Valve to Remove Access to Thousands of Games on New Macs

[DASH O'PEPPER (Jimmy Whisper)]

It has come to light that Valve will be ending Steam support for Mac OS El Capitan and Sierra. This is due to Valve using Google's Chromium framework for their Steam client, instead of using their own proprietary framework.

Due to this arrangement with Google to use their code base, with an upcoming update from Google, Valve will be forced to end support for Steam running on older Mac and Windows operating systems.

There is a reason why many people do not update their operating system. Especially on Apple computers. A major component being, customer purchased software will not run on newer versions of the OS. For hundreds of thousands of users, upgrading is not possible. As it would force them to re-buy software they already own at a great cost. This is antithetical to Valve's original intent when it came to developing Steam as a games distribution platform.

Mac is notorious for rolling out new OS versions onto older hardware, which actually can not run the OS in question. Many have cited this practice as a means to force obsolescence onto the consumer; to "brick their computer" (which they lawfully purchased and own) in order to force them to buy a new machine. And in doing so, also force them to re-buy software (which Apple gets a cut from by requiring developers to pay for Apple certification). A simple fix for so many Apple users, is to simply not update their computers.

When it comes to games developed for Mac, OS incompatibility has been a great issue. Thousands of games can not run on newer OS versions, even if users wanted to. Users on Macs have been caught between a digital rock and a hard place. Perhaps you have experienced it yourself. The warning message at the bottom that appears under the game in question's media showcase, "This title can not run on Mac OS Catalina or above". This affects thousands of older titles, current ones, and even upcoming titles! This warning was put in place by Valve. And so, Valve is well aware that thousands of titles will be rendered unplayable, even if the user upgrades to new hardware and/or operating systems that support the New Steam Client. And yet, Valve has remained silent to concerned users of this fact and has provided no recourse for this branch of their community. Simply, "It is out of our hands. Sorry."

It is in Valve's their best interest, and their obligation, to allow users to have access to games they have legally bought, or wish to buy in the future, on compatible OS's and hardware. Just by the sheer fact, new hardware and OS's are not compatible!

By forcing this update to the Steam client, in order to fall in line with Google's plans for Chromium based applications, it leaves Apple users two choices:

1) Update to High Sierra (macOS 10.13)

Or

2) Update to Mojave (macOS 10.14)

Both of which are in themselves considered "obsolete" operating systems. And getting those OS versions installed on an old machine requires an expertise, not available to the majority of users. It is not as simple as selecting an option from a drop-down menu in Apple's settings menu. It requires knowledge of knowing where to go to get the OS, downloading it, flashing it to a USB stick, and ensuring it is properly formatted before attempting an OS update. Which, may not work, may fail or may erase one's entire data if done improperly. And chances are Google will drop support and in turn Valve on these OS's by next year or so.

The question I have for Valve (or Gabe Newell if he is listening), "Wasn't the purposes of Steam to help consumers buy, download, organize and update their games library with minimal effort on their part? And have access to their favorite games anytime they wanted without limits?"

I remember a time before Steam. I remember when a favorite game of mine stopped working, because my cousin scratched the disk. My only recourse? To find another copy of it at a computer store or swap meet. There was hardly an internet, I couldn't just download the game. And I didn't even know that copies could be made, hell, I never even saw a bootleg CD. I didn't even know where you would go to find one. All I knew was my favorite game was gone, and there was no getting it back. And remember, this was a time where re-releases of games were rare. Perhaps you could find it in a "best of" pack or "play the entire trilogy" pack. Many times, games just fell off the face of the earth, never to be seen again.

When Steam came out, it made everything so much easier. I bought Half-Life 2: Game of The Year Edition on CD and this was my foray into Steam. Still, I bought my games on CD at Gamestop and Walmart, and the like. However, when my copy of Portal 2 would not load from CD, I downloaded it using my license on Steam. That was the first time I ever downloaded a game on Steam, and from there on, all my games were bought through Steam.

I didn't have to manually create configuration files and potentially screw up the install. No messy .bat files with poorly documented hardware codes to match your approximate computer configuration. I just had to click "Buy" and Steam did the rest. That is how Valve built its empire. By providing a better service than the competition.

There are many other online store fronts now for games. Steam is no longer alone. However, for me and many others, it was the first and has been the best. Steam has a user base of tens of millions of people -If not more! And Apple users make up a huge portion of that. Yet, their ability to access their games library is more proportionally affected than any other group by this change.

Incompatibility with Catalina and above was a major reason why many of us did not update our OS. Valve warned us we could not update. And now we will lose access to old games, new games, and upcoming ones. All because of Steam's use of Google's code base for their Steam client. All these games run perfectly fine, and they will continue to remain completely compatible. And upcoming games will otherwise be compatible also! However, because Google has dictated Chromium based applications will no longer be compatible, Valve has chosen to side with Google over it's users, who have made this company what it is today. Valve had chosen to remove access to our games library than provide a functional client that is not dependent on Google's API. They have refused to provide an alternative client so we may access games we legally bought, that are otherwise unaffected by Chromium's changes.

This is not a bug or an error, this is a kill-switch. A deliberate scratch on millions of users' game libraries with no solution from Valve or recourse for users to circumvent it.

The better company does not restrict access, "apologize", and not offer a solution. The better company, does not spend time and effort explaining why they are unable (unwilling) to support their long time and loyal customers in the same manner as they have before. Especially, when it is within their power to do so.

The better company chooses to do right by their customers. They choose to ensure access is retained while growing their customer base.

Valve, choose to be the better company.

[Cathulhu]

Steam does not use Google Chrome.
It uses Chromium Embedded Framework, which is based on Chromium.
Which is also the the base for Google Chrome.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

What the kitty above me said.

And just like any old OS, MAC or not, Valve will eventually end support for it. Like they did for older MAC OSs...

https://steamcommunity.com/groups/SteamClientBeta/announcements/detail/51020330614098510

https://help.steampowered.com/en/faqs/view/5DB9-C866-8C93-7760

I warned you all...

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/2/3819656548993070720/

[DASH O'PEPPER (Jimmy Whisper)]

The point being made is that it's not just old Mac OSs, it's new ones too.

[Cathulhu]

Well, "new" as in released back in 2017 and no longer supported by Apple since November 2020.
So, almost three years without any updates.
Hmm, almost like Windows 7, or Windows 8.
Funny such coincidences, right?

[idkemily]

I mean if Valve decides to pursue this route they're going to lose customers. I agree with your question/statement to Gabe.

[d3str0y3r]

Originally posted by idkemily:

I mean if Valve decides to pursue this route they're going to lose customers.

Valve is very well aware they will lose some customers. They have considered it an acceptable loss, just like they did all the other times they drop support for an OS.

Other older Mac versions
Windows 98
Windows 2000
Windows XP
Windows Vista

and in a few more years they will do the same for Windows 10.

[.EteRnal.]

So, will you also whine to Apple once they kill Rosetta 2?

[Kasper]

good

[Anonymous Helper]

Originally posted by idkemily:

I mean if Valve decides to pursue this route they're going to lose customers.

Acceptable loses that Steam will make back in new users in a month or two. Why do you think Valve would care about couple thousand El Capitan and Sierra users when it doesn't care about 1-2 million remaining Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users?

This has happened multiple times before and will continue to happen in the future. It's in the terms you agreed too when you made your account on Steam. Remaining Intel Mac compatible OS' will likely end in the chopping block when Valve ends support for Windows 10 around the end of this decade.