I hope Origin succeeds.

Why?

It shows that they are serious about enhancing their operating margins and know that DD is practically the future. Invest now, reap later, as they say.

Right now, the user experience is considerably poorer than Steam's (interface sucks, there isn't much content, there are no value-added services like achievements or leaderboards, and the whole thing is practically a mess).

But, if they can hire enough programmers to enhance the user experience, make more content from their back catalogue available for purchase, and add value-added services like achievements and centralized statistics-tracking, then I might see myself using it. But, at the moment, it's years away from being that very experience. So, I am sticking with Steam for now.

I hope it fails.

I don't want a thousand different friggin logins from every different publisher. That is just moronic. Not to mention EA is a very ****ty company with a long reputation of ****ing its customers.

EA and Origin can get ****ed.

steam all the way :)

I hope it fails.

I don't want a thousand different friggin logins from every different publisher. That is just moronic. Not to mention EA is a very ****ty company with a long reputation of ****ing its customers.

EA and Origin can get ****ed.

Remmib

You can't blame a company for wanting to increase its margins. Everyone, from Apple, to Google, to Microsoft, wants to lock people into platforms. The only way to do that is to hold people's software, music, and movie licenses hostage.

Same thing that Steam has done for years.

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/topic/28718162/the-fine-print-in-the-ea-origins-tos

I sure as hell hope it fails horribly

http://www.gamespot.com/forums/topic/28718162/the-fine-print-in-the-ea-origins-tos

I sure as hell hope it fails horribly

Darth_Kane

Steam says the same thing on their ToS. If they can't provide access anymore, then you are ****ed. Zero liability on their part.

Why would you want Publishers to be the sole distributors of their products? We saw how long it took for Sins of a Solar Empire to price drop and I don't believe Elemental has yet (Maybe $10?) and the sales for those two products has been rarer then a competent politician. Valve put's their competitors products on sale far more then their own, Paradox games see the slowest price drop on Gamersgate where they were owners and remain large shareholders. Taking away competition at the retail level is bad for the consumer in ever way imaginable and it's ironic that someone with the tag "The Capitalist" want to see it succeed. MadCat46

You don't see Blizzard putting their games on Steam or Valve putting their titles on any place except Steam.

They are publishers, and they are the sole digital distributors of their internally developed products. Why can't EA do the same? It makes perfect sense. EA can make more money if they cut out the middle man. Right now, what's keeping me on Steam is EA's crappy piece of software and lack of value-added services that Steam has.

Plus, what is good for the consumer isn't necessarily good for the company that publishes these games. Wouldn't it be nice if EA could release all of their titles for free? Yes, that would nice. But EA is not a charity.

[QUOTE="Remmib"]

I hope it fails.

I don't want a thousand different friggin logins from every different publisher. That is just moronic. Not to mention EA is a very ****ty company with a long reputation of ****ing its customers.

EA and Origin can get ****ed.

The_Capitalist

You can't blame a company for wanting to increase its margins. Everyone, from Apple, to Google, to Microsoft, wants to lock people into platforms. The only way to do that is to hold people's software, music, and movie licenses hostage.

Same thing that Steam has done for years.

Steam sucked in the beginning too but the thing is why do people want to run and inferior service that is still working out the kinks and has no features when Steam is available and has gone through years of polish. Also Origins only has EA games while steam has games from a punch of publishers, also no one wants to run 2 clients on their pc, its redudant and stupid. EA abandoned the PC market years ago instead of investing in it, its too late now Steam has a sizable foothold and now they come crawling back. However in the classic EA way instead of innovating and adding features that makes it superior to steam they just hold their products hostage to compete.

This is the sort of like a WOW scenerio, WOW is a juggernaut at this point and has gone through years of polish and improvements, any new mmo that comes out are severly disadvantaged so they have to rely on features that are superior to wow to sell, while EA is just hoping to make a half done steam and gain sales. I only want bf3 from ea and nothing else and I will get that retail and never support their store. All my other EA games I got on a whim on a steam sale and now EA will never get any of my money. Shame Alice looked interesting but not worth origins.

I don't want publisher specific DD services. D2D, Steam, GoG, all great because of the number of publishers that use the serivce. Origins = EA only. That's not good.

[QUOTE="MadCat46"]Why would you want Publishers to be the sole distributors of their products? We saw how long it took for Sins of a Solar Empire to price drop and I don't believe Elemental has yet (Maybe $10?) and the sales for those two products has been rarer then a competent politician. Valve put's their competitors products on sale far more then their own, Paradox games see the slowest price drop on Gamersgate where they were owners and remain large shareholders. Taking away competition at the retail level is bad for the consumer in ever way imaginable and it's ironic that someone with the tag "The Capitalist" want to see it succeed. The_Capitalist

You don't see Blizzard putting their games on Steam or Valve putting their titles on any place except Steam.

They are publishers, and they are the sole digital distributors of their internally developed products. Why can't EA do the same? It makes perfect sense. EA can make more money if they cut out the middle man. Right now, what's keeping me on Steam is EA's crappy piece of software and lack of value-added services that Steam has.

Plus, what is good for the consumer isn't necessarily good for the company that publishes these games. Wouldn't it be nice if EA could release all of their titles for free? Yes, that would nice. But EA is not a charity.

Blizzard games are usually must buy for PC gamers and are known has companies that heavily invested in PC, EA has a notorious reputation among PC gamers, other than BF series of course, I can see this service being useful for BF3 but nothing else, im going to tell my friends to get at retail than this terrible store. Also the TOS service thread displayed their greed and uncaring attiitude for the consumer stating that after a year they can remove the service.

I have little doubt that other publishers might appear on EA's service. It's a natural fit.

But, it's too early to say whether or not EA's effort will succeed. The heart of Origin's success - the user experience, remains subpar. I doubt I would seriously use it until it offers feature parity with Steam.

Rooting for EA is like rooting for the class bully. After supporting them there's always a chance of them punching you in the face anyway.

I have little doubt that other publishers might appear on EA's service. It's a natural fit.

But, it's too early to say whether or not EA's effort will succeed. The heart of Origin's success - the user experience, remains subpar. I doubt I would seriously use it until it offers feature parity with Steam.

The_Capitalist

If its so subpar then why would people use it when steam is available? I would never buy games from this service just because I dont know the future of its sucess, steam has been proven sucessful and has been adding features for years. The fact that this thing launched as stripped down as it is proves this is another EA venture for a quick buck. EA has to remember that pc gamers respect loyalty steam and battlenet are longstanding services on PC that have earned the respect and trust of the PC userbase, you just cant expect to come back after years of abandoning the market holding your games hostage on your new inferior service and hope that generates sales.

You don't see Blizzard putting their games on Steam or Valve putting their titles on any place except Steam.The_Capitalist

Which was my point, I listed several publisher who sell exclusively through a single DD or hold a large share in that DD service and the difference is how much longer it takes for price drops and sales to occur because there is no need for them. The enticement is the fact the consumers can't go anywhere else to get it.

They are publishers, and they are the sole digital distributors of their internally developed products. Why can't EA do the same? It makes perfect sense. EA can make more money if they cut out the middle man. Right now, what's keeping me on Steam is EA's crappy piece of software and lack of value-added services that Steam has.

Plus, what is good for the consumer isn't necessarily good for the company that publishes these games. Wouldn't it be nice if EA could release all of their titles for free? Yes, that would nice. But EA is not a charity.

The_Capitalist

I never said it wasn't good for the publisher, hell it's the best thing the publisher could do. But I'm not a publissher, I'm a consumer and because of that my interests start from the POV of a consumer. And I don't believe I ever asked for EA to give me stuff for free (Wouldn't complain though :P). There are however moves which benefit both the publisher and the consumer, when EA opened itself up to other digital distributors a few years ago was one of them. It gave EA more places to move their product through while increasing competition and choices for the consumer. Publisher exclusivity is a one-sided benefit though akin to how a publisher giving away it's titles for free benefits only the consumer. EA no longer has to take only 3/4 the cost of a game title, they can now make a 100% profit while having complete control of the market regarding their titles.

I hope for nothing, it does its job, that's all I care about, Steam fanaticism is pointless. As long as I can enjoy good games I don't care where they come from, be it Steam, Origin, D2D, etc, a tool won't stop me from enjoying the games.

[QUOTE="The_Capitalist"]

I have little doubt that other publishers might appear on EA's service. It's a natural fit.

But, it's too early to say whether or not EA's effort will succeed. The heart of Origin's success - the user experience, remains subpar. I doubt I would seriously use it until it offers feature parity with Steam.

NanoMan88

If its so subpar then why would people use it when steam is available? I would never buy games from this service just because I dont know the future of its sucess, steam has been proven sucessful and has been adding features for years. The fact that this thing launched as stripped down as it is proves this is another EA venture for a quick buck. EA has to remember that pc gamers respect loyalty steam and battlenet are longstanding services on PC that have earned the respect and trust of the PC userbase, you just cant expect to come back after years of abandoning the market holding your games hostage on your new inferior service and hope that generates sales.

The user experience can improve. But EA has to move quickly - and very quickly.

It's not about making a quick buck. It's about improving an operating margin that currently stands at negative ten percent in the aggregate.

Video games are a tough business - and I can't blame EA for trying. But, I am an accounting major at the university, so I am somewhat sympathetic.

http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2011/02/23/2-star-stocks-poised-to-plunge-electronic-arts.aspx

Origins is topic de jour

I hope it succeeds too, if it does it means that the service is great :D

full disclosure... origins member here

[QUOTE="NanoMan88"]

[QUOTE="The_Capitalist"]

I have little doubt that other publishers might appear on EA's service. It's a natural fit.

But, it's too early to say whether or not EA's effort will succeed. The heart of Origin's success - the user experience, remains subpar. I doubt I would seriously use it until it offers feature parity with Steam.

The_Capitalist

If its so subpar then why would people use it when steam is available? I would never buy games from this service just because I dont know the future of its sucess, steam has been proven sucessful and has been adding features for years. The fact that this thing launched as stripped down as it is proves this is another EA venture for a quick buck. EA has to remember that pc gamers respect loyalty steam and battlenet are longstanding services on PC that have earned the respect and trust of the PC userbase, you just cant expect to come back after years of abandoning the market holding your games hostage on your new inferior service and hope that generates sales.

The user experience can improve. But EA has to move quickly - and very quickly.

It's not about making a quick buck. It's about improving an operating margin that currently stands at negative ten percent in the aggregate.

Video games are a tough business - and I can't blame EA for trying. But, I am an accounting major at the university, so I am somewhat sympathetic.

http://www.fool.com/retirement/general/2011/02/23/2-star-stocks-poised-to-plunge-electronic-arts.aspx

I am accounting major too lol and I can understand EA need for more money but I am also a gamer. If EA wants money so bad mabye they should stop buying studios and running them into the ground, they should come out with decent games to put on their exclusive to EA service instead of the shovelware which they stream now. But launching a service that is inferior in everyway to the current juggernaut will just end in failure and a negative NPV project.

Problem with origin as of now is that it brings nothing new to the table.

There is no trust nor any respect between gamers and EA to start with and now, rather than luring customers with stuff and build up that trust, they just straight up twist their arms, punch them in the face and bully them into using Origin.

How can you be successful with a business strategy like that? They aren't really off to a good start...

It's a smart business move at the core but its implementation is atrocious.

You can stil buy EA games on D2D or Gamersgate for the moment anyway. You don't have to buy from Origin. I know I won't. Even though Steam is still the best DD platform, its good for a little competition.

I don't want publisher specific DD services. D2D, Steam, GoG, all great because of the number of publishers that use the serivce. Origins = EA only. That's not good.

Wasdie

I wish both Steam and Origin and DD in general would just go away. I prefer my physical copies of games that arrive with artwork and a case and a CD that I can hold in my hand and keep and display forever rather than existing in cyberspace limbo.

I wish both Steam and Origin and DD in general would just go away. I prefer my physical copies of games that arrive with artwork and a case and a CD that I can hold in my hand and keep and display forever rather than existing in cyberspace limbo.

Starshine_M2A2

I don't really care about Origin right now. I'm perfectly satisfied with Steam.

I wish both Steam and Origin and DD in general would just go away. I prefer my physical copies of games that arrive with artwork and a case and a CD that I can hold in my hand and keep and display forever rather than existing in cyberspace limbo.

I wish both Steam and Origin and DD in general would just go away. I prefer my physical copies of games that arrive with artwork and a case and a CD that I can hold in my hand and keep and display forever rather than existing in cyberspace limbo.

[QUOTE="Starshine_M2A2"][QUOTE="the_ChEeSe_mAn2"] No one is stopping you from buying retail versions. Steam is already deeply entrenched in the DD market and will not go away. That said, anytime there is a publisher specific DD service, I tend to worry. I had suspicions about using Blizzard's store, but I ended up having a pleasant experience. I cannot say the same of the EA Store and the EA download manager. the_ChEeSe_mAn2

[QUOTE="the_ChEeSe_mAn2"][QUOTE="Starshine_M2A2"] Sure nobody is stopping me *right now*. But, as the OP said, DD is the future and retail will be phased out eventually. Its a scary thought, dude.Starshine_M2A2

I agree that publishers having a monopoly on their digital distribution is a negative since it doesn't promote competition, but what EA has done so far is remove their games from STEAM, not from DD services in general. As far as I'm concerned, Steam needs a reality check. Sure it's a great service, but it commands a huge portion of the DD market. What better way to promote competition with Steam?

I know many people only want to stick with one DD service, or will only buy the Steam version of the game regardless of how much cheaper it may be from other services. I can see exactly why EA would want to put a stop to this mindset, and can't blame them for their actions.

BEHOLD, THE FUTURE OF GAMING!

:evil::cry:

I hope it fails.

I don't want a thousand different friggin logins from every different publisher. That is just moronic. Not to mention EA is a very ****ty company with a long reputation of ****ing its customers.

EA and Origin can get ****ed.

Remmib

Yeah im sticking with steam

Why?

It shows that they are serious about enhancing their operating margins and know that DD is practically the future. Invest now, reap later, as they say.

Right now, the user experience is considerably poorer than Steam's (interface sucks, there isn't much content, there are no value-added services like achievements or leaderboards, and the whole thing is practically a mess).

But, if they can hire enough programmers to enhance the user experience, make more content from their back catalogue available for purchase, and add value-added services like achievements and centralized statistics-tracking, then I might see myself using it. But, at the moment, it's years away from being that very experience. So, I am sticking with Steam for now.

The_Capitalist

TC What EA is doing with Origin is fine, but they are undoubtedly a bit late to the game, trying to steal the market from steam by having their best games on origin only, its bound to piss people off, steams userbase is now quite large and a lot of people do not wish to have to use two seperate clients to manage their games.