro-Consul of Florida
PanzerMeyer  Online Centaurian
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,383
Miami, FL USA
Originally Posted by Ssnake
I have never visited the MS store, based on principle.


It's ok, hardly anyone does as far as my personal experience goes. The MS store in one of the major malls in Miami has had at most 4-5 customers in it whenever I have passed by while the Apple store at another major mall in Miami is always completely packed.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4503603 - 01/13/20 01:19 PM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: KRT_Bong]  
Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 13,735
F4UDash4 Online cool
Veteran
F4UDash4  Online Cool
Veteran

Joined: Apr 2015
Posts: 13,735
SC
Originally Posted by KRT_Bong
I use Paypal on Steam, no problems there but as I found out recently many games that are single player aren't accessible if your internet goes down for any length of time unless you sign in to go offline first which of course doesn't help much if you don't have it to begin with. Other than that it works fine.




On the other hand I copy Kerbal Space Program to a different folder and run it completely independent of Steam.


"In the vast library of socialist books, there’s not a single volume on how to create wealth, only how to take and “redistribute” it.” - David Horowitz
#4503619 - 01/13/20 02:42 PM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 10,984
Master Offline
meh
Master  Offline
meh
Veteran

Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 10,984
Steam's overhead as far as CPU and ram requirements are extremely low (lower than the GFW framework required to play games from the microsoft store).

It also has a huge number of benefits. There is a friends list and you can send people messages / chats etc. Each game has it's own forum and community hub where you can upload videos and screenshots. The games auto update without having to mess with anything and there is built in version control where you can select previous versions of the games (where devs have made them available.) Each game also has a news page and patch list page so you can see what is being added changed without having to track down a dev blog etc. You can also refund games up to 2weeks/2 hours of game play and the process is automated and hassle-less.

And then there are the steam sales...

Last edited by Master; 01/13/20 02:43 PM.
#4503621 - 01/13/20 03:02 PM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,383
PanzerMeyer Online centaurian
Pro-Consul of Florida
PanzerMeyer  Online Centaurian
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,383
Miami, FL USA
+1 Master

I've had Steam ever since I bought Half Life 2 on release and I've been very happy with the service.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4503625 - 01/13/20 03:30 PM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 12,105
Chucky Offline
Veteran
Chucky  Offline
Veteran

Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 12,105
UK
It's hard to find a downside to Steam for me. They recently gave me a refund on Red Dead 2 with 4 hours of gameplay under my belt,well outside of the hours played limits.

I keep all my Steam games spread across 2 dedicated 'gaming' drives,one an SSD for games that need it,one mechanical for less demanding stuff. If I ever have to re-install my O/S I just need to install Steam,tell it where the Steam libraries are and it's all back to working again straight away.

You can also opt in/out of betas with a simple click and then there's the workshop if you want to add mods etc without much hassle.

I've never used GFWL and it doesn't sound as if I ever will.


EV's are the Devils matchbox.
#4503627 - 01/13/20 03:39 PM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 5,534
Alicatt Offline
Hotshot
Alicatt  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: May 2010
Posts: 5,534
Ice Cold in Alex or Eating in ...
Trying to get rid of all that xbox c-rap that win10 installs, I had got rid of it but then I find that iCloud needs some of it and won't install without it, and all because the wife wanted some pictures downloaded from her iCloud for one of the granddaughters frown

I've moved my steam folder around a few times and after building this PC it is now on a M.2 nvme drive, how much smoother some of the games run now when streaming content from the drive to memory, for TrainSim it has eliminated all the stutters as you drive from one tile set to the next.


Chlanna nan con thigibh a so's gheibh sibh feoil
Sons of the hound come here and get flesh
Clan Cameron
#4503628 - 01/13/20 03:40 PM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: Chucky]  
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,383
PanzerMeyer Online centaurian
Pro-Consul of Florida
PanzerMeyer  Online Centaurian
Pro-Consul of Florida
King Crimson - SimHQ's Top Poster

Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 121,383
Miami, FL USA
Originally Posted by Chucky


I've never used GFWL and it doesn't sound as if I ever will.



I used it many years ago and that was only because the game I wanted to play required it. I believe it was "Dirt 3" which was released in 2011. Once I finished the game I dumped GFWL.


“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
#4503642 - 01/13/20 05:37 PM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,296
Mark Aisthorpe Offline
Crazy Courier
Mark Aisthorpe  Offline
Crazy Courier
Senior Member

Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 3,296
London UK
The only game I have on the Microsoft store is Minecraft Bedrock edition and I got that free because I've owned the Java edition for years.
I'm damned if I know where the MS Store installed it though.

At least Steam lets you install stuff where you want to.


Asus Maximus XI Hero
i9-9900K
32Gb Corsair Vengeance Pro DDR4 3200MHz
MSI RTX 2080Ti Ventus
Corsair H115i
Corsair RM850X PSU
Phanteks Evolv X
Asus VG32G Monitor 2560x1440
Win 10
#4503689 - 01/13/20 11:39 PM Re: Buy game through Steam or Microsoft Store [Re: malibu43]  
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
carrick58 Offline
Hotshot
carrick58  Offline
Hotshot

Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 6,659
Ssnake: Gift Cards for Steam, now that I didnt know. Good News.

Page 1 of 2 1 2

Moderated by  RacerGT 

Quick Search
Recent Articles
Support SimHQ

If you shop on Amazon use this Amazon link to support SimHQ
.
Social


Recent Topics
Carnival Cruise Ship Fire....... Again
by F4UDash4. 03/26/24 05:58 PM
Baltimore Bridge Collapse
by F4UDash4. 03/26/24 05:51 PM
The Oldest WWII Veterans
by F4UDash4. 03/24/24 09:21 PM
They got fired after this.
by Wigean. 03/20/24 08:19 PM
Grown ups joke time
by NoFlyBoy. 03/18/24 10:34 PM
Anyone Heard from Nimits?
by F4UDash4. 03/18/24 10:01 PM
RIP Gemini/Apollo astronaut Tom Stafford
by semmern. 03/18/24 02:14 PM
10 years after 3/8/2014
by NoFlyBoy. 03/17/24 10:25 AM
Copyright 1997-2016, SimHQ Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.6.0