Sony is erasing over 550 movies from PlayStation libraries without offering a single refund. If clicking "Buy" only grants access until a corporate licensing deal expires, the service is fundamentally broken.
Sony, and to a slightly lesser extent Microsoft are fairly well shielded against piracy. They can do what they want and the console peasants will have to just shut up and take it because its not like you can afford to just buy a gaming PC in this economy.
A lot of steams customer base still has a tan-line where their eyepatch was. They know they can lose their customers at a moments notice so they actually have to try.
Plus there are multiple storefronts on PC. Marketplaces (including Steam) have to compete. It’s just that most of Steam’s competitors are masters at shooting themselves in the foot at every turn
This is an example of competition working. Normally, an oligopolistic market like this would not have good faith competition, but Valve got rich before they could be corrupted by VC, so they obey the intentions of one crazy entrepreneur, instead of the normal undifferentiated VC behavior.
Steam’s competitors keep trying the VC strategy and it can’t work because Steam exists and, at least while Newell maintains this attitude and control of Valve, don’t do it.
Sony, and to a slightly lesser extent Microsoft are fairly well shielded against piracy. They can do what they want and the console peasants will have to just shut up and take it because its not like you can afford to just buy a gaming PC in this economy.
A lot of steams customer base still has a tan-line where their eyepatch was. They know they can lose their customers at a moments notice so they actually have to try.
Plus there are multiple storefronts on PC. Marketplaces (including Steam) have to compete. It’s just that most of Steam’s competitors are masters at shooting themselves in the foot at every turn
This is an example of competition working. Normally, an oligopolistic market like this would not have good faith competition, but Valve got rich before they could be corrupted by VC, so they obey the intentions of one crazy entrepreneur, instead of the normal undifferentiated VC behavior.
Steam’s competitors keep trying the VC strategy and it can’t work because Steam exists and, at least while Newell maintains this attitude and control of Valve, don’t do it.