Steam delists games, however, if you already bought it, you still have access to it.

No, I don’t.

I can (and should) look at each one on a case by case basis, compare the parts, the actual costs of said parts, and make a determination from there. In the case of Steam devices, I do not lot believe they are price gouging - you can build a similar device that’s going to be on par with or less expensive than their machine, but not by all that much.

US here: Names are all over the place.

Maybe he’ll even send me a Steam Frame! Or a yacht! I heard he has a bunch of those.

Tacos are not actors.

I’m taking this out of context and there’s nothing you can do about it.

Kind of, but I think a lot of people might view them more as take out as opposed to fast food.

Maybe you’ve have enough Internet for today but before you go, allow me to explain:

When someone says something like that, they don’t literally mean it.

“I love tacos” does not actually mean that I have genuine feelings of love for them (even if they are delicious).

It’s just a phrase.

Support the devs when you can.

Fun related fact: Most pirates end up spending far more on games and other media than the average person in the long run.

Thank you, that is much clearer!

Supposedly if Steam ever goes under they’ll unlock everything, but if you ask me: GOG is just the thing for you!

Or set sail if it’s a shitty company that stole the game you bought, arrr…

If you are a Linux user, check out Lutris for installing GOG games. I’ve been using it with Bazzite lately and its been pretty good but they also have native standalone installers for some games. Also, standalone Windows and MacOS installers where applicable.

Edit: Evidently, there are some games on Steam that are also DRM free. You just have to sign in to download it, which is reasonable as you need a good way to download it more than once without letting any random person with the link download it. Not exactly 1:1 for how GOG can work but could be worse.

Why do you think that? Turning off DRM would be trivial and they might even end up being legally obligated to do just that either because of laws or because of how whatever hypothetical bankruptcy they go through might be structured. Never mind Valve going belly up seems highly unlikely to begin with. If it does ever happen and it happens in the way you describe, piracy will absolutely skyrocket and people will stop buying games online after they’ve had their trust shaken.

The cost of making the Steam Deck has gone up. Valve can’t sell them at a massive loss or they’ll go out of business. That’s not Valve jacking up the price, like I already pointed out:

Go re-read my post, because you clearly missed an important part

the only reason their hardware is expensive now is because part manufacturers are mostly price gouging (lying about AI being the cause of ALL the increased costs, which isn’t true, just like it wasn’t entirely true with the bitcoin mining craze).

Building a PC for yourself has skyrocketed in price too, blaming Valve is just ridiculous and anyone making that argument is just showing everyone that they are wildly ignorant.

Also, scalping is shitty.

So, you are blaming Steam for other platforms being way shittier: Maybe the other companies should be less shitty instead instead of trying to nickle and dime their customers while offering up garbage-to-mediocre services. Blaming Steam for making a platform that isn’t a fucking dumpster fire is ridiculous.

I did read and I disagree with your assessment: It was not really explained.

Fortunately I don’t have this problem on any of my personal machines because I formatted all my Windows drives and migrated everything to Linux, which has been a far better experience. Running Bazzite on my gaming machine and Mint on my general use laptop. Also SteamOS on my handheld. Would recommend.

If a corporation does something good, it’s OK to say, “Hey, good job. I love that!”

If a corporation does something legitimately shitty, it’s definitely OK to criticize them mercilessly too (I do it all the time, would recommend).

What’s not OK is trying to tell people what they can or can’t praise/criticize.

Valve has not jacked up prices: Their game prices have been consistently among the cheapest and the only reason their hardware is expensive now is because part manufacturers are mostly price gouging (lying about AI being the cause of ALL the increased costs, which isn’t true, just like it wasn’t entirely true with the bitcoin mining craze).

It’s also worth pointing out that Valve has made massive contributions to Linux gaming (and Linux in general), which enables people to game on potato-spec machines and compared to other gaming platforms, they are far better than almost all of them except for GOG.

Mint is cool, but have you tried Bazzite? I just switched a while back and it’s been a pretty solid gaming experience.

What else would purchases be tied to??? This criticism doesn’t make any sense. Support has been great for me and no, it’s certainly not a monopoly: There are dozens of game stores online. Just because Valve created the best one doesn’t mean it’s a monopoly, it means that all the other ones are shit (except for GOG, they’re awesome and even better in some ways).

Fuck yeah, love you Valve.

Love your contributions to Linux more though.

Expect prices to continue getting crazier, weather to get shittier, and people to get more desperate: Do everything you can to become self sufficient and be prepared for a variety of outcomes.

Invest time into into learning the ability to make or get food (think gardening, foraging, hunting, trapping, fishing, raising animals for food, etc.), have a long term plan for obtaining safe water, learn whatever medical care you can (first aid, stop the bleed, etc.), learn how to defend yourself if you don’t already know (and if you do, keep up on your training, if you don’t use it, your skills will weaken), learn to cook if you haven’t, learn to sew if you haven’t, all those skills one might consider “old fashioned” by some will become more important the worse things get.

If you’ve got the funds for it, battery banks, solar panels, and similar can help make things like extended (or even permanent) power outages a lot more bearable (plus they could save your food from spoiling, your house from flooding, etc.). I’ve only spent a few hundred so far but I already have a battery bank that functions as a UPS to power the pumps that keep my house dry and the refrigerators running. It charges to 80% in 50 minutes off a standard plug and charges to full off the panels in under a day - it’s a huge game changer for my family and we’re only getting started.

Some sort of vehicle you can fuel independent of gas stations is also a very good idea: EVs are great, but if you can’t afford one, there’s nothing wrong with e-bikes or even bicycles! Hell, my preferred commuter is a bike most days anyways. Another alternative is converting a traditional vehicle to run off used cooking oil (which is far easier than it sounds): Many restaurants will happily give you the used oil they have to pay someone else to come pick up and dispose of. If the power goes out, gas stations can’t pump fuel, so even if you can afford it, you’re still screwed. Find a reasonably fast way to get around without relying on this and you’ll be much more disaster resistant.

Finally, make friends! Our greatest strength as humans is when we band together for the benefit of everybody, be careful who you trust but don’t be afraid to be part of your local community either because as people, we are far more vulnerable when we are totally alone and unsupported. You can go it alone, but it’ll be a lot rougher in pretty much every situation.