Hard Case: Games for Windows Live versus PC Gaming
Posted 11/03/09 at 11:45:00 AM by Loyd Case
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Whenever I think about Games for Windows Live, I feel like Charlie Brown, trying to kick the football that Lucy is holding. Ever optimistic, Charlie runs at the ball, only to have it jerked away at the last second. Games for Windows Live is like that – heavy on of promises, light on delivery. Someone needs to wrestle Windows gaming from the gaming group at Microsoft and give it back to the Windows team.
In other words, give the Games for Windows task to someone at Microsoft who actually cares about the PC. Windows 7 has been an impressive success, and it would be great of the team that’s responsible for making a better Windows for the PC take on the chore of making a better gaming experience for Windows.
Right now PC gaming at Microsoft lives in the Entertainment and Devices division, those edgy folks who brought you the Xbox, Xbox 360, Zune, Windows Mobile and Windows Automotive. While the Xbox 360 is finally profitable, the system has certainly has had its issues – red ring of death, anyone?
The real issue is that Games for Windows Live feels clunky and just gets in the way. While it’s come a long ways since the fiasco that was the PC version of Shadowrun, it’s far from an elegant experience.
Steam and Impulse, as examples, usually offer day one downloads of tier one titles. New stuff appears on those services practically daily. There’s little new that ever appears fon GfW Live. Or maybe it does, and you can’t see it (more on that in a moment.) Games for Windows Live offers no games, but does offer downloadable content and an auto-patching mechanism. However, that autopatcher is intrusive and annoying, unlike the way Impulse updates its games.
There are other oddities. For example, it had been some time since I’d played Fallout 3. So I’d forgotten exactly which DLC I’d bought. So I logged into the Games for Windows Live client to see which packages were available. Imagine my surprise when I saw nothing for Fallout 3 at all.
As it turns out, I had to install the game, which wasn’t on my latest production PC. Once done, the Fallout 3 DLC list “automagically” appeared. That’s pretty dumb behavior, assuming that you’re always going to log into the client from your gaming system. I can install the Steam client and see what games I’ve bought, even if I don’t necessarily want to download them.
What’s really going on, of course, is that Games for Windows Live is the bastard stepbrother of Xbox Live. All the attention goes to Xbox Live and the Xbox 360, which is the big moneymaker. What’s worse, Microsoft seems intent on making Games for Windows Live become more like the console connectivity experience, and less like the PC. All those cool features on Steam, like the Steam Cloud? Nope.
Services like Steam and Impulse certainly have their own set of problems, but both services are updated on an ongoing basis, adding new features and new technologies.
I suggested, somewhat tongue in cheek, that Microsoft move Games for Windows Live over to the Windows group. In truth, I’m not sure that’s a good idea either – just take a look at the lack of functionality in the Games Explorer. Well, with Windows 7, you can now at least see your games in the Start menu.
What I really think Microsoft should do is become a tool provider for online gaming infrastructure, much the way they make tools available to applications developers in general. Instead of trying to manage a patching system, make the tools available for game developers to do it themselves, in a consistent, uniform way. Instead of game publishers relying on broken technology (I’m looking at you, Gamespy), offer a rational, uniform set of online connectivity APIs and tools.
Or maybe it’s just hopeless. Anyone remember DirectPlay? That was Microsoft’s attempt to supply wide area networking connectivity APIs inside of DirectX. It was abandoned after DirectX 8 in favor of – you got it – Games for Windows Live.
Stop treating PC gamers like red-headed step children...
Submitted by Furien on Fri, 11/06/2009 - 9:51am
I've had enough with all the talk of the "death of PC gaming" at the hands of consoles... It's been going on for decades now, and while it hasn't happened, PC gamers still get treated as if it did. I don't know why. I can understand some companies focusing more on consoles because there's a larger audience there. Fine, I get that. What I don't get is the lack of respect for a completely legitimate PC market, that while smaller, is still a completely viable one, and arguably filled with more loyal customers.
Submitted by robotsneedhugs2 on Thu, 11/05/2009 - 10:44am
I hate when people say "M$." It's not clever, it's not witty, it's not funny. If you don't like Microsoft, why are you reading Maximum PC?
Submitted by NicciAdonai on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 12:46pm
The only game I have ever played which required GWL is the recent Batman. It was fairly painless for me since I already had an Xbox Live account. Syncing my achievements was a big plus, and being able to message my friends who were online on the Xbox was cool. I actually liked GWL overall. That said, I never tried to play it offline; and I did buy it through Steam, whose DRM control scheme seems to prevent the oft-bemoaned DRM hassles of today's disc-based play. Also, while I use the Xbox wireless headset (which is Microsoft-branded, lolz) to play Left 4 Dead on Steam, the voice activation in GWL did not play well with it, and the service offers no push-to-talk option.
The glass is at fifty percent.
its not that m$ wants gwl to
Submitted by triclops41 on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 7:58pm
its not that m$ wants gwl to die, just to be on life support. they will never let it truly die, but just exist in its current undead zombie state.
.
Submitted by dusty blade on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 6:42pm
.
Submitted by methuselah on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 3:23pm
aaaaaaaand thanks to Borderlands, Gamespy has proven to be just as worthless and cumbersome today, as it was 10 years ago when I dumped it.
Shame on you Gearbox for bringing GameSpy back!
Next time, just call Blizzard and get them to 3rd party you on Battle.Net
Oh yeah, and GFW does blow chunk. If the same team that developed Win7 redesigns GFW, it would be a smashing success!
I've got an easy solution
Submitted by lunchbox73 on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 2:08pm
I've got an easy solution for Microsoft:
1. Open up the MS checkbook.
2. Buy Steam with an offer they can't refuse.
3. Paste Microsoft logos in Steam where applicable.
Submitted by dusty blade on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 6:43pm
every smart gamer will kill themself on that day...
-=Hopefully what I say is right, never quote me on it though.=-
Submitted by Axess Denyd on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 1:54pm
GFW is a joke. A cruel, cruel joke. The first I ever encountered it was when I bought GTA4 on Steam....then I had to create GFW account and BE LOGGED IN to save my single player games. This was especially good because right after I bought it, the remnants of Hurricane Ike came through and took out my internet for a week and a half. No GTA for me since one cannot save when offline.
I have no idea what benefitsGFW is supposed to provide, but it is failing quite miserably. I also don't need anything tracking "achievements" in games, because seriously, who cares?
Steam throws in the achievement junk, but at least it is transparent, and the software functions beautifully. But again, if Steam is in online mode and you lose your connection, you can't access your games unless they have changed something. You have to be online in order to restart in offline mode.
Submitted by Trooper_One on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 12:10pm
When M$ first proposed GFW in the face of the competing console platforms, I was really excited. However, as the years grew, the games forcing you to use GFW is just a pain to use (e.g. Fallout3). Anyways, nowadays, I try to avoid it as much as possible.
There is only one true saviour: Steam. Their ease of use, easy to buy system, and game connections are just terrific.
Speaking of online connection, Gamespy connection system is absolutely terrible! They should just stick to journalism. Try connecting inBorderlands (with all the necessary ports opened and firewalls off) is still crummy at best!
Submitted by samduhman on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 11:23am
so we all move to their beloved Xbox so they can nickel and dime us for online play and DLC.
If PC gaming ever did die I'd stop using MS OSes and use a free alternative like UBUNTO. I'd game on any console but an Xbox. I refuse to support their evil entry into the console world.
Submitted by Biceps on Wed, 11/04/2009 - 11:27am
I wonder if MS realizes that the only reason so many people put up with their crap is that most games only work on MS OSs. If PC gaming disappears, I, too would go open-source.
I use STEAM to manage all
Submitted by DBsantos77 on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 10:10am
I use STEAM to manage all my games. If there's a game that STEAM doesn't have I buy it at gamestop's store, download it, backup the game and the licensing info, and I'm set to go. No GFW for me, although some STEAM games install GFW in order to get the game to work, I forget which.
-Santos
Submitted by praetor_alpha on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 10:04am
Next time Microsoft says that "we are committed to PC gaming", everyone should tell them to stop lying. When was the last time Microsoft developed or even published a PC exclusive game that sold well or got people excited? Age of empires 3 about 4 years ago?
If someone else, say Apple, would get developers and games onto their platform, I'm not sure if MS would even care about loosing the PC gaming market to someone else.
I will take the Vista games explorer over 7's, because I used to be able to add custom commands.
Submitted by Biceps on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 10:02am
Cause I agree that Windows Live is a waste of time. I love Steam, Impulse and Stardock... all of them are excellent interfaces that MS could learn from. EA Download Manager is AWFUL as well though, IMHO. Great article, thanks!
MS Gunshy
Submitted by syn2xs on Tue, 11/03/2009 - 9:35am
After the Windows Live failure I really don't think anyone at MS has the balls or incentive to take on this lemon, who wants to stick their head on the chopping block?
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