Hi everyone!

For my gaming needs, I have a Steam Deck and a Playstation 5 for now. They’ll probably be joined by a Steam Machine in the next year if the price is under 1000$ with 2 controllers.

For my admin needs, I have a few Linux computers running Fedora.

For my movie needs, I have an HTPC running LibreELEC.

Whenever possible, I’ll get my games on GOG from now on.

A lot of games aren’t on GOG though, so I have to choose between getting physical discs for my PS5 or through Steam.

For now, I can’t get demanding games on Steam since the Deck isn’t powerful enough, but with the arrival of the Machine, I’ll almost have power parity with the PS5.

I don’t plan on selling the PS5 as my son plays some Roblox, the NBA app works better on it than on my TV and I could want some games that Sony won’t release (anymore) on PC.

One day, once my switch to Linux gaming is over I might even give it to my son when hés gonna be old enough to game in his room.

So my question is should I buy physical games on Playstation, with the ability to resell them and get them on GOG one day for cheap, or should I get the games on Steam where they could just be taken away if Steam becomes evil?

  • cecilkorik@piefed.caEnglish
    3·
    2 hours ago

    This is the way. I buy games primarily to support game developers, not because I don’t know how to pirate. GoG is generally preferred when possible, but I buy games on Steam primarily because of convenience and the other services they provide, not because I blindly trust those games will always be accessible, and I think for the services they provide they do deserve their cut, so I’m supporting them as well. I do also happen to trust them, and I believe those games will be available to me for the foreseeable future and if I didn’t, my buying strategy would shift quite promptly, but I’m not blindly trusting that, it’s a calculated risk.

    I absolutely do know how to pirate games. This is not my first rodeo. But it’s mildly inconvenient, especially for updates and sometimes multiplayer, and I trust that process even less than I trust Steam. If Steam were to take my games away that I’ve already paid for (and supported) you’d better believe most of them are going into the download queue. Some I might choose to support again on a different platform, some have certainly earned it. But I know what I’m doing, and I’m doing it with intention. I decide who deserves my money and who doesn’t, and so far, Steam has earned what they get from me.