Would you like a unified game client, like the one in the screenshot?
Using a launcher still would result in getting each respective clients up and running first. It's not something that can automagically launch DRM protected game like Dota 2 to run without its proprietary client - Steam - running first.
It doesn't make sense to have these kind of mechanism. I'd rather to launch all clients I have firsthand and then just do the regular launching if I want to play.
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The problem is that you can't search and sort your entire gams library. You need to use the GUI of each client and rely on it to provide this functionality, and currently they are all very limited in this regard. And then again, even if each client was more capable, it is still a hassle to switch between different clients to browse and manage one's games.
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Not sure you attached the mockup picture correctly because I can't see it. I currently keep my collected games in an excel document but a unified client would be preferable. However I use more than just my library in Steam and I'm not sure for example the stores would be well integrated. I'm positive but pessimistic towards this.
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Yes it works, and I can see the client working to that intent but at that point I'd probably just use a folder with shortcuts to all of my games instead.
I'd suggest you get Razer Cortex, I used it for a while but I just went to Steam in the end anyway. It has an FPS counter though which is nice when optimizing settings.
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Shortcuts are fine, but they only provide little functionality compared to what I'm suggesting...
How do you sort by game time (hl2b.com) or metacritic score?
How to you search for a specific genre or feature (e.g. co-op, singleplayer, controller support)?
How do you uninstall without having to go through each client to find the one you used to install the game?
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That might work for smaller collections but for some it's just not feasible.
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The second sentence is a very interesting statement. Isn't the main value of the game coming from actually being able to play it? Isn't the secondary value coming from knowing that you pay the developers and get a malware-free installation? All of these benefits are not related to whether the game has DRM or box, no?
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There aren't enough games outside of Steam for me to want a unified client. 95% of all PC games I play are on Steam. Battlefield 4 and maybe 1 or 2 other EA games are played on Origin, and on an extremely rare occasion I play something DRM free. Two clients are enough, in fact having a unified client is almost the same as having a third client, seeing as all three need to be running at the same time.
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In principle, only the unified client and the one used to run the current game need to run at the same time. The unified client can launch the relevant client and shut it down when you quit the game. Syncing the data can occur at the user's preferred frequency, and if in some cases doesn't even require launching the client (e.g. the Steam API can be used to retrieve this info without the client running).
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The first part can be covered by something like Backloggery, the second part would be a lot harder to implement.
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Yeah it's a real pain to update backloggery. I had to download a script, edit it manually and run it from the command-line. It had a lot of errors too.
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You already can add non-steam games to Steam. What you want is already available.
If you're gonna argue that you want to have the store page in the client, well just use a browser and bookmark whatever stores you want... You could even use the built in Steam browser.
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Managing non-Steam shortcuts in the Steam client is an absolute nightmare though. You can't filter them exclusively (to selectively remove since they don't disappear when the game does) and I've heard of people having all their non-steam shortcuts disappear.
Steam will also attempt to put its overlay on any non-Steam you launch. This may or may not be desirable depending on the game, but unlike with normal Steam games you cannot disable under properties. Some GOG games use .bat files to launch which Steam will not add, so you have to do some nasty workarounds.
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I add shortcuts to Steam for all my games and the main issue for me is that they are all classed as installed even though I'm just using them as placeholders so i can see everything in one place
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i want all on steam! :D
It's okay if you need a origin account like social Club in GTA in Background, but i want 1 client for all my games in 1 library/list, that would be the best.
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my idea can be used in all clients :D
Over 600+ Desktop Icons wuhu :D
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My desktop has been completely covered by icons in the past. Since I have so many games in my backlog now though I've had to abandon that method except for games that I buy off of GoG, Origin, and etc. Such as Masters of the world, WarZ, Aftermath, Elite Dangerous, World of Warships, Entropia Universe, etc.
I do enjoy the separation though. I can separate games I own from games I don't own. IE, every game on steam, valve owns through steam client DRM, so best to complete those quickly as they have the power to take those away at any moment. Games on GoG? I own, so I can let those rest for awhile if I want to, worry-free. Etc.
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Tried Unified messengers, other downloaders and similar. They always miss details essential to one service, prioritizing general functionality. One client can not unify them all since they all have different communities to satisfy. My games are saturated among clients too but I'm content as it is...
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See the mockup below (click picture for full size view).
Trying the new Galaxy client it just occurred to me that the reason I'm not likely to use it frequently or buy more games from GOG, is that I prefer to view and manage all my games in one client, and that's the main reason why I continue to buy games mostly from Steam.
It also got me to me think what would make me start buying from other services (e.g. GOG, Origin, Uplay) more, and that's the ability to view all my games (from all services) in one list, and do simple operations like Install, Uninstall, and Launch. I have a feeling that if someone built a launcher that provides these options (and displays the info the Steam Library Filters site currently displays) it would not only be a hit, but people would actually be willing to pay for it. I know I would (if priced reasonably, e.g. up to $15 for a perpetual license).
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