Another steam like program?

[westie]

It's called Xstream and filefront interviewed some guy who is leading the project or something.
Follow me!
Sounds kinda like another steam but with more games etc.

 

[Sieg]

I gota register?
Too lazy to do that......

 

[The Dark Elf]

Q: OK. Since many of our readers haven’t yet heard of your company, tell us, what exactly is XStream?

A: The Game xStream is a new Gaming on-demand platform that allows you play games while they are streaming on the fly. It allows you to begin playing games in a fraction of the time it would take you to download and install the game. It was designed to work with any game irregardless of size or complexity, including multiplayer games while streaming.

In other words most games will need to be re-written just for that to work correctly and not end up playing games with everything resembling standing 2D sprites, or worse.

Doubt it'll last long


It's basically a rip of Steam and claims its all a new idea. Frankly I can't take anyone who's first name is Royal seriously, especially when he sounds like a mod team leader trying to please everyone all of the time with ooh it'll does this and ooh it'll do that.

 

[Datrix]

This sounds like a good idea, but when its released they better pray not many people have dial-up.

 

[The Dark Elf]

Q: What about patches, add-ons, maps, and mods? Will all of these be available through your service?

A: Patches will be available, and the consumer can allow it to be patched, or deny the action. Addons and maps / mods will also be supported as the system keeps the structure of the game in place, so you can install your mods / maps / addons as if it were from disc. The only difference is that the game itself is encrypted. However, for mod developers, the developers / publishers have the ability to allow certain files to be ‘in the clear’ for mod development.

and then goes on to say

Q: What about security, and virus protection? How do you guarantee the security of your download servers? With the plethora of viruses combing the net these days, do you think that will affect people’s decision whether or not to use your service?

A: We use dedicated servers that are not like webservers. Each package must be signed and propagated by the system itself. Once a package is signed and uploaded, it is no longer accessable by anyone. Everything on the system is encrypted, and we have the ability to propagate to any point in the network, and roll back just as quickly. The publishing and signing process is handled very carefully by its own team, so there is no ‘self publishing’ allowed as a security/virus prevention measure.

heh

 

[westie]

Q: Valve Software has tried something similar to this for their products with Steam. With all the negative press that Steam has received, do you think that this technology is viable at this time? What are the differences between your service and Steam?

A: I think that our technology is absolutely viable at this time. Steam was a big factor in the marketplace in regards to the biggest question, which was ‘Can we make money doing online distribution?’ Steam helped prove that it can be successfully done. Steam is currently more of a download service. It delivers content, then unlocks it, and allows you to play it. It has its own pluses and minuses, much like any delivery system. We have engineered our system to overcome many of the problems they have had so that the gamer can focus on the games, and not on the delivery. Our objective is to be as transparent as possible.

He says it's better than steam!

 

[mortiz]

pff Steam wouldn't have recieved half as much bad press if it wasn't for all the moaning CS f4n boi's.

 

[^Ben]

When I see that system handling a launch of a title like HL2 or being able to handle a userbase like steams, then it will be a viable replacement.

Streaming technology is all well and good, but if your servers are raped and everybody is getting 2KB a second, it's not very good.

 

[DiSTuRbEd]

Guy obviously doesn't understand how much strain will be put on it when its released.

 

[Fishlore]

The more online content distribution the better I think. I wish I never had to go to a store to buy a game again. A service like Steam that allows you to download any game instead of just Valve stuff sounds like a good idea to me.

The costs of making PC games is sky rocketing. Consoles are eating the gaming market's market share. If cutting the publisher out of the picture helps bring costs down and allows for more adventurous PC game development, I'm all for it.

 

[big_king_frosty]

Oh jesus not *another* steam. The amount of time ive wasted on steam but not playing a game through it...

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Guy obviously doesn't understand how much strain will be put on it when its released.

or how little considering how shitty it's sounding :|

 

[Lemonking]

Oh jesus not *another* steam. The amount of time ive wasted on steam but not playing a game through it...

lol good one

 

[xLostx]

ahahaha that pic is gold, I love it and yeah xfire is pretty cool me and my friends use it for cod and other games