Help needed to understand Steam

[yoshiii]

Hello

 

I understand somewhat that Steam {Is Valve part of the same company?}

Its a service that lets you download games.

 

But is it the same game you get if you buy the hard copy in the stores?   What limitations are there?    Streamming doesnt seem like a good idea for video games.    Do you have to be connected to the internet to play a game that you get from Steam? Why would hardware matter as much if the game is being streammed from a server?

 

 

[Arc_Jester]

1. Yes it's the same game that you can get in stores.

 

2. Games aren't streamed from steam you have to download them.

 

3. Yes you need a internet connection (unless you switch your steam client to offline mode)

 

4. Valve created Steam

[Timopomer]

ok.

 

valve is the company,steam is the product

 

its the same game without the "physical" also you cant burn them to disks, you need to be connected to your steam account to play the games and you cannot move the games and its against their ToS to sell steam accounts.

 

Depending on the game you dont have to be connected to the internet,if its a DRM or internet only game it wont let  you like on a disk,and in other games your inventory might or might not be missing depending on if its stored in the cloud

 

because the rendering to the image is done on a cloud,all you are doing is watching your game like a video and send inputs of your mouse etc to interact with it.

[Ekpyrosis]

Yes, the games are the same as the retail versions.

There are no limitations.

The games are not streamed to your computer, you download them and then you run them off your hard disc (or ssd). (Just like you would if you bought them and installed them from a disc, DVD speed is not fast enough for modern games, the fact that you have to insert a disc for some games is mostly copyright protection). You don't need to be online to play them, only if the game requires it for some reason (e.g. multiplayer games obv.).

because the rendering to the image is done on a cloud,all you are doing is watching your game like a video and send inputs of your mouse etc to interact with it.

This is wrong, Steam games are not streamed, that's why you install them.

[mroz10]

Steam is owned by Valve. it's the same game. No limitations other than drive storage. You have to be connected to internet for most games. Hardware would matter more, because you're playing it locally.

 

 

EDIT: 69th post

[Frost Byte]

I think you're thinking of Nvidia Gamestream? And first off Valve makes steam, and yes it is a service that lets you actually download games. As far as I'm aware it's the same game that you would buy from a store off a disc. In order to download the game you'll need internet access, of course. Otherwise you shouldn't need internet connection to play the games you want to buy, unless you're planning to play online multiplayer. And you'll need some high quality hardware to play tripe A titles at high settings, as the game is not being streamed to your PC.

[yoshiii]

Yes, the games are the same as the retail versions.

There are no limitations.

The games are not streamed to your computer, you download them and then you run them off your hard disc (or ssd). (Just like you would if you bought them and installed them from a disc, DVD speed is not fast enough for modern games, the fact that you have to insert a disc for some games is mostly copyright protection). You don't need to be online to play them, only if the game requires it for some reason (e.g. multiplayer games obv.).

This is wrong, Steam games are not streamed, that's why you install them.

Ok

 

Thanks everyone

I think I will stick to buying the store copy.

[Timopomer]

Yes, the games are the same as the retail versions.

There are no limitations.

The games are not streamed to your computer, you download them and then you run them off your hard disc (or ssd). (Just like you would if you bought them and installed them from a disc, DVD speed is not fast enough for modern games, the fact that you have to insert a disc for some games is mostly copyright protection). You don't need to be online to play them, only if the game requires it for some reason (e.g. multiplayer games obv.).

This is wrong, Steam games are not streamed, that's why you install them.

read his question again

[Arc_Jester]

Ok

 

Thanks everyone

I think I will stick to buying the store copy.

You can use a store copy on steam, all you have to do is type the game key into steam and it will download the game files. The game must be on steam however.

[Guest]

"because the rendering to the image is done on a cloud,all you are doing is watching your game like a video and send inputs of your mouse etc to interact with it."

 

read his question again

 

You yourself should probably read OP's question again, as they weren't asking what streaming was they were asking what Steam was. OP was under the belief that you streamed games on Steam, rather than the games being installed on the local disk.  

[CyanideInsanity]

Ok

 

Thanks everyone

I think I will stick to buying the store copy.

Thats still going to net you a steam copy most of the time. Physical pc games today are really just a means of installation and still need to be activated on whichever service they use. Steam being the primary one with origin and uplay mainly for EA's and Ubi's own games.

 

Also there is some info everyone missed. You don't necessarily NEED to be online for steam. Some games do require a constant internet connection but most just require a one time activation. Though while I've had no issues with steam's offline mode I have seen complaints before.

[LogicalDrm]

Valve is game developer and publisher whose game distribution platform Steam is. (While Half-Life, Portal and Left 4 Dead would be their games). Steam is same kind of service that Origin, UPlay and GoG Galaxy provide. The difference is with available titles and other features. The basic features (shop, cloud backup, account validation (not in GoG) and community) are same or similar in all. Steam has other features like Big Picture mode for living room gaming, In-Home Streaming which uses your gaming rigs power to render game via WLAN/LAN to other devices like laptops and Streaming to services like Twitch.

Ok

 

Thanks everyone

I think I will stick to buying the store copy.

If you have bad internet and you can get physical ones cheaper, that is good option. Pros of using digital versions are easier backup and less physical place needed to store games you don't play. With digital games, you download only games you install&play.