Will Microsoft acquire Steam?

Cathulhu 3 lug 2016, ore 2:24

Unless Gabe Newell sings a contract i don't see that happening. Valve is a privately owned company and can not be bought through shares.

It's highly unlikely that it's happening, considering that Gabe Newell is not a big fan of Microsoft despite him once working for that company.

#1

MancSoulja 3 lug 2016, ore 2:31

Messaggio originale di Naej:
I ask the question because I have a problem with new games from my Steam Library: my PC is not powerful enough to run them anymore and changing (or upgrading) a PC cost a lot of money.

I read that rumor on a forum and I wonder if it is true because such acquisition might probably turn in allowing (most of) Steam Games to run on an Xbox and since the price of buying an XboX is more affordable than changing or upgrading a PC...that could solve my problem.

Valve isn't a PLC, it's a privately held company. It has no share holders and one single owner. The only way MS could buy Valve is by getting Gabe Newell to sell it to them.

There is no option for MS to attempt a hostile takeover as Valve has no share holders.

Finally, MS probably couldn't afford to buy Valve. Valve would cost thousands of billions of dollars, MS don't have that kind money lying about in liquid assets. it would require MS to re-shape their whole company.

Ultima modifica da MancSoulja; 3 lug 2016, ore 2:34

#2

Naej 3 lug 2016, ore 5:16

I find it strange that there is no alternative for gamers to be able to buy a console to play all Steam Games (such as Just Cause).

I find it strange too that Xbox and PS4 games are not all developped to be able to play with a mouse and a keyboard: I would definitely buy a console just for this reason.

#3

goomman 3 lug 2016, ore 5:17

I find it strange that there is no alternative for gamers to be able to buy a console to play all Steam Games (such as Just Cause).

I find it strange too that Xbox and PS4 games are not all developped to be able to play with a mouse and a keyboard: I would definitely buy a console just for this reason.

#4

Start_Running 3 lug 2016, ore 5:41

Messaggio originale di Naej:
I find it strange that there is no alternative for gamers to be able to buy a console to play all Steam Games (such as Just Cause).

Steam Machines... Also, there is a reason. COnsoles are fixed hardware platforms, meaning the hardware limitations constrains development. That's simply why you will see a greater array of games for PC jthan any console.

#5

Washell 3 lug 2016, ore 6:05

Messaggio originale di Naej:
I read that rumor on a forum and I wonder if it is true because such acquisition might probably turn in allowing (most of) Steam Games to run on an Xbox and since the price of buying an XboX is more affordable than changing or upgrading a PC...that could solve my problem.

That's like saying if Nissan bought Ford, all of a sudden you can use Nissan car parts to fix your Ford car. There are technical limitations beyond MS allowing things on their Xbox service.

Messaggio originale di MancSoulja:
Finally, MS probably couldn't afford to buy Valve. Valve would cost thousands of billions of dollars, MS don't have that kind money lying about in liquid assets. it would require MS to re-shape their whole company.

Forbes estimates Gabe Newell's current net worth at 2.2 billion, as roughly half the value of Valve, which means they estimate Valve to be worth 4.4 billion. Microsoft has ~90 billion in cash reserves. Lets stay realistic here, no company is worth thousands of billions. Even Apple "only" has a worth of ~724 billion.

The problem for anyone wishing to buy Valve is that it's privately owned, the majority owner already has more cash then he can ever spend, and spend his time working because he loves it, not because he needs to.

Messaggio originale di Naej:
buying an XboX is more affordable than changing or upgrading a PC...that could solve my problem.

I bought a GTX 750ti in january, and a new motherboard/i5 6500/16GB RAM last month and spent €500 in total, reusing my case, drives and power supply. An Xbox One S would have cost €400 for the 2TB edition with one controller. Throw in a second controller and higher price of games and the cost of a console is equal to even higher than gaming on a PC, especially if you buy quality components at the start and then do incremental upgrades.

#6

Naej 3 lug 2016, ore 6:38

Messaggio originale di Naej:
buying an XboX is more affordable than changing or upgrading a PC...that could solve my problem.

I bought a GTX 750ti in january, and a new motherboard/i5 6500/16GB RAM last month and spent €500 in total, reusing my case, drives and power supply. An Xbox One S would have cost €400 for the 2TB edition with one controller. Throw in a second controller and higher price of games and the cost of a console is equal to even higher than gaming on a PC, especially if you buy quality components at the start and then do incremental upgrades. [/quote]

I agree too but I don't feel like buying the 2 cards and installing them myself. I am not certain neither on how to proceed opening my PC and changing cards myself. I think I also have a problem with cooling my system but I am not sure so buying a console (to which I would love to be able to play with a mouse and keyboard) seems like the easiest alternative..

#7

76561198218426745 3 lug 2016, ore 6:49

Messaggio originale di Washell:
I bought a GTX 750ti in january, and a new motherboard/i5 6500/16GB RAM last month and spent €500 in total, reusing my case, drives and power supply. An Xbox One S would have cost €400 for the 2TB edition with one controller. Throw in a second controller and higher price of games and the cost of a console is equal to even higher than gaming on a PC, especially if you buy quality components at the start and then do incremental upgrades.

In addition to the parts you carried forward, your price does not include an operating system, computer monitor, or any peripherals such as speakers, mouse, or keyboard. You also don't account for the cost of future upgrades, an issue which doesn't really factor into consoles, with the exception of buying a new console every 7 to 10 years. While PC games will look better, you will need to upgrade your hardware long before a console gamer will need to purchase a new console.

You also chose the most expensive model of Xbox One S to compare to; you can get a 500 GB version for 100 euros less. Finally, I'm not sure why you need a second controller unless you plan to play local co-op, in which case I'd be curious how you would do that on PC with a single keyboard/mouse.

#8

x Princess Leliana x 3 lug 2016, ore 6:59

The amount of ignorance is just.... wow....

#9

Discussions_Acc 3 lug 2016, ore 7:09

Messaggio originale di Naej:
because such acquisition might probably turn in allowing (most of) Steam Games to run on an Xbox

Not a single games would magically start working on a console.

#10

Washell 3 lug 2016, ore 7:19

Messaggio originale di habitualaction:
In addition to the parts you carried forward, your price does not include an operating system, computer monitor, or any peripherals such as speakers, mouse, or keyboard.

Nor did the price for the console include a TV, a kinect, or any additions or peripherals you might want, nor did it include the subscription fees for online play, which over 5 years add up to a couple hundred bucks.

Messaggio originale di habitualaction:
you will need to upgrade your hardware long before a console gamer will need to purchase a new console.

Tell that to the people who bought an Xbox One or PS4 three years ago.

Messaggio originale di habitualaction:
Finally, I'm not sure why you need a second controller unless you plan to play local co-op, in which case I'd be curious how you would do that on PC with a single keyboard/mouse.

Because local co-op, or local multiplay is far more common on consoles (in my experience).

Messaggio originale di habitualaction:
You also chose the most expensive model of Xbox One S to compare to; you can get a 500 GB version for 100 euros less.

You can expect games for the Xbox One S to be 30+GB by default to support the 4K resolution. Yes, you can buy a 500GB version. But you'd be an idiot if you actually did it unless you're the kind of player who spend the next 5 years only playing the latest iteration of CoD.

Ultima modifica da Washell; 3 lug 2016, ore 7:20

#11

Start_Running 3 lug 2016, ore 7:21

The cost of a decent rig is higher than a console but here's one factor many, many overlook. You can use a pC for something other than gaming. Like you know, work, school, etc. A console is cheaper, but you have an extremely limited library the games themselves wiull always b limited and cosntrained to fit within the hardware parameters. Then there's the fact that you have to deal with exclusives....which remain a cancer on the indusrty.

Oh and the other thing about PCs... better backwards compat. I.e you don't lose your old game library just because you decide to upgrade.

#12

76561198218426745 3 lug 2016, ore 7:29

Messaggio originale di Washell:
Nor did the price for the console include a TV, a kinect, or any additions or peripherals you might want, nor did it include the subscription fees for online play, which over 5 years add up to a couple hundred bucks.

Kinect is optional, a monitor isn't. That's like saying PC doesn't come with an HTC Vive. I'll grant you the TV point, since less people are likely to own one now than before Netflix et al. For a very long time nearly every household owned a television, sometimes several, but not every household owned a computer monitor.

Tell that to the people who bought an Xbox One or PS4 three years ago.

You only need the new Xbox if you have a 4K television, and even then the games are only being upscaled to 4K. You do not need an Xbox One S to play Xbox One games, or a PS4 Neo unless you want VR.

Because local co-op, or local multiplay is far more common on consoles (in my experience).

Maybe in the days before Internet was commonly and cheaply available, but I doubt you would find that to be the case nowadays. Moreover, most console gamers have their own controller their will bring for local co-op.

You can expect games for the Xbox One S to be 30+GB by default to support the 4K resolution. Yes, you can buy a 500GB version. But you'd be an idiot if you actually did it unless you're the kind of player who spend the next 5 years only playing the latest iteration of CoD.

Let's say 50 GB. That's 8 or 9 games installed at the same time. If you want to play something different, uninstall it and install/download the new game. I'd hardly call that 5 years playing the same game.

#13

Washell 3 lug 2016, ore 7:38

Messaggio originale di habitualaction:
You only need the new Xbox if you have a 4K television, and even then the games are only being upscaled to 4K. You do not need an Xbox One S to play Xbox One games, or a PS4 Neo unless you want VR.

Yeah... that's what they say now... But it won't take long before a dev takes advantage of the extra power to put out a really nice 1080p game and split the market into haves and have-not.

Messaggio originale di habitualaction:
Let's say 50 GB. That's 8 or 9 games installed at the same time. If you want to play something different, uninstall it and install/download the new game. I'd hardly call that 5 years playing the same game.

Nope. The drive is 500GB, the free space, once you've dealt with the OS, the network software, the added apps to play TV, record, etc, you're probably down to 400GB. Throw in recorded gameplay, screenshots, and every other common daily use and you'd be lucky if you can handle 4 games without constantly having to delete things.

#14

Naej 4 lug 2016, ore 7:37

Messaggio originale di Discussions_Acc:
Messaggio originale di Naej:
because such acquisition might probably turn in allowing (most of) Steam Games to run on an Xbox
Not a single games would magically start working on a console.

Microsoft now offers to play Video Games both on Xbox and Microsoft Windows 10 with the same licence. Actually, it does exist and I tink this is going to become a common practice.

#15

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