Steam Store Illegal Sales on NVIDIA Sheild

[[EW] Mitsie]

My girlfriend owns an NVIDIA shield, she purchases her games from Steam. Recently NVIDIA has restricted the play of the majority of games on GeForce Now stating "sorry this game isn't supported on GeForce Now" this is from within the steam app.

You have allowed the restriction of certain games on the Steamworks platform, but continue to sell games that are then unplayable by these customers.

This is Illegal in the UK to offer products for sale that are unusable to customers. With out forewarning the customer that this game is unplayable, you allow the purchase of these games.

You should either.

A) block the purchase of unsupported Steam Games

Or

B) restrict the steam store completely on the NVIDIA shield.

My girlfriend is furious and so am I and we will be in touch with trading standards on Monday.

You should not be selling digital products on a platform that does not allow the user to play them. Especially without giving written notification that the games we are purchasing are unplayable.

[Zekiran]

Stop using garbage beta client crap, and launch your games with Steam. You own them on steam. I cannot even comprehend how you aren't getting the fact that Steam has literally nothing to do with this decision on Nvidia's part.

[[EW] Mitsie]

I have 3 Steam Links, laptop and PC, from using the Steam app and using the Sheild app i know that Geforce Now's windows cloud version of Steam is a highly modified version of Steam app that uses the Steam Api and Steamworks distribution that has a modified login screen specially adapted for controllers. A reworked installer that allows installation of Network references rather than to download and install. It downloads 15kb files for a game that is 85gb so its quickly installed on the cloud storage server. It also has a modified installer where it doesn't ask for install locations to be user friendly for controllers. Added to the fact that NVIDIA CEO at the time of change direction said "With a big help from our friends at Valve we have made it possible" and the fact that Valve wouldn't release their source code and intellectual property to a competitor, I'm guessing they have adapted features of the Steam client for NVIDIA aswell as other data centres that want to provide this service in the future. So what your saying is that NVIDIA are modifying the way steam works without the permission of Valve ?

[Satoru]

Publicado originalmente por Mitsie - DigitalAssassins.co.uk:

I have 3 Steam Links, laptop and PC, from using the Steam app and using the Sheild app i know that Geforce Now's windows cloud version of Steam is a highly modified version of Steam app that uses the Steam Api and Steamworks distribution that has a modified login screen specially adapted for controllers.

The Geforce login is literally just the steam client login. Maybe your eyes are also not working because your brain is obviously fried.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1710892763

This is LITERALLY just the steam login.

A reworked installer that allows installation of Network references rather than to download and install. It downloads 15kb files for a game that is 85gb so its quickly installed on the cloud storage server. It also has a modified installer where it doesn't ask for install locations to be user friendly for controllers.

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1710894194

This is literally just the default installer with only one library defined. This is not magic. Its literally the vanilla steam client.

So what your saying is that NVIDIA are modifying the way steam works without the permission of Valve ?

No because LOOK at the actual error

https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1710895855

1) Steam pops an error saying it has no write access to the directory
2) Geforce picks up on the error and pops a CUSTOM overlay message because it knows you're trying to run game A (like Tropico 6) but are trying to actually run game B. Which it denies access to because you dont have write access to the folder

I mean this isn't rocket science you know

[[EW] Mitsie]

Also another major difference is that on my PC version of Steam it doesn't remember or link your Uplay account, e.g. If my girlfriend is logged into Uplay and i launch a Steam game that requires Uplay on my account it asks it to bind the product to her account. the cloud version when switching steam accounts auto remembers and logs you into the correct account.

[[EW] Mitsie]

We are not using it on PC we are using it on Sheild. It brings up the default login screen on the PC or Mac app..

[[EW] Mitsie]

Login on your Sheild and send me screenshots..

[Satoru]

The Shield just lauches steam Big Picture Mode. Like literally that's all it did for unsupported games.

In face back in BPM it would pop a NON STEAM WINDOW screaming about how you were running an unsupported game!

GeForce now is run by Nvidia

Feel free to go scream at Nvidia

And don’t invoke “laws” when you are literally totally and absolutely bonkers wrong about literally everything you say and have no idea what you’re talking about at all

[[EW] Mitsie]

Im not denying what you are saying, I know its all possible with scripts and to modify registries ect. I'm just struggling to grasp the fact that such a massive company like Valve that are on the ball heavily with their legal stance on everything would let a competition in the industry modify the correct workings of its software without their express permission without it being under licence from Valve.

So what you are saying is NVIDIA are restricting the access to games on its platform but not notifying valve they are doing so, and cause problems because all the customers like us who buy the games from Steam are going to take it up with customer services with Valve.

So let me get this straight, your saying NVIDIA are editing the workings of Steam to the detriment to Steam customers ?

I find it very hard to believe..

[Zekiran]

Because VALVE IS NOT THE ONE AT FAULT.

Why aren't you even reading?

NVIDIA IS THE ONE YOU NEED TO COMPLAIN TO.

[Muppet among Puppets]

Who causes the problem?
Thats the one who should be contacted.

[Darren]

Lets explain.

With the Nvidia Shield and Geforce Now, you have a completely normal Steam account and are logging into that account in a remote system with a normal Steam installation. All of this is perfectly allowed by Valve as it's your account and you can login to it on any machine you want. And is effectively the same as an internet cafe (apart from the remote access).

Just like an internet cafe because Nvidia owns the machine on which you are running the normal Steam client they can change the setup of the machine, restrict what you can install on it, etc.

Because it's a normal Steam client it works exactly like a normal client allowing you to purchase any game even if it won't run on your current system (Mac users can buy windows only games for example) there are system requirements but if you don't control the system whoever does can put on additional restrictions (like GeForce Now does).

So your problem has nothing to do with Valve they have provided you what you purchased assuming you have a system that can run it which is on you to have, not on them to verify.

[Muppet among Puppets]

What is the reason that happens now?

[Satoru]

Publicado originalmente por Muppet among Puppets:

What is the reason that happens now?

Nvidia blocked the ability to run what they call "Non supported" games through their GeForce Now service (bascially online streaming of games in your Steam library via the Nvidia Grid)

The OP somehow magically thinks Valve is to blame for a restriction put in, by a 3rd party service.

55 posts in, and the OP still doesn't get it.

[Muppet among Puppets]

There should be a list of supported games then.

[Muppet among Puppets]

Search engine:
GeForce Now supported steam games

Choose and play.