The main issue is that each game is locked to your steam account for life. If you don't like it (no returns) or have finished with the game you can't give it to a friend or sell it. That's forbidden.

Bought a game with the expectation that all you family could play it? That's forbidden too. According to their terms you need to buy another copy of a game for each player, even if they play in the same house on the same pc.

The games are also all vastly overpriced (i.e 50 to 100% more) than buying a boxed copy.

What really scares me is that some store bought games are now using steam exclusively as their DRM so the same restrictions apply and you can't avoid them if you want the game.

If Microsoft locked each xbox game bought to your live account so it wouldn't work on any other account, even on the same console, there would be an outcry - that's basically what valve does with steam.

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Games only open through Steam. Games will only open if you have a valid Steam Acct and Steam recognises that you own the title that you are trying to play. Wherever the exe comes from.

With CEG.

Games only open through Steam. Games will only open if you have a valid Steam Acct and Steam recognises that you own the title that you are trying to play and only if you are using your own exe?

Is that right? Does that mean that if I want to take a game round to a friends house to Demo it or play it or what have you I will have to have my Steam login details and my exe?

If not I don't see how this improves Steams current DRM at all.

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"- He says some great sutff about combating piracy. Really seems to hit the nail on the head when it comes to the PC market. He says that people aren't pirating because they're cheapskates, they're pirating because it's a better service. No regional delays, no DRM, instant downloading, that kind of thing.

Which Steam is aiming to match. They're not trying to stamp out piracy, they're trying to catch up."

[kotaku.com]

This is just another step on that path, trying to get developers to stop using limiting DRM and instead use a new method that is potentially just as secure if not more.

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However, kudos to Valve for trying something new.

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Anyway, I've become pretty discouraged in a lot of recent PC releases, as games that have Steam activation tied to your account can't be re-sold on Ebay/Craigslist, so I'm stuck with them for life. We're closing in on video game purchases essentially being permanent $50/60 lifetime "rentals" which really are never yours to do what you want with. Can't let a friend have it when you're done, can't re-sell it online, etc. I can see my video game purchases cutting down a great deal as things continue to go this way. And no, I won't pirate the games. I'll just stop playing as much and find other things to do.

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Someone wanna clear this up for me?

oh and Go Steam!

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