You missed my point. You want to play Mass Effect 3? You MUST install Uplay. It is exclusive to their distribution platform. Just because it's tied a software platform instead of a hardware platform doesn't make it fit the definition of "exclusive" any less.
Jebus, you're so upset over this you can't even keep it straight, Mass Effect 3 is on Origin. Anyways....yes, its not that exclusive when all you have to do is install a client on the very same machine. Exclusive in the way you originally stated, does not fit here. You even used the consoles as an example, a very bad one at that. Again, you're crying over a free client. Let me repeat that, FREE CLIENT.
Aye, and it's not illegal to be a ****, but it doesn't mean people can't hate you for it. I've no problem with any company attempting to make money in any way they see fit. I don't have to like it either any more than I like the telecomm's monopolistic behavior as a way to gouge money because they can.
You clearly do have a problem with them attempting to make money their way, or else we wouldn't be having this discussion, would we?
You have a nasty habit of comparing apples to oranges. Please explain how Ubisoft/EA are gouging you by selling their games to people, directly? I'm all ears....if the game is the same exact price on Steam as it is on Uplay, then its a moot point and your hate is entirely misplaced/misguided.
Its not the same as how an area might only have one cable provider and thus they charge whatever they want. Ubisoft/EA are still charging the industry standard!
I'm a hater if I disagree with their scrupulous capitalistic behavior, and I'm butt-hurt if a choose with my wallet not to support them? Interesting though, it made me do the opposite and tend to avoid their games.
You're allowed to be a hater all you want, but I wholeheartedly consider this hate to rather awkward considering the topic at hand. As for butt-hurt, that was a general statement aimed at most gamers these days. Getting your panties in a twist over a client is asinine and childish at best. I'd hate to see how worked up you get over real problems in life.
EA's Simcity release was such a debacle it made the major international news sites. You have to screw up bad in the gaming industry to make mainstream news. I simply never recall Steam ever making the BBC in a negative light.
Game servers buckling is not the same as the client buckling; as I already pointed out, thats not a client issue and can happen regardless of which client you bought a game from. I feel like you missed the point here, which client has (more than once) buckled under heavy load? Steam; so you might want to remove your rose tinted glasses.
I think you missed another subtle distinction. I never said Ubi didn't/don't reward customers, I said they didn't create Uplay to reward customers. It's not that they were unhappy with the experience their customers were having with Steam, they just wanted their money, playing habits, and used their games to leverage their own exclusive software platform in order to do so.
Err, UPlay (the service) actually was created to reward customers. Good grief, if you weren't hating for absolutely no reason you might know this. Customers play games->customers earn rewards from playing games->customers can use those rewards towards other games. That's the very definition of being created to reward customers....
Uplay points and rewards existed years, YEARS, before the PC distribution client app. Not only that, but they are completely platform independent. You can earn these points anywhere (every console, and PC's) and regardless of where you bought the game.
Fine, hate their distribution client. However, at least know the facts of where Uplay came from.
Say your car breaks down. How is it any different than the only local mechanic leveraging his exclusivity/your need to upsell a part? Is he perfectly within his right to charge you extra for that part you need? Yes. Is he a scumbag for exploiting your need for extra profit? Completely.
Good gravy......another poor analogy. Most all games are $59.99 at release in the US. If the same exact game is $59.99 on Steam and $59.99 on Uplay, how exactly is one leveraging their exclusivity over the other? Lets use EA here for a better example. At release, Mass Effect/Battlefield/Need4Speed cost the same on Origin (where its 'exclusive') as it would anywhere else ($59.99).
I have one last thing to say. Games on the PC have had some ridiculous DRM schemes over the years. You should know if you've been around since them DOS days (as I have too). I would much rather be 'exclusively' locked to Origin or Uplay than have to still deal with the likes of StarForce/Securom/SafeDisc/Laserlock/etc which sometimes blocked legit copies from working.
Its like before uPlay and GOG and the others came around Valve was the ONLY mechanic. I'm not entirely sure about this past part but wouldn't Valve be doing the same exact thing as the other services by locking valve exclusives to steam?
Indeed, but basic facts like this are completely ignored by blind loyalists. They'll also conveniently ignore that there have been non-valve games that were also locked to steam. IIRC, Fallout 3 was one of those. It didn't matter if you bought the physical disc, you had to register for a steam account. I believe the only way around steam was to buy it through GFWL, but who in their right mind did that.
