Game Launcher
Ongoing coverage on Game Launcher.
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'Little Tim is so obsessed with Gabe': Former Valve writer baffled by Epic CEO Tim Sweeney's attempts to…
Former Valve writer Chet Faliszek criticizes Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney's recent announcement for the Epic Games Store, particularly Sweeney's perceived obsession with Gabe Newell and his yachts. Faliszek argues that Epic's approach to its launcher, including its focus on 'vibe coding' and comparisons to Steam, is baffling and alienates players seeking community and agency.
Epic said its game launcher was faster than Steam on the same day Steam got a speed boost—so I've put both to…
A comparison of the Epic Games Launcher and Steam's client performance found the Epic Games Launcher to be faster in loading times. While Epic Games claimed its launcher was faster, Valve also released a Steam update improving its startup performance on the same day. Despite Epic's speed advantage in benchmarks, the author still prefers Steam due to its user interface and features.
Fan revolt forces RPG studio to kill its new launcher just 19 hours after release
Owlcat has completely removed its new game launcher from Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader just 19 hours after its introduction, following significant player backlash. The launcher, intended to consolidate news and updates, was criticized for being intrusive and causing issues with Steam playtime tracking. This marks the second instance of fan pushback forcing Owlcat to alter its implementation of new features.
Heroic Games Launcher v2.22 brings library editing, big screen console mode improvements
Heroic Games Launcher version 2.22 has been released, introducing significant new features for managing game libraries on Linux. Users can now edit game details, including names and cover images, for titles from GOG and Epic Games. The update also enhances the big screen console mode with support for installing and updating games.
Steam Now Tracks Playtime for Non-Steam Games Like STALKER 2 | HappyGamer
Steam has begun tracking playtime for games added as non-Steam shortcuts, a feature previously exclusive to titles purchased on the platform. This change, discovered by users adding games like STALKER 2 from GOG, suggests Valve is aiming to make Steam a more comprehensive hub for all gaming activity, regardless of purchase origin. The move raises questions about data collection and could intensify competition among digital distribution platforms.
Heroic Games Launcher gets a slick full-screen console-like mode
Heroic Games Launcher version 2.21 introduces a new full-screen, console-like mode designed for gamepad navigation, enhancing its usability on TV PCs. This update also adds a Deals page for GOG promotions, achievement support for GOG games, and the ability to pick game covers from SteamGridDB. A native Windows Arm64 build is also now available.
Elite Dangerous players on Epic Games Store must migrate their accounts thanks to a launcher SNAFU
Elite Dangerous players on the Epic Games Store are required to migrate their accounts due to a launcher issue that connected them to the legacy version of the game instead of the live version. This error will be fixed in an upcoming update, but players must use the game's transfer portal beforehand. Frontier Developments warns that the migration process may take time and players cannot access their characters during the transfer.
Heroic Games Launcher v2.20.1 brings more essential bug fixes
Heroic Games Launcher v2.20.1 has been released, bringing essential bug fixes and improvements for managing games from Epic, GOG, and Amazon on Linux, macOS, and Windows. This update addresses issues with changing Epic Games accounts, resolves false error messages on some Linux distributions, and enhances download management based on internet connectivity.
