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[Drizzlehell]

2022 saw launcher bloat turn from a minor annoyance into a genuine problem

Help, my games keep exploding on the launchpad.

www.pcgamer.com

[...] since a September "Quality of life update" to the BioShock games (opens in new tab) added an utterly redundant new launcher, I've begun to worry that every update to my games library carries an unwelcome guest.

This is nothing new. The infestation of launchers in our start menus has been a nuisance for years, but February's release of the Steam Deck (opens in new tab) means they've graduated from irritant to a potentially game-breaking problem. The addition of the 2K launcher to the BioShock Remastered Collection didn't just add one more useless ritual you had to perform to play the thing you bought, it straight-up broke the games for users on Linux (opens in new tab) and Steam Deck.

I suppose Steam is, at the end of the day, another launcher, but it's never once fired up when I launch something I bought on the Epic Games Store or GOG.

Honestly, I noticed recently that I've been spending progressively less time gaming on my PC in favor of consoles. Especially now when there's an Xbox, PS5, and even a rickety old PS3 resting underneath my TV. And this launcher bullshit and a number of other nuisances that simply do not exist in a console environment make gaming on a PC such a hassle that I don't even wanna put up with it anymore. Maybe back in the day when a gaming PC was all I could afford but nowadays I just don't care.

The only time I'll play something on PC anymore is when I have to sit at my desk anyway to use a joystick, racing wheel, or VR goggles. But every time I fire up some kind of a game that I intend to play with a con, but then I have to get off the couch to fuck around with mouse or keyboard to login to some bullshit account that I can't even remember having, let alone locating a password for it, then I'll sooner request a refund on Steam and buy the same on a console.

And I only feel extra sorry for Steam Deck or Linux users for having to deal with this shit.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Pay for game.
Pirate game to bypass shitty third-party launchers.
Problem solved.

 

[winjer]

Between GPU prices, DRM like Denuvo and all these launchers, PC gaming is suffering one of it's worse eras.
Having to create an account for every other game, downloading and installing another launcher. Then having all of these trying to start with Windows. And most of them also have a helper service.
It's too much bloatware, too many accounts, so much crap, just to be able to play games.
And let's not forget games that have 2 or 3 DRM systems implemented and running, at the same freacking time.

PC is my main gaming platform, but with so many problems today, it's very difficult to support and defend this option.
Consoles gamers don't have to deal with all these issues. It's just plug and play.

 

[spons]

I'm sure the 3 extra sales they've gotten from implementing all of this DRM and launcher crap is worth the hassle.

 

[EverydayBeast]

Quit pc gaming when EA launched its own origin and had battlefield 3 launching from a browser

 

[T4keD0wN]

I stopped buying games that require extra launchers a while ago (GOG, Steam and Epic Free Games Launcher are the only one i tolerate now). All of the launchers besides Steam, Gog and Playnite suck. Publishers (2k) adding a launcher to games after the release, breaking the games in the process and calling it a quality of life update is just the tip of the iceberg. I couldnt even play red dead redemption 2 the last 3 times i tried because rockstar has to make a separate launcher for just 4 games and have constant server maintenances. Origin doesnt work. Uplay keeps kicking me out of their games if my internet signal goes down for 5 seconds or when i download anything in the background. Xbox launcher at least offers gamepass which is its only redeemable quality.
Whats the point of forcing you to combine 2 launchers if they still pay 30% cut to steam? Analytics data about some gamers are worthless and they are not going to convince anyone to migrate to their launchers since even a blind man could see that their launchers are inferior inferior.

You should check out password managers OP, some of them are pretty cool.

 

[CleverCaviar]

As a Steam Deck owner, yeah, their annoyance becomes much more manifest. The fact I can't enjoy Mass Effect Trilogy because of a crummy WebKit Electron based launcher sucks, whichever way it's sliced. With major publishers seemingly going back cap in hand to Steam, perhaps now is a good time for all involved to assess what is really being solved with them.

- They don't seem to be driving people to your stores, so maybe bypass the launcher if bought elsewhere?
- If you're desperate for email addresses, so you can contact customers, doesn't Steam already provide a mean to do that?
- If you need some sort of analytics insight, again, doesn't Steam give you that already?

 

[Holammer]

As a Steam Deck owner, yeah, their annoyance becomes much more manifest. The fact I can't enjoy Mass Effect Trilogy because of a crummy WebKit Electron based launcher sucks, whichever way it's sliced. With major publishers seemingly going back cap in hand to Steam, perhaps now is a good time for all involved to assess what is really being solved with them.

- They don't seem to be driving people to your stores, so maybe bypass the launcher if bought elsewhere?
- If you're desperate for email addresses, so you can contact customers, doesn't Steam already provide a mean to do that?
- If you need some sort of analytics insight, again, doesn't Steam give you that already?

Valve provides some analytics, but it's anonymized. Slap a launcher or a dedicated data collector in your game and you can harvest data to your heart's content.

 

[CleverCaviar]

Valve provides some analytics, but it's anonymized. Slap a launcher or a dedicated data collector in your game and you can harvest data to your heart's content.

OK, interesting. Which makes me wonder if these 3rd party launchers are as GDPR compliant as they might think they are.

 

[Crayon]

A lot of Linux users just don't deal with that s***. Steam makes my games run like magic. Why am I going to fuck around with companies who don't care?

Even then, you'll find that most use community driven tools like lutris. Linux community is used to having to build their own stuff and more often than not it works better than the official shit.

 

[Fuz]

This happened because y'all passively accepted steam.

 

[Drizzlehell]

This happened because y'all passively accepted steam.

I don't see how it's Steam's or it's users' fault that every other publisher tacks on this garbage to their games.

 

[Fuz]

I don't see how it's Steam's or it's users' fault that every other publisher tacks on this garbage to their games.

It is though.
If they didn't force a mandatory launcher we wouldn't have this shitshow. It was fucking obvious when they forced it on HL2 that it would have ended this way and everyone would have wanted to be like them and have a slice of the pie.
And I blame gamers' stupidity for it.

Spoiler: Soundtrack

 

[ViolentP]

Some of you all stress too fucking much. I promise you, it's not that big a deal.

 

[Guilty_AI]

Pay for game.
Pirate game to bypass shitty third-party launchers.
Problem solved.

 

[HerjansEagleFeeder]

Don't buy games with shitty launchers. If you manage to keep your dick in your pants, you can keep your money from flowing to these shitty publishers as well.

 

[lmimmfn]

Pirating is the way forward!

Bought Miles Morales on Epic Store = on steam deck, gfx corruption making it unplayable

Bought Uncharted 4 on Epic Store, on steam deck won't launch.

Piracy solves all of this!!!

 

[Goalus]

bypass shitty third-party launchers.

Indeed, Steam needs to go.

 

[Drizzlehell]

It is though.
If they didn't force a mandatory launcher we wouldn't have this shitshow. It was fucking obvious when they forced it on HL2 that it would have ended this way and everyone would have wanted to be like them and have a slice of the pie.
And I blame gamers' stupidity for it.

Spoiler: Soundtrack

Steam is just a convenient way to buy games digitally and Valve just happened to be the first ones to do it. If not them, then someone else would.

Also, some competition is good because if one company monopolizes the market then it becomes complacent and shitty, and Steam definitely has a lot of dirt under their fingernails because of that. They should have some competition but it would also be nice if that competition wasn't utter garbage like Uplay or Epic Store, and their ravenous fight for customers wouldn't result in customers being the ones who have to put up with utter bullshit.

 

[RoboFu]

Not a problem for me. If it’s not in steam then I’m not buying it.

Obviously a lot of others feel the same which is why ms started putting their gages on steam and publishers who left are coming back.

It’s a win for me and steam link.

 

[existensmaximum]

Pay for game.
Pirate game to bypass shitty third-party launchers.
Problem solved.

Wow yeah, how very super convenient and effortless. Just don't buy or support the game and maybe they'll come to their senses.

 

[Fuz]

If not them, then someone else would.

Not if the stupid gamers would have rejected their launcher in the first place.

 

[BennyBlanco]

The 2k one is extra baffling to me because it seems to serve no function at all. Just a popup then a play game button.

 

[rodrigolfp]

Some of you all stress too fucking much. I promise you, it's not that big a deal.

And I say more, it's almost insignificant deal.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Wow yeah, how very super convenient and effortless. Just don't buy or support the game and maybe they'll come to their senses.

Sure, but what if the game is good? I would want to play it regardless of the company business model and whatever launchers they are trying to make me install.

Too bad piracy has turned into a business through Patreon and the like, because that means not every game gets cracked and you might have to go through whatever loops the publisher forces you to.
Some years ago they tried to force the "you can only install this game in 5 (for example) machines", which was an even shittier practice, but at least you could easily be avoided since every game got cracked.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Never been a problem for me, I just buy the game where it's native, so I never see "double launchers", and just like steam they really only serve to give me access to the game, so I don't really give a fuck if it's not steam.
The 2k launcher is a problem though, since it actively degrades performance or just straight up breaks games.

 

[Faust]

Do not discuss or promote piracy on GAF. Bans will be given out if it continues.